My very own shortcuts

Since I can no longer find the shortcut documents on the internet that I used years ago…. I have decided to make mine available to you.  You can easily copy these into a Word document and add them to your AutoCorrect Backup Document for your own use.  Or just use them as a springboard for your own inspiration.

Being that I have over 3000 entries, I have streamlined them a bit for relevance, and I’m not going to get them all on here in one day (sorry).

If you are looking for something specific, you may want to use the “Find” feature under your “Edit” pulldown menu (Ctrl -F) to search out what you are looking for.

Hope you find this helpful!

Shortcuts A to Z

1diag               first diagonal

1gen                first-generation

1line               first-line

24h                  24 hours

24hu                24-hour urine

2da                  today

2diag               second diagonal

2gen                second-generation

2line               second-line

2ves                two-vessel

3gen                third-generation

3line               third-line

3ves                three-vessel

4line               fourth-line

5fu                  5-FU

5fux                 5-fluorouracil

aaa                  AAA

aaax                abdominal aortic aneurysm

aae                  appetite and energy

aaf                   African-American female

aam                 African-American male

aao                  alert and oriented

aap                  auscultation and percussion

aarr                 antiarrhythmic

aarrh               atrial arrhythmia

aaw                 alive and well

abd                  abdomen

abdl                abdominal

abdld              abdominal discomfort

abdlp              abdominal pain

abgx                arterial blood gas

abi                  ABI

abifem             aortobifemoral

abix                 ankle-brachial indices

abl                  ablation

abmen             above mentioned

abn                  abnormal

abnx                abnormalities

abny                abnormality

abvd                ABVD

acei                 ACE inhibitors

acker               actinic keratosis

acy                  activity

acys                activities

adjchemo        adjuvant chemotherapy

addl                additional

addly               additionally

addn                addition

ade                  adequate

adely               adequately

adeno              adenocarcinoma

adh                  adhesion

adhs                adhesions

adj                  adjuvant

adlx                 activities of daily living

adm                 admission

adriamycin      Adriamycin

af                    atrial fibrillation

afe                   all four extremities

afl                   atrial flutter

afpx                 alpha-fetoprotein

afq                  all four quadrants

agrelin            Agrylin

ahax                autoimmune hemolytic anemia

aicd                 AICD

aicdgc             AICD generator change

aicdx               automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator

aii                   anti-inflammatories

ain                   aortic insufficiency

airm                air movement

aiwmi             acute inferior wall myocardial infarction

al                    allergies

alb                  albuterol

alc                   alcohol

alcc                 alcoholic

alcx                 absolute lymphocyte count

alit                  alignment

alkpho             alkaline phosphatase

allx                 acute lymphocytic leukemia

alnd                 axillary lymph node dissection

alrh                 allergic rhinitis

alt                   ALT

altace              Altace

alth                  although

alz                   Alzheimer disease

ama                 against medical advice

ambien            Ambien

ambu               ambulate

ambud             ambulated

ambun             ambulation

amde               made

amfu                amaurosis fugax

ami                  amiodarone

amit                 amitriptyline

aml                  AML

amlx                acute myelogenous leukemia

amox               amoxicillin

amsx               altered mental status

amt                  amount

amts                amounts

amx                 morning

anb                  antibiotic

anbs                antibiotics

anc                  ANC

ancx                absolute neutrophil count

anes                anesthesia

angm               angiogram

angp                angioplasty

angy                angiography

anism              aneurysm

aniso               anisocytosis

ans                  adenosine nuclear scan

ant                   anterior

antco               anticoagulation

anti3                antithrombin III

antiarrh           antiarrhythmia

anticard           anticardiolipin antibodies

anticoag          anticoagulation

antihl               antihyperlipidemic

antiht               antihypertensive

anual               annual

aoc                  acute-on-chronic

aodmx             adult onset diabetes mellitus

apac                atrial pacing

aphy                adenopathy

aply                 apparently

appt                 appointment

appy                appendectomy

apr                  April

apti                 appetite

apx                  approximately

aqwa               all questions were answered

areg                 aortic regurgitation

armin              aromatase inhibitors

arrh                 arrhythmia

arrhs               arrhythmias

arrisk              The family understands all risks, benefits, alternatives, and expectations of all involved. All questions were answered. Consent for surgery given.

