Earn more and type less with the right tools and skills!
Contrary to proponents of learning the old ways first, we insist that it's best to learn to transcribe using your productivity tools from the very start, and that since the old ways aren't going to return, you needn't waste time learning them at all.
Without exception, top producers speak wistfully of the lost opportunity of learning to use their productivity tools while they were first learning to transcribe. "If only I'd had this when I first started . . ." they say, and insist that the ultimate system would teach the tools along with the transcription.
One of the most important productivity tools professional MT's use is a software program called a medical text expander. An expander is like a sophisticated macro program. (If you don't know what that is either, don't worry: we'll explain.)
In medical language the terms, as well as a multitude of phrases, are standard. GERD is always GERD. Cardiovascular, gastroenterology, peritonitis, etc. Temperature is (x)xx.x, blood pressure is xxx/(x)xx, "the patient is," "the patient complains of," - literally millions of terms, words and phrases are standardized and used repeatedly in medical reports.
How many times have you seen the phrase, "The patient is a well-developed male," or "The patient is an elderly female?"
An expander allows you to type, for example, "tpef" instead of the sentence, "The patient is an elderly female."
While we are using simple illustrations, expanders can contain entire paragraphs of standard dictation that can be typed with only a few keystrokes.
Doctors form dictation habits. Any given doctor, and particularly specialists, will use the same phrases repeatedly. MT's who transcribe the same docs over a period of time amuse themselves by speaking along with the physician as they play back his/her dictation.
It's great to have fun, but it's even more fun to make great money. If those MT's capitalized on their doctors' habits by utilizing expander software, they could double or even triple their productivity and their income, while actually decreasing their work hours! (Higher productivity attracts higher pay per line.)
Incredibly, you are learning more about productivity right now than many experienced medical transcriptionists know!
Now, an expander is a software program that is capable of expanding a few keystrokes into a word, sentence, paragraph or even an entire page. However, expanders have to be told what to expand your keystrokes to.
Building a library of keys isn't easy. You'll realize why if you think about it for a minute. Today, while working on a radiology report, you program your expander to recognize "ap" as "anteroposterior." Perfectly logical, easy to remember. Three months later, you've forgotten you ever did that and you add a key for "alkaline phosphatase." Oops!
A sophisticated library normally requires careful planning and years to build.
The Productivity Module has solved these problems for you. It comes ready to use with a library of thousands of logically-formatted keys for terms, phrases, ages, temperatures, headers, dates, numbers, sutures, procedures, equipment, and more.
These pre-formed lists are easy to print and put into a binder so you can have them nearby at all times.
We will show you how to use this pre-formed productivity module to create your own short cuts into a medical expander. The medical expander we recommend is “Speed Type”. It runs a little over $100.
If you cannot afford to get a text expander program right now, don’t worry! We will show you how to take this same productivity module and turn Microsoft Word into your own medical expander.
You will have hands on training videos that will walk you through step by step. If you get stuck you can always call us.
Fewer errors, less wasted time, higher productivity, more earnings.
As you become increasingly experienced, you'll reach a point where you are no longer typing, but keying, and that is when your productivity and earnings will soar. Some MT's have productivity levels of 500 lines per hour or more. Pull out your calculator and figure that at 12 to 15 cents per line!
Not bad for working 6 hours a day out of your spare bedroom / home office. |
