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

Needing help and ideas re: Googling v nonGoogling - longtimeMT

Posted: Jun 14, 2010

I am about to take on an account where I work in the hospital's VPN. Their VPN blocks the internet entirely. I am used to quickly going to very good websites for dosages of drugs, spelling of difficult words and meanings of certain words which docs may say out of context. But now I am about to experience a wall where I cannot get to the internet while typing on the hospital intranet. Besides having to buy another computer, does anyone have any suggestions (aside from leafing through medical books which takes a long time) to this problem. It may not mean anything once I get started, but I am so used to having google and certain websites as tools I am nervous. I suppose though I will become very productive not able to do other things on the net! Thanks for your advice.

I would find it VERY difficult to work without the 'net -- - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
-- even with the Stedman's and other reference library books I have here at home, I think I would find it too frustrating not having 'net access (especially for things like looking up doc names and addresses, as a large portion of my work is done in letter format and the dictators give us virtually nothing to go on in that respect).

If this new account with the 'net-less VPN setup is worth it to you, I'd strongly suggest picking up a cheap, used, "beater" computer for a reference PC ... you wouldn't need much to just run a simple browser for researching purposes ... you could even get run all of that under Linux if you wanted and that would allow you to use an even cheaper/more underpowered box, if need be, just to save money.

Personally, I think if you shell out $100 bucks or so for some used machine you'll more than make that back in no time just in the amount of research time you save.

I've not seen a work setup in YEARS (like 10) that didn't allow 'net access. Wow. More power to ya.

type in word and paste into VPN - is that possible?

[ In Reply To ..]
that is what I do so that I can still google. There is no purpose in life without GOOGLE. :)

I don't know if it works with a VPN block or not, but you could try this. - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
This is a workaround that allows net access despite some blocking placed on a PC. :-)

See http://www.askstudent.com/techtips/how-to-get-around-internet-blocks/

VPN block--partition hard drive - Not for computer novices

[ In Reply To ..]
If your hard drive is large enough, you could partition your drive so that you would be able to install an operating system on the newly partitioned drive which is like having 2 PCs without actually purchasing another PC. If you are not familiar with formating, partitioning, etc., then it is much better to find someone who is an expert to do it for you. You would then be able to use keyboard shortcuts to switch from the VPN blocked hard drive to the internet capabale drive as needed.

The VPN doesn't block the hard drive, it blocks the 'net connection itself. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

VPN block--partition hard drive - True but if . . . sm

[ In Reply To ..]
But if company is PURPOSELY blocking Internet through VPN, which happens if accessing through company intranet unless they unblock, the only way around that is either another PC connected with a KVM switch so you can switch back and forth or partition the hard drive for 2 operating systems--which can have the same operating systems or not, cheaper if you don't already have another PC or laptop.

I don't understand how one would run 2 OSes simultaneously, however-- - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
unless under a virtual machine environment of some kind (which still wouldn't bypass the VPN restriction, TTBOMK.

I say the best solution is to make friends with someone in tech support at the hospital who can give you a tunnel through the VPN. :-)

Youâ��re not aware of hard drive partionining. sm - VPN

[ In Reply To ..]
As I said this is why someone who knows computers very well Should do this for you. Your hard drive can be partitioned so it is not one big drive, say drive C, but it can be partitioned into multiple working hard drives used for several things. This link might help you understand better.

link for partioning information above. nm - VPN locked

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Yes, I AM well aware of hard drive partitioning and, in fact-- - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
have a triple-boot XP Pro/Mandriva/Kubuntu setup. What I'm talking about is (note the emphasis here) RUNNING 2 OSes SIMULTANEOUSLY. Not having them installed and switching back and forth between them via Grub or whatever at boot time, but RUNNING them simultaneously, which is the only way your suggestion would help the original poster who wants to be able to access the 'net WHILE connected to her hospital via the VPN, as I understand it.

Partitioning would add absolutely nothing to the equation.

You're right I was thinking cheap! sm - silly me

[ In Reply To ..]
My way would be slow and expensive because of production. I do wonder if this is a company PC and she will have internet access. It would just be through company intranet. Her choices are limited and money required. I'd suggest a netbook or a computer with a KVM which might be difficult KVM connectorwise if old PC to new PC. I would love to know how this is resolved.

I've never worked with VM and VPNs, but I wonder-- - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
--if the VPN is preventing 'net access if she'd be able to have, say, a minimal linux distribution running in VirtualBox or Sun's VM program; I know that they set up separate network connections, but don't know enough about it to determine if that could provide a workaround of any sort.

I still think befriending someone in IT at the client hospital who could provide her with a tunnel to the 'net would be ideal (if under the table :-)).

Instructions to configure your computer to gain access to Internet while in VPN - Try this

[ In Reply To ..]
We had the same issue you have. Could not gain access to google while in VPN. Our boss had us do this when we hooked into a VPN. You can google but cannot get into any email accounts at all. You only do this ONCE, not every time you try to google.