artg                 arteriogram

arth                 arthritis

asa                  aspirin

asa325            aspirin 325 mg

asa81              aspirin 81 mg

asapx              as soon as possible

ascvd              ASCVD

ascvdx            atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease

asdx                atrial-septal defect

ashdx              arteriosclerotic heart disease

asl                   asleep

asm                 adenosine stress Myoview

asnb                as-needed basis

asno                as noted above

aspvdx            atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease

asscd               associated

asscn               association

assx                 assessment

ast                   AST

asten               aortic stenosis

asvp                atrial sensing and ventricular pacing

asy                  asymptomatic

ata                   asthma

atp                   at this point

att                    at this time

attn                  attention

attp                  according to the patient

aty                   artery

atys                 arteries

aug                  August

augm               Augmentin

aus                  auscultation

autim               autoimmune

avd                  aortic valve disease

avmx               arteriovenous malformations

avna                AV nodal ablation

avnd                AV node dysfunction

avnrt               AV nodal reentry tachycardia

avrepl             aortic valve replacement

avs                  aortic valve stenosis

awa                 as well as

awmyoi           anterior wall myocardial infarction

awya               away

ax                    anxiety

axln                 axillary lymph node

axlns               axillary lymph nodes

axlym              axillary lymphadenopathy

ayaa                as you are aware,

ayk                  as you know

ayr                  as you remember

b12                 B12

b12def            B12 deficiency

b4                   before

b9                   benign

bap                  back pain

basa                baby aspirin

bb                   beta blocker

bbb                 bundle branch block

bc                    because

bca                  breast cancer

bcc                  basal cell carcinoma

bcell               B-cell lymphoma

bcp                  birth control pills

bev                  beverage

bevs                beverages

bevmab           bevacizumab

bf                    black female

bfc                  bleeding from Coumadin

bh                    bowel habits

bid                  b.i.d.

