A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

With all due respect to the MT community... - Jklsr55

Posted: May 28, 2012

If any of you knew me in person you would know it is not in my nature to whine. But I am going to DO SO HERE...

My wife is the MT in our family not me. Last Thursday the laptop she uses for work died. It was an old AcerVista laptop. So what is a person who makes a living on a computer do when the one he or she uses dies?? Common sense is you go get a new one right??

These companys you folks work for could not be more firmly entrenched in the tech world. Do these people realize just how difficult it is to find systems that meet such antiquated requirements?? You say "go buy a used computer". You guys make a living with these machines!! A used computer is a huge gamble. This is your careers. When your equipment goes down why go spend money on replacement equipment that has already lived most of its life??? The fact that these companies refuse to spend the $$ to upgrade their platforms to meet even relitively current tech and systems is crazy.

I spent this whole weekend with a brand new Windows 7 laptop getting it to act like it is ten years old!! Thank God I was able to get Escription to work on a 64bit system!! It almost cost me my sanity.

I understand that tech is moving fast. And keeping up every year is not an option... But Word 2003?? IE 6?? Windows XP?? (I like XP...)... There has to be a better way...

My point is this... When you folks out in MT land have a massive computer failure and need new equipment it should not take these extreme efforts. Nor should the only alternative be purchasing old, used equipment. You make a living in the tech world. You should have the option of employing the best tech available today.

Jeff L

Billings, Montana

Agree with you 100%, but actually, - the new version of

[ In Reply To ..]
Editscript 9.120, does work with a 64 bit computer; I am using it as we speak. I saw your post on another board that your wife worked with Sten-Tel, which I thought went out of business years ago, so who knows how far behind they are.

Reply... - jklsr55

[ In Reply To ..]
How did you get Editscript to load on a 64bit system? I had to install XP in virtual mode to get it to run. I talked to the tech folks at Editscript on Saturday and they told me the software was created on the 32bit platform. 64bit is supposed to be backwards compatible but it was not in my case...
My wife just finished Career Step this spring. She has been with Sten Tel for 2 months... She likes it. Great hours... I just wished the pay was more given the year she spent training...

From the help menu on Editscript go to - Escription.com

[ In Reply To ..]
you need some kind of log in to access this, but new version can be downloaded. It also requires some version of Word to work. I have tried using that virtual XP for some other work I do and it is crazy! Good luck!

I agree too! - agmt

[ In Reply To ..]
As the technology gets upgraded, so should the MT companies software. It is ridiculous. I can't even apply for jobs because they aren't compatible with windows 7 64/32 bit or the new microsoft word 2010.

Something to think about - mt

[ In Reply To ..]
It's not always the MTSO who is the one who is calling these shots. A lot of times, the hospital wants something compatible with THEIR antiquated systems.

Also, it's not just a small expense to update technology every year. What would those of us who have and upkeep our systems be asked to change, change every year? Change with every service?

I get your frustration but IMO it's just not really as simple as update your technology. And yes, keeping up (or down) with technology you need to work is part of the transcriptionists job.

Also... - Anonymous

[ In Reply To ..]
Some of the software is full of bugs when it first introduced. Many facilities/companies wait to upgrade until they are sure it will be compatible with their systems.

As I stated... - Jklsr55

[ In Reply To ..]
I understand all of your points and agree with you to some extent. The logistics of getting all these people on the same page tech wise is daunting to say the least. If I have learned anything from this debacle it is the need to have some sort of back up in case your equipment dies. I realize you can find old hardware out there. It is the software that can get scarce.
And as I said in the beginning I get how costly updating tech can and would be for the company and all of you. Just so everyone realizes it is not "IF" your computer dies it is a question of "WHEN". It will die at some point. And with every passing day the hardware/software these companies require is becoming harder and harder to acquire with each passing day. I went to 5 retail/box chain stores looking for a 32bit laptop... Not one had them. And I am glad in retrospect they did not. The thought of paying all that money for something outdated where the rest of the world is concerned made me sick. But I am going to be looking in Craigslist for a decent backup in the event this happens again.
All that aside, I do think it is time for an upgrade. There are ways to do so and be backwards compatible for all you fortunate people who's computers never die!!

LOL...sorry, I have to laugh - wheres_my_job

[ In Reply To ..]
"welcome to MT world" - that's all I can say. Fun, isn't it?

Thanks for sharing your wife's story. I'm currently using Word 2003.

sucka, please!!! I'm still using...sm - KC

[ In Reply To ..]
Word 2000! My family makes fun of me. I have the updated verion for everything else in the Office Suite; Excel, Powerpoint, etc., but didn't load the updated Word, and still use my old faithful 2000.

I have Word 2003, and my computer is almost - as old as the programs I run!

[ In Reply To ..]
Not only that, but every time the PC gets sick and has to go to the computer repair place to get fixed, the poor guy has to vacuum a ton of cat hair out of it!

=^..^=

BRAVO! BRAVO! Seriously I mean it - MT2

[ In Reply To ..]
Jeff: You are spot on.

Agreed - Resign

[ In Reply To ..]
You are dead on. I am a home based transcriptionist for a hospital. My computer died 2.5 years ago and got nothing but runaround, buy this, buy that, I was told I had to cover our computer costs (3others as well) but two new employees got their equipment paid for, got to the point where I had ordered 5 computers in 2 years, later to be told not compatible. Between that and "job restructuring" I finally gave in and resigned. I have sjogrens syndrome and I feel I was discriminated against, as no further educational advice was ever given, supervisor wouldn't allow me to work anything other than 7:00am-7:00pm, my status was cut during FMLA leave as well...all beginning with It problems, as I have had the Sjogrens for years.

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