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

My typing speed is puny compared to all of you. - cr

Posted: Feb 17, 2011

I feel so inadequate as a typist after reading all of your posts. I can't type anywhere nearly as fast as you guys. Quality does mean a lot to me, plus at times I'm dyslexic and my fingers have a mind of their own. I may find that quality will go out the window, though, if I get a job being paid by the lines (currently I'm paid by the hour inhouse) as I'm attempting to do.

I don't see where typing speed is an issue - sm

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You can be a 110 wpm typer and not be able to understand an ESL and that will slow you way down.

I personally think that the LPH is the only way to measure, especially with editing these days.

Typing I can do about 275 LPH, editing I can do about 240-250 LPH, but I also have a horrible ASR program.

Typing speed - Happy MT

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I can only speak from personal experience. I have interviewed, hired and trained many MT's, quite a few from scratch, just fast typists, excellent spelling and English/grammar. Because I had so many apply (20 years ago) I broke it down by typing speed and I still would pick a faster typist (only because they will be happier earning more) than a slower one, and I have 80 wpm MT's working for me now. They do not type anywhere near the LPH I do, familiar with the same dictators and using shortcuts. So it is a fact that a faster basic typing speed (obviously with experience) would produce more LPH. Just my observation.

As you say, Happy. Self-evident. SPEED+knowledge. - NM

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x

CR, I entered this field as a backup (courtesy of an MT friend) - Pragmatist

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when my other field was in recession even though my typing was...definitely modest for the endeavor. Dyslexic fingers for sure. I obviously never left, but after over a decade I did recently test myself at 100 WPM. Note that I tested myself on the sort of familiar medical text I rattle off every day. I felt testing for quick brown foxes and other dyslexia-inducing wordings would not reflect my actual speed at work.

So, just keep working. 40 hours of practice a week, every week, is a LOT of practice. Also, (tip!) text entered in your expander always rolls out perfectly. Fingers are still dyslexic, but I've cut my typos down tremendously that way.

Practice as if you were in a typing class - typingtest.com

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I type 100+ wpm and still use that site to practice every so often.

It's free.

typing test - cr

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Thanks for the suggestion. I did try out the typing test at typingtest.com. That's kind of fun. It dawned on me as it started speeding up and I was typing faster, that having a cat draped over my shoulder was probably a handicap. She had crawled on my shoulder, which she does so often I wasn't even aware it!

Not all MTs test well - on typing tests

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I've try some of those online typing tests periodically and I seem to consistently test at only somewhere between 40 and 50.

BUT, and this is a big BUT....I don't pay too much attention to that because I transcribe MUCH faster than that. I have over 20 years of experience and I consistently produce over 200 lph (usually more toward 275-300 lph, but depends on the ESL), all at 99.5% to 100% QA.

So for those of you who are hiring and avoiding all of us "slow" typists, those typing tests sometimes don't give a very good indication of actual ability, at least with me they don't.

Typing tests - Pat46

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I do not know why people give typing tests to transcriptionists anyway. Most of them have you do a regular typing test which I can't do very well.

If they want transcription workers they should give the test as a transcription test with you typing actual dictation. I think most transcriptionists would agree with me that I can transcribe much faster than type from something I have to look at and then type.

have never been asked to take a typing test - not since typewriters. - hello.

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typingtest.com is still a great place to - practice keyboarding

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Whether or not you ever have to take a real test for a job.

over 30 years typing, honey...enough practiof, here. - I will skip it, thanks. NM

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Typing speed - older than dirt

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A little over 30 years ago I had to quit my transcription job because I wrecked my hands on the typewriter. And workman's comp finally denied my claim, because in those days, nobody was recognizing repetitive strain injuries for people who sat on their rear ends all day.

In the meantime, I went 2 months with workman's comp and state disability arguing amongst themselves about who was not going to pay to keep me eating, saw several doctors who all had differing opinions about how best to treat me, and the ONLY recommendation they all agreed on was NO TYPING!!!

So after not typing (or eating much) for 2 months, I hauled myself down to a temp agency to see what I could get hold of, 'cause a girl's gotta eat.

They gave me a battery of tests, and after not typing for 2 months, on an unfamiliar typewriter, with unfamiliar material, and feeling like I was going slower than molasses in January... I clocked in at 104 WPM.

People ask me how fast I type and I say I have NO idea. Because I really don't. Add tools and toys and expanders and shortcuts and things into the equation, and . . . . well.

I picked up a lot of that speed while working in a medical office where I had doctors screaming down my neck about how they needed their reports yesterday, nevermind that they didn't actually dictate them until today. It was then that I realized there are only 2 kinds of transcriptionists... the quick and the dead, because if you're not quick, you're dead!

Sigh, I know people like you are out there, just - happier not thinking about it. :) NM

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x

I'd venture a guess that most of these people are - lying about their typing speeds.

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So I wouldn't worry about it. Regardless of what anyone on here will tell you, quality always trumps quantity.

Mean, and lacking in analysis. Quality and speed - both needed to make money. NM

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x

At 3 cpl, that's quite true. But is anyone REALLY fast - enough to survive on 3 cpl? Methinks not.

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There's one on every thread - Grapesugar

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I love lemonheads ... the candy

You won't have to worry about your line - sm

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count if you put out poor quality just to make lines, you won't have a job. It takes practice, practice, practice. Use a good speed typing/expansion program and just keep at it. I have been doing this almost 30 years and average between 200 and 300 lines per hour--all according to the doctors I get in a given day.

typing/expansion programs - Pauly

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Can someone give me a good typing/expansion program to use? I am new and would like to know a program and maybe a bit of insite as to how to use it. Thanks

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