bidl                 twice daily

bidx                twice a day

bifur                bifurcation

bil                   bilateral

bily                 bilaterally

bipcmr            biventricular pacemaker

bispho             bisphosphonates

bivenp             biventricular pacing

bkax                below-the-knee amputation

bl                    baseline

bld                  blood

bldc                blood count

blobr               bleeding or bruising

bmab               bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

bmbaa             bone marrow biopsy and aspirate

bmbx               bone marrow biopsy

bmdx               bone mineral density

bmm                bowel movement

bmms              bowel movements

bmp                 BMP

bmpx               basic metabolic panel

bmxpl              bone marrow transplant

bn                    benign

bnt                   burning, numbness, and tingling

bobh                bowel or bladder habits

bobi                bowel or bladder incontinence

borco              borderline control

borcod            borderline controlled

borl                 borderline

boso                bowel sounds

bpc                  blood pressure check

bphx                benign prostatic hypertrophy

bpmx               beats per minute

bpx                  blood pressure

brb                  bright red blood

brbpr               bright red blood per rectum

brca                BRCA

brca1              BRCA1

brca12            BRCA1 and 2

brca2              BRCA2

brcar               breast carcinoma

brd                  bronchodilator

brk                  breakfast

brn                  bronchitis

bro                  brother

brobl               bruising or bleeding

broil                brother-in-law

brot                 brought

brs                  bronchoscopy

brss                 bronchiectasis

bs                    blood sugar

bsox                bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy

bthru               breakthrough

btwn                between

bvp                 biventricular pacing

bvpr                biventricular pacemaker

bw                  blood work

bx                    biopsy

bxd                  biopsied

bxs                  biopsies

byty                 brachytherapy

byy                  bradycardia

byya                bradyarrhythmia

ca125              CA-125

ca19                CA19-9

ca27                CA27.29

cabg                CABG

cabgx              coronary artery bypass graft

cad                  CAD

cadx                coronary artery disease

caf                   chronic atrial fibrillation

caff                 caffeine

calc                 calcification

calcs               calcifications

candida           Candida

capne              community-acquired pneumonia

capre               capillary refill

capwy             concealed accessory pathway

carbo              carboplatin

carbtax            carboplatin and Taxol

carc                 carcinoma

cardy               cardiology

carend             carotid endarterectomy

carz                 Cardizem

carzcd             Cardizem CD

cathx               catheterization

cauc                Caucasian

cb                    carotid bruits

cbc                  CBC

cbcx                complete blood count

cbe                  clinical breast exam

cbvax              cerebrovascular accident

ccath               cardiac catheterization

ccaty               common carotid artery

ccb                  calcium channel blocker

cccond            current cardiac condition

cce                  clubbing, cyanosis or edema

ccrcc               clear cell renal cell carcinoma

ccs                  currently clinically stable

ccsy                current cardiac symptoms

cd117              CD117

cd20                CD20

cd23                CD23

cd38                CD38

cd43                CD43

cd5                  CD5

cdas                current dosage and scheduling

cdd                  chest discomfort

cdifx               Clostridium difficile

cea                  CEA

celebrex          Celebrex

cfas                 common femoral arteries

cftg                  chronic fatigue

cgrm                click, gallop, rub or murmur

cgrms              clicks, gallops, rubs or murmurs

ch                    chest

chapp              chest, abdomen, and pelvis

chb                  complete heart block

chc                  chief complaint

cheif                chief

chekc              check

chemo             chemotherapy

chemrad          chemoradiation

chf                   CHF

chfx                 congestive heart failure

chiari              Chiari

chimal             Chiari malformation

chol                 cholesterol

chole               cholecystectomy

cholel              cholelithiasis

chorinc            chronic

chornic            chronic

chp                  chest pain

chpr                chest pressure

chroinc            chronic

chti                  chest tightness

chx                  change

chxg                changing

chxs                changes

cia                   chemotherapy-induced anemia

cig                   cigarette

cigs                 cigarettes

cill                  chronically ill

cillap              chronically ill-appearing

ciprox             ciprofloxacin

cit                   cold intolerance

ck                    CyberKnife

ckup                checkup

claud               claudication

cld                  chronic lung disease

clinass            clinical assessment

clincond          clinical condition

clineval           clinical evaluation

clinsig             clinical significance

clinsur             clinical surveillance

cllx                 chronic lymphocytic leukemia

clvh                 concentric left ventricular hypertrophy

cmc                 Cartersville Medical Center

cmeds             current medications

cmedsti           Current Medications:

cmeg               cardiomegaly

cmlx                chronic myelogenous leukemia

cmp                 CMP

cmpx               comprehensive metabolic panel

cmyo               cardiomyopathy

cn                    cranial nerves II-XII

cnsx                central nervous system

co                    complains of

coag                coagulation

cof                  cough

col                  colonoscopy

colace             Colace

colrec             colorectal cancer

com                 complaint

comg               complaining

compl              complication

compls            complications

coms               complaints

cond                condition

cong                congestion

conj                 conjunction

cons                consultation

const               constipation

constsy            constitutional symptoms

cont                 continue

contd               continued

contn               continuation

conts               continues

copd                COPD

copdx              chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

cor                  coronary

cordx              Cordarone

coreg               Coreg

corp                cor pulmonale

coum               Coumadin

cpap                CPAP

cpk                  CPK

cpu                  cardiopulmonary

cranor             cranial orthosis

cre                  creatinine

crecl               creatinine clearance

crf                   chronic respiratory failure

crfr                  cardiac risk factor reduction

cri                   chronic renal insufficiency

crit                  hematocrit

cronam            chronic anemia

crpx                C reactive protein

crx                  complete remission

ct                     CT

cta                   clear to auscultation

ctap                 clear to auscultation and percussion

ctcap               CT scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis

ctd                   carotid

ctdx                 connective tissue disorder

ctg                   CT-guided

ctly                  currently

cts                   carpal tunnel syndrome

cud                  could

cuu                  carotid ultrasound

cv                    cardiovascular

cva                  CVA

cvax                cerebrovascular accident

cvdx                cerebrovascular disease

cver                cardioversion

cvi                  chronic venous insufficiency

cvidx               common variable immunodeficiency

cvl                  cervical

cvr                  controlled ventricular rate

cx                    circumflex

cxan                can

cxr                  chest x-ray

cy                    cycle

cy1                  cycle #1

cy2                  cycle #2

cy3                  cycle #3

cy4                  cycle #4

cy5                  cycle #5

cy6                  cycle #6

cys                  cycles

cysy                cystoscopy

Macro building 102

The AutoCorrect feature in Word is my bread and butter.  I literally type in shorthand.  The best way to use this feature is to make your entry something easy to remember:

pnt = patient

The next step is to build on this foundation:

pnts = patients
pnts’ = patient’s
attpnt = according to the patient

Notice I put the apostrophe at the end of the shortcut… that is because my brain will type the shortcut first, then remember to add the apostrophe for the possessive afterward the fact.  Any commonly used phrases should definitely be included in your shortcuts.

Another building trick is to “stack” the shortcuts:

rt = right
lt = left
br = breast
ch = chest

rtbr = right breast
ltbr = left breast
rtch = right chest
ltch = left chest

I also utilize numbers in with the shortcuts:

1deg = first-degree
2deg = second-degree
3deg = third-degree   ….and so on….

th4 = therefore
no4 = notable for

Next, I build on macros that have different endings:

xfm = transform
xfmd = transformed
xfmg = transforming
xfmn = transformation
xfmns = transformations

Make sure to include any acronyms to avoid the shift and caps lock keys, and then add “x” to expand:

cabg = CABG
cabgx = coronary artery bypass graft

aaa = AAA
aaax = abdominal aortic aneurysm

Something else I do… I shorten some words with their “phonetic” spelling:

cof = cough
flem = phlegm
cud = could
wud = would
shud = should

It takes some time to build your shortcut database, but once you do, be sure to BACKUP your macros at least once a week!  Trust me on this, I speak from experience (a day I shall long remember).

MT Daily used to have an entire list of ready-made shortcuts that you could import into your AutoCorrect, but I can no longer find it… perhaps they took it down?  In that case, I will attempt to have one on here that is accessible, but that may take me a bit.

Until then, the best shortcuts are the ones you create for yourself.  Be sure to:

• Include any commonly misspelled words in your AutoCorrect so you don’t waste time changing them constantly.
• Include brand name drugs with the capitalization already set up to avoid pressing the shift key so much (or trying to remember whether or not that weird name was brand or generic)
• Include any hyphenated words.
• Set up any homonyms like so:  ileum/ilium for both words — to double check that you’ve transcribed the right body part.
• Set up any commonly transposed words like “to” typed as “ot” as ot****.  Since OT is a legitimate acronym, your spell check may not catch it.  The stars will flag you to double check yourself.

Have fun macro-building!

I’m either bad or busy…

I haven’t posted in a very long time, and I do apologize to those who were looking forward to my blog.  My life has calmed down a lot and I hope to get this back up and running very soon.  Thanks for your patience.

Macro building 101

Okay, so they’re not really “macros” in the sense of “hot keys” to perform functions like the tilde macro from earlier, they’re really more like typing in shorthand. I have over 3000 shortcuts in AutoCorrect and AutoText in Word myself.

