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If you stay in MT long enough, you - Counting

Posted: Jan 07, 2012

I was just reading the BOS3, which (unfortunately, as it DECIMATES the rules of proper English) more and more employers are adhering to these days.

VERY disturbing. They want only ONE (oh, excuse me -- 1) space after periods and other punctuation marks (colon, etc.) This will, of course, CUT YOUR LINE COUNT.

They claim that this is necessary for proper uploading to the EHR, but we placed TWO spaces after a colon at the hospital where I used to work without any problem. (Yes, their reports were uploaded to EHR.)

Bottom line is that time goes on and you are lucky enough to still have an MT job transcribing a paragraph or two for an EHR, and as BOS3 becomes even more prevalent and these rules are enforced, your pay will be cut even further.

It's not just BOS3 - la

[ In Reply To ..]
I have a pile of nieces and nephews in both high school and college right now, and they are ALL being taught to use 1 only space after punctuation, and they don't follow BOS3, they use MLA format.

Apparently some genius decided to change the rules, probably someone who doesn't like to type =]

Although, one of my nephew's teachers told him that the change is due to how Word 2010 prints out the pages(?) I am not sure how accurate that reason is or if it's a load of (fill in your own phrase)

Indeed it's not. The two-space thing - ILMT

[ In Reply To ..]
went away with the last typewriter, which was the reason for it in the first place in order to make monospaced type more readable. However, in the typesetting world, it has always been correct to use just one space. And since almost all computer fonts are proportional (except Courier) every stylebook around now specifies the single-space rule ... and has for quite a while. BOS3 is just now catching up, apparently.

MT-wise, my employer (a hospital) has had the one-space rule for at least 15 years. It's not new, and it's certainly not designed to reduce our line counts.

LOL! Went out with the typewriter? - Counter

[ In Reply To ..]
LOL! You know not of what you speak and are obviously not a critical thinker.

What 1 employer does (yours) is NOT indicative of the entire industry. That's called EXTRAPOLATION and is FLAWED LOGIC.

I have been in MT for 24 years, and I can state definitively that spacing twice after periods and other punctuation did NOT "go out with the typewriter." It was the EXCEPTION and not the RULE in every place I have ever worked. In fact, the AAMT/ADHI Book of Style didn't include that "rule" until the 3rd Edition.

A little research ... - ILMT

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... is a good thing. Try it sometime before you make a snap judgment about someone's critical thinking and logic.
My comment was not arrived at through extrapolation, dear.

What is it with this board, that assumptions are made about posters and discussions so quickly degenerate into ad hominem put-downs? It adds nothing to the conversation, and I can see no purpose to it other than perhaps making one feel superior (note the "perhaps", I'm not assuming this is the case here).

Yes, you SHOULD research. - PassingThru

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That poster did her research, citing the differences in versions of AAMT's Book of Style.

You cited nothing, just talked out of your hand.

It's only going to reduce your line count if you have - been padding your line count with extra unneeded s

[ In Reply To ..]
Cheating to up line counts by using extra spaces and line returns is one of the main reasons VBC lines are being widely adopted.

2 spaces after a period is not "PADDING!" NM - ItsBeenTheStandardForYears

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NM

Luckliy for me, we have to use 2 spaces where - I work. I know some

[ In Reply To ..]
companies go by the 1 space but not all. I work for a fairly large MTSO, and 2 spaces is our standard. So, not everyone is padding lines with this.

Probably not an issue as counts will be made on document - after it has gone through SM

[ In Reply To ..]
the backend formatting, which, if one of those spaces is removed then, you wont get the benefit of it anyway.

My hopsital - Jessi

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Is the opposite. Two spaces and lots of paragraphs.

Thank you, yes one space for years - anonMT

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It also leaves giant holes when justified, and every MT I know that uses "2 spaces" uses anywhere from 2-4 spaces after a period, and then I have to clean it up. All my clients as well as myself use 1 space.

For MT it IS BOS3. :) - Counting

[ In Reply To ..]
I hear what you're saying: They have rewritten the rules, and not just for MTs.

But since we are not writing term papers, etc. but are transcribing medical reports, it will be the BOS3 guidelines that are followed to determine how med reports are typed. And BOS3 will destroy our line counts.