Go into Control Panel, Internet Options, and click on the Connections Tab. Then click on LAN settings (toward the bottom of the box).

Put a checkmark in the box that says USE AUTOMATIC CONFIGURATION SCRIPT.

Then put in this script:

http://proxy-pac/proxy pac

Then click OK and OK and you should be all set.

p.s. Changing this configuration will not affect you going on the Internet when you are not on the VPN.

Hope this helps you; it sure helped us.

Good Luck

That assumes there's a PAC file in place and published on your server. - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
nm

Thanks for the suggestion(s) - Original poster

[ In Reply To ..]
I will try it. Thanks for all the suggestions. I start soon. I remember years ago typing on the hospital system with the google blocked, but I was used to that. I took time to look up in books etc. which I had a lot of... but now adays there are so many new things and drugs that I have gotten to rely on the good sites especially the approved safe ones our supervisors always suggested. It is going to be difficult and it is scary, but when it comes down to it if I have to get another computer to google if these things don't work I will have to do that. I just have to do well enough on my first 2 paychecks but even that long seems scary without the net. I never realized how I took the net for granted, and how it helped my speed too... but I want this job, it is a good one, so hoping your suggestions work...Thanks again. Will let you all know what happens.

Keep in mind that if all you need in a second PC is search capability-- - SM

[ In Reply To ..]
--you really don't need anything special or high-powered. In fact, you could easily use a little netbook from someplace like Geeks.com (I just looked and they currently have 2GB netbooks there for under $100).

On the other hand, there's something to be said for having a second PC as a backup in case something happens to PC #1; in that case, you'd want to make sure it had the minimal specs required to run everything you need for work, but, again, you could still buy a used or refurbed machine if price is important.

Good luck.

(I'm tempted to go get myself one of those little $95 notebooks :-).)

Another thought â�� how about lease or rent until you can afford a second computer - Good Luck

[ In Reply To ..]

One more option, if you plan on going the buy-another-computer route.

If you were planning to purchase a new personal laptop for your home (and like HP laptops), they have a promotion running right now (ends July 31, 2010), where you can lease a laptop for 12 or 36 months at 0% financing. Only drawback is that the purchase price has to be $1500 and up.

If you choose the 12-month option, you can purchase the laptop after 12 months for $1.00.

If you choose the 36-month option, you will need to give it back at the end of that time, but the monthly payment will be pretty small.

They do not have all the details on their website, so I do not know if the laptop itself has to be $1500 or if everything you get has to total at least $1500. If you do not already have a wireless router for the 2 computers, you will have to get that anyway. So, if you can include that in the total package with HP, you can save that expense which will be added to that cheapy second computer anyway. Hate to say this, but most cheap computer seem to have problems and you never know when they will quit on you entirely. Plus, you would have HP Service to help you connect everything, and who knows, maybe they have some insight into how to get around your VPN problem. Never hurts to ask.

Just another thought.

One more option. If you are close to a Rent-A-Center Store, they also rent laptop computers. You can probably pick one up to use while you save for a second personal computer. It might actually be worth the price if you find that you are not producing as much as you should be because of not having access to the internet from day one. Even if you save enough time to make an extra $5 a day by searching the internet instead of having to look up things in books, that would probably more than pay for any rental laptop.

One last option. If you or someone you know already has a Smart Phone with unlimited data access, you can use that to surf Google and such. Since you will only need it during your work hours, if someone is not chained to their phone, maybe they will let you use it for a few hours a day, for a couple months, until you save money for your second computer.

Good luck.

Let us know how things work out.

http://h20330.www2.hp.com/hpfinancialservices/us/en/programs/promotion-zero-12-month.html

Sounds like a job for a netbook or a web enabled cell phone - Mia

[ In Reply To ..]
Seriously, try to find a used netbook. When they first came out a year or so ago they had a pitiful 16 GB of memory, but now they make them with either 160 or 250 GB. Since you don't need memory, just internet that would be ideal!! I will bet there are quite a few of the low memory ones for sale by tech junkies who have to have the latest thing! (Like my boyfriend)

I wouldn't work without it anymore... save so much time! - If faced with a job that blocked - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
the internet, I'd see about getting a 2nd CPU for the hospital's intranet that I could toggle my monitor back and forth from. Or else just run 2 monitors & keyboards, too. Having to work without the huge resource the internet provides is like going back to the Stone Age!

Another possibility: Does it block you if you minimize the hospital intranet down to your toolbar, and then open up a brand-new Explorer & Google page? That works for me.

I got blocked at an on-site job where I once worked. I was just about to solve that problem by purchasing a small laptop to bring to work for just that purpose. Or else a handheld, like a Blackberry. Instead, I just quit and found a better job.

Googling v nonGoogling - lisa

[ In Reply To ..]
How about getting a cell phone with internet access?

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