As I’ve said before, I have never used an “outside” word expander program because, when I started transcribing, the platform I worked on did not have the capability to use them. So, I learned to do without, but I think I’ve done quite well without one, averaging 250-300 lines per hour. If you use a word expander program, I’d like to hear your input on how it enhances your production, and if it’s any better than utilizing AutoText and AutoCorrect using the techniques I describe below.

The first company I worked for did provide a sort of “standard” shortcuts already embedded in the program. If you don’t want to be bothered taking the time to build your own shortcuts, MT Daily has a list already made up that can be accessed here and copied into your word expander program or into MS Word AutoCorrect.  This can be a good starting point if you need some inspiration.

However… my opinion is, if you don’t have a system that works for you, you’re not going to remember the shortcuts someone else has made.

Word is the most common platform currently in use, and it’s the one I’ve worked with the most, so for the remainder of my “macro training”, I’ll be referring to Word and the features of AutoText and AutoCorrect.

One of the first things you have to realize is that AutoText and AutoCorrect differ in two ways: One is how the shorcuts are generated and the second is how they are applied across programs.

AutoCorrect is a “quick shortcut” as a default (plain text option). It only has a limited amount of characters available and will not carry over any formatting (i.e. bold, italic, underline). However, once an entry has been made in AutoCorrect as “plain text”, that shortcut is available in ALL Office programs — Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc. This can be very helpful as once you get used to typing in shorthand, it will eventually aggravate you to have to type things out longhand in other programs.  The shortcut is also able to be edited easily through the AutoCorrect window.

AutoCorrect will expand a shortcut as soon as the space bar is pressed or punctuation is provided after a shortcut that Word recognizes. For example: If my shortcut in AutoCorrect for “musculoskeletal” is “msk”, then every time I type “msk” then press space or punctuate, the word “musculoskeletal” will appear. The formatted AutoCorrect entries have no character limitations and will carry over any formatting assigned. The “Replace text as you type” box must be checked in the AutoCorrect window to use this feature (Tools, Autocorrect).

AutoText entries are actually templates that are saved in “normal.dot” in Word. These entries (along with formatted AutoCorrect entries) are NOT compatible across Word Programs.  Also, because AutoText entries are considered templates, they are not as easily edited as AutoCorrect, but this can have its advantages. AutoText also has no character limit and is saved with all formatting assigned.

An advantage of having templates AutoText is that it’s more difficult to “overwrite” them by accident.  A second advantage to using AutoText is that Word will give you a “flag” with the first few words of your template to allow you choose whether or not to insert that particular template, provided the “Show AutoComplete suggestions” box is checked in the AutoText screen (Tools, Autocorrect, then Ctrl-Tab to move between tabs to get to AutoText).   AutoCorrect does not have this feature, requiring you to remember more macros by heart.

When I type a physician’s dictation for the first time, I store that note as a template in AutoCorrect.  I highlight the body of the  note, press Alt-F3, then name the note so I can remember it.  For example, if it was a followup note for John Smith, M.D., I would name it smithjfup, an initial consult - smithjcons.  Then, the next time I need to type a note for that physician, before I even start transcribing the note at hand, I type in smithjfup.  The ”flag” will pop up with the first few words of his followup, and to accept that template suggested I simply press “enter”.

One thing to note: the AutoText flag may pop up every time I start typing “Smith” in a note… if I don’t need the template, I just keep typing and ignore it – and it goes away. I have complete control over whether I want to insert the template or not.

To re-make that saved AutoText template for Dr. Smith as a “generic”, I’ll take the time before transcribing the new note to read through the template I have just entered and replace any gender specific items, any vitals or lab test values, and any patient-specific information that will change constantly with a tilde.  I then save it like I would a new one, giving it the same name as before. I’m then prompted to choose whether or not to overwrite the existing template – this helps prevent boo boos. Once I have my generic Dr. Smith template, I can do more reading and less typing by moving around in the note using my tilde hot key to insert the needed information while keeping all his “usual” blather. It takes a little time to build up generics for each physician, but it pays big in the long run.