It's VBC, not BOS3, that will kill line counts. - ILMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I can't stand BOS3, either, but VBC line counting eliminates both spaces and "carriage returns" ("enter" keystrokes)as well as formatting codes. Much greater impact on line counts than BOS3.

They're not mutually exclusive. - Counter

[ In Reply To ..]
They are not mutually exclusive.

You seem to think that things are unifactorial. That is a sure sign of black-and-white, linear thinking.

Put VBC and BOS3 together, and what do you get!?

In addition, while neither is univeral -- YET -- VBC is not found nearly as often as adherence to BOS3.

2 spaces vs 1 space - Anne

[ In Reply To ..]
I would like to comment on the 2 spaces versus 1 space debate. English rules require 1 space after a period and that has been the rule for many years, whether using APA, MLA or AP style. If writing for college and turning in a paper, two spaces after every sentence will probably get you a grade of F. There are many things in the BOS that are completely contradictory to English rules and spacing after sentences is one of them. I remember back in the late 1980's I took a college word processing course and it was required then to place one space after sentences.

I've been putting one space after periods/punctuation for years. - nm

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x

Cutting your own line count? NM - ThatsNotSmart

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NM

I'm actually doing very well as an MT but thanks for your input. - nm

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x

One space is actually correct as a professional typographer - Do research. It just read an interesting article a

[ In Reply To ..]
One space is actually the correct formatting. It changed when the computer started developing and uneven character spacing. Look at the books you read; there's only once space. If you research this, I promise you will find it to be true.

Partially true; It DEPENDS on the font. - Researcher

[ In Reply To ..]
I have researched, but it sounds as though you have not.

We don't work in the publishing industry so we are not typsetting books here. Nor are we typing term papers. So why you folks keep bringing up those other activities is mystifying. We are paid to transcribe medical reports.

The spacing after the period depends on the FONT used. For DECADES most facilities used the old standby, Courier 10 or Courier 12. That is a FIXED font so requires TWO spaces after a period. The ADVANTAGE of using a FIXED font in medical reports is that if you are typing columns, a chart, table, etc., your decimals and numerals all line up nice and neatly. Laboratory values, radiology measurements, pathology specimen measurements, rad-onc dosages, fetal measurements, etc. are often transcribed in this manner.

The ONLY time a single space after a period is using is when using a proportional font like Times New Roman, etc. The DISADVANTAGE of using such a font in medical reports is that your decimals and numerals in tables, columns, charts, graphs, etc. will NOT line up correctly, and frankly it looks AWFUL. You can play with it all day, moving characters around, and you can NEVER get it right because frequently are off by a half-space.

Yeah, sounds like typical BOS BS!! Correct grammar and punctuation is to be used IMO!! - Part of what is wrong with this profession

[ In Reply To ..]
The BOS is nothing but a group of transcriptionists making rules on what they feel is best. They want you to follow correct grammar rules for A but not for B, use a virgule in this section but not for that section, no trailing zero here but you must put it there. Then, there are the rules that just depends on who is editing it and what their preference is!!

Correct grammar and punctuation does not change just because of your profession!! Unless, of course, it's dangerous for patient safety!!!

BOS BS - Been there, done that

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The AHDI started in its former incarnation as the AAMT as a bunch of "sorority sister" types. It has never lost that identity. I pay them no mind.

spacing - Anne

[ In Reply To ..]
I understand your comment; however, the chosen spacing has nothing to do with the font (typeface) you choose. I know this because I am a professional in this area. Spacing between the letters is called tracking and that is what you are referring to, and fonts use proportional spacing not just Times New Roman. One thing is that if the entire project is setup using a certain font (typeface) and then randomly changed to another font using the settings for the other typeface, everything will have to do reworked. If numbers, tabs, columns of data do not line up correctly, it is because, unfortunately, the person doing it really does not know how to do it. There are many different ways to line up decimals and numerals in tables, and there are many different types of defined tabs. Although all software programs act a little differently and some do perform much better than others, it does work.

I think you're reaching pretty far on this one - nm

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nm

Numbers don't "reach." nm - DoTheMath

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nm

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