If you would like to read more about AutoText and AutoCorrect, check out this link: http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customization/AutoText.htm

I’ll be telling you all how I build macros in AutoCorrect next… so stay tuned!

Optimizing production – De-mousing

Before I get going into how I build macros so I can remember them (I have thousands), the first thing a new MT MUST do is learn to de-mouse yourself.

“But why?” you ask?

Because of this very important rule:

In this business, every time you take your hands off the keyboard, you are losing money.

Once learned, you will find that using keyboard shortcuts is a heck-of-a-lot faster than grabbing the mouse.  One of the first things you will definitely want to do is learn to use your Alt and Ctrl keys.  Also, find out what function keys are specific to your transcription platform program — write them down on a 3 x 5 card if you need to until you get familiar with them.

Remember that, in nearly every program out there (at least all the ones I’ve ever worked with), when you see a drop-down list, a letter will be underlined… that letter is set up to work with your Alt key (you can try it now… Press Alt+F to see the File menu drop down — the press Esc twice to exit the menu).  Once the menu has “dropped down”, you no longer need to continue pressing the Alt key to activate the items on the menu, just be sure to notice what other letters are underlined because, while that drop down menu is open, those letters are “hot keys” to the function you want to use.   Also, many of those functions will have the corresponding Ctrl key listed next to it, usually saving you a keystroke.  I cannot stress enough how important it is that you learn the Alt and Ctrl functions for the menu items you use every day.

The next thing you will want to do is learn how to move around in your documents without ever touching the mouse.  Such as: Ctrl+End will take you to the end of the document, Ctrl+Home will take you to the beginning of the document, Shift+End will highlight the text from the cursor to the end of the line, Shift+Home will highlight the text from the cursor to the beginning of the line, Ctrl+Shift+End will highlight the text from the cursor to the end of the document, Ctrl+Shift+Home will highlight the text from the cursor to the beginning of the document (those last two are great for generating AutoText entries, but more on that later).  Two combinations that I use most often is Ctrl-Z for Undo and Ctrl-Y for Re-Do… those are awesome.

The best thing to do to learn these quickly is to print out a list of keyboard shortcuts:

On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros.

In the Macros in box, click Word commands.

In the Macro name box, click ListCommands.

Click Run.

In the List Commands dialog box, click Current menu and keyboard settings.

Click OK.

On the File menu, click Print.

Once you have your printable list, you can actually streamline it a little by deleting the entries that are irrelevant to what your needs are, then print that baby out.  Make it a goal to learn at least one new shortcut a day – highlight them as you go… before long, it will be second nature and you won’t even have to think about it.

I have learned recently that it’s actually mousing that contributes more to carpal tunnel syndrome than keyboarding.   To combat this, I actually recommend moving the mouse to the LEFT side of the keyboard… and here’s why: I started having problems with overuse syndrome with my right hand because I used the 9-key pad a lot AND moused (when I needed to) to the right.  I decided to learn how to mouse with my left hand and switched the mouse buttons through the Control Panel.  It took a few days, but now I have no problems mousing with my left hand.  I no longer have problems with overuse syndrome with my right hand, and it freed up some space on my desk since I’m right-handed.

You’re going to have to use the mouse from time to time… sometimes it really is quicker just to grab it to pinpoint a certain area in a large text, but for the most part, keeping your hands on the keyboard is all about working smarter, not harder, and keeping those production numbers on the rise.

Happy earning!

Ahh, Stedman’s, an MT’s must-have

Any seasoned MT will have a shelf full of books of all the colors of the rainbow. These are Stedman’s Word Books and they are the holy grail of a transcriber. Personally, I have 11.

Every time I started a new specialty, I bought the corresponding word book. These saved my bacon many times over during those first few years. I still use them on occasion, but not nearly as much as I used to. I would recommend to any newbie that, as soon as you know what specialty you will be working on next, get the book. Yeah, it can get expensive buying so many books up front, and you haven’t made that much money yet, but believe me (and I’m sure the other seasoned MTs will give me a here, here!) it is worth the investment.

Stedman’s Word Books

I know what you may be thinking… buy used and save some dough. I have two things to say about that… 1) Used books may be hard to find since most MTs hoard their Stedman’s like the precious jewels they are, and 2) New words are being added all the time, and if you buy an old book, you may be short-changing yourself.

Now, I’m cheap (well, frugal is probably a better word), but when it comes to my profession and being professional, that is one area I make sure I don’t get cheap. I make sure I’m getting a quality product for my money, but I make sure to never, ever purchase second-rate stuff because it tends to cost more in the long run.

Happy researching!

What kind of Headphones?

If you have signed up for a school that provides you with equipment, you probably received a set of headphones that look like this:

I used this type of headset since I started in this industry, right up until six months ago when I got my first pair of noise-cancelling earbuds, and I must say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

I did not realize just how “noisy” my typing was until the first day I used these babies. I have an ergonomic keyboard that is supposed to be “quiet”, but I don’t care how quiet they claim to be, you’re going to make noise with every keystroke. Add to that the neighbor mowing his lawn, the kids watching TV, dogs barking, cars driving past with stereos blaring, etc., etc., etc. Ambient noise is the bane of the MT, it makes us waste time re-listening to stuff which slows down our production and costs us money.

I was amazed at the clarity of sound the earbuds provided. Personally, I think having the headphones sit in your ears causes a sort “static friction” with the foam covers and can make it difficult to hear the dictation clearly (although there are some voice files that are just beyond help). With the earbuds, you get the sound sent directly into the inner ear with the provision of blocking out ambient noise. I definitely leave a lot less blanks now and I’m not wasting time re-listening to things because I can actually hear them right the FIRST TIME.

Now, these earbuds are normally geared for iPods, MP3 players and such, and tend to have rather short cords, so you’ll need to make sure you know the length of cord you’ll need before making a purchase.  There are a variety of different types of earbuds, the ones I currently have are made of foam; however, they tend to get a little yucky after using them a while. I intend to replace them with silicone earbuds that I can clean easier fairly soon anyway since my cat decided they were a toy and they’re a little worse for the wear at this point.

To see exactly what I’m talking about, you can click the link below. I love mine… and I can pretty much guarantee you won’t regret getting your own pair.

Noise-cancelling earbuds

Happy listening!

Voice Recognition, star date 9522.6

Whenever I hear talk about “Voice Recognition” software, I think of Scotty in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home when he and Bones have traveled back to our time and have to use a computer.  See the clip here.  While VR is certainly a reality in the here and now, we are still light years away from anything remotely like what we see in the movies.

While there are companies who already use VR, these reports still MUST be edited by MTs.  Last year, I was offered two different positions with a company, one on an account that used VR at 4.5 cpl and one “regular” account at 7.5 cpl. I ended up taking a better paying position with another company who recognized “mah skillz”, so I personally have never worked with VR generated reports.  If any of my readers have worked with VR, I’d like to hear your take on it.  Are you making as much income being an editor for VR as you were typing “verbatim” as an MT?  I would be most interested to hear all about your experiences, good or bad.

Obviously VR will never, ever, ever completely replace a human being at the end of the process ensuring that the finished product is 100% error free.  Below is a 3.5 minute video produced by home-medical-transcription.com that says essentially the same thing in the nice, friendly, patronizing way that industrial videos do: (Sigh, I’m going to have to get my own domain, WordPress kicked out my embedded video… you can see it here)

The company I currently work for has certain accounts that are VR, but then there are those physicians who will NEVER be able to take advantage of VR for a plethora of reasons.  Personally, I think it’s because they don’t want to take the time to learn how to dictate for VR, because it would mean they would have to speak intelligibly on a regular basis, and that’s a stretch for most docs I know…

Another good YouTube video is about 10 minutes long and has a grand overview of electronic medical records, but a physician at Beth-Israel addresses VR at 5:15 from the hospital point of view.  Obviously, our roles are going to eventually change to more editing with VR than typing… but to do so will still require education and training in medical transcription, no doubt about that. 

It’s okay, you can stop wringing your hands, no computer is EVER going to be able to replace a person, no matter how hard they try.  Oh, there have been incredible breakthroughs in technology, no doubting that, but no computer will ever be able to match the human brain in terms of speed, logic, and reasoning.  Medical transcription is one profession with definite job security for the long-run.

You might be an MT if…

Adapted from an email I received from a friend.  I’ve seen this floating around the internet before, but it’s always funny!

YOU MIGHT BE A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST IF:

Someone yells “duck” and the first word that comes to mind is d-u-c-t.

Grammar mistakes, no matter where they are – the church bulletin, Facebook status updates, etc. – drive you insane because you can’t correct them…

You know your gluteus maximus from your olecranon process.

Your favorite 3 words are “end of dictation.”

You refer to making your holiday turkey as prepping and draping in the usual fashion.

You guess the outcome of CSI in the first 5 minutes of the show after hearing the (not-so-mysterious) mysterious cause of death.

You can’t go into a doctor’s office without asking the receptionist “Who does your medical transcription?” or commenting to your own doctor that you think he’s a bad dictator and you feel sorry for the MT working for him.

Your doctor tells you that you have a problem with your back but doesn’t want to confuse you with the details and you ask him — “Were sagittal and coronal T1-weighted images performed and T2- and proton density-weighted images also obtained?”

You think percussion is something that belongs more in a medical report than in a rock band.

You say to your honey, “skip the flowers and chocolate for my birthday and get me the latest version of Stedman’s Medical and Pharma spellchecker.”

Your neighbor comes to you to make a diagnosis based on a series of symptoms and advise them on whether to have surgery or not. (you refuse of course LOL)

Your favorite quote is “Acronyms bad, verbose originators good.”

You can fix stuck keys on your computer keyboard by turning it upside down and banging out the crumbs.

The first place your husband and children look for you is at your desk rather than in the kitchen.

Your husband and children have to wave their hand between your face and the computer screen to get your attention.

You can fold laundry while sitting at your desk and listening to the latest dictator who speaks 5 words in 60 seconds… and still changes his mind 4 times on exactly how to put it.

You have a bladder capacity of more than a quart.

You have a bookshelf by your desk in which no two books are the same color.

Your dream is to someday have every book Stedman’s makes.

Your wrist rest has food spots on it. (you all know you have it)

No one who doesn’t know how to touch type can use your computer keyboard because at least half the keys have the letters worn off.

Your friends have to learn your macro names in order to read your emails to them.

Your husband and children have to learn your macro names in order to read the notes you write them.

You are the only one in your family who can understand the clerks at the 7-11.

You find watching only one TV screen at a time boring.

You correct the pharmacist’s spelling.

It aggravates you that the keys on the telephone keypad are in a different order than the keys on the 10-key pad on your computer keyboard.

More than half the icons on your desktop have to do with drugs or dictionaries.

There are more coffee cups in your office than there are in the kitchen.

Your friends want you to go to their doctor appointments with them so you can act as an interpreter.

You go to the doctor with your spouse who tells the doctor, “She’s a medical transcriptionist so I’ll let her tell you what’s wrong with me.” To this, the doctor replies, “OK…would you prefer to tell me or do you want to type it?”

You watch television commercials for prescription drugs very closely to see what the generic form is and how both are spelled.

You get an invitation to something that specifies “work attire” and you wonder if that means fluffy slippers, flip flops – or if it would be okay to show up barefoot.

You go to start the car to go to the grocery store and find the battery is dead. You don’t know how long it’s been dead.