A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
Our Profession - SonoranMT
Posted: Jun 12, 2010
When I look at our profession now -- what it has devolved into -- and compare its present condition with how it was just 20 years ago, the contrast is STAGGERING. With enhanced technology, medical transcription -- and, by extension, patient care -- should have improved by leaps and bounds, both in terms of TAT and QUALITY. Only half of that has been met: the decreased TAT.
QUALITY has been compromised to such a degree that it is SHAMEFUL. My current employer has Dictaphone voice (many here probably work on this as well), and they have it programmed to put ONE SPACE after a period or a colon. With everything all smushed together, the text is uneasy on the eye so more difficult to read. Of course, smushed characters mean fewer lines, which translates into less pay; we all KNOW THAT. But I defy anyone to find an authoritative text on the rules for typing that instructs to put only one space following a period! Heck, I learned BASIC TYPING back in high school in the late 1970s.
Initially the unprofessional appearance of these documents so bothered me that I used to INSERT THE SPACE; I didn't feel good having my initials at the bottom of that mess. Plus it was easier for ME to read and edit! I did that for OVER A YEAR, even though it was pretty time-consuming and of course tedious. Unfortunately our new daily minimum line count (it's going up every year!), has forced me to abandon this practice.
This is just ONE example; I could go on and on about the obvious systematic dumbing-down of physicians that has been occuring that no doubt other "old timers" here can relate to. The huge influx of foreigners into American medical schools no doubt plays a role in that. Three years ago a dear friend, professor of medicine in TN, retired after teaching for over 20 years because he said that over 1/3 of the incoming med school students had English as their second language, and the curriculum had been incredibly dumbed down to accomodate them.
It's really sad to see medical care go the way of third-world nation standards, and with CommieCare I know things are only going to get worse.
That's sad. I wonder can you think of any good things - Grady--sm
[ In Reply To ..]that have developed or been kept to the present time? I was just thinking maybe it would be healthier for me to focus on something positive. Something besides better TAT? Anything? Something? Just because I cannot think of anything, does not mean there isn't anything. Does it? Ah! computers better than typewriters, yes?
My TAT was better on a Selectric in 1982 than it is - Rocky Raccoon (sm)
[ In Reply To ..]in 2010 on a state-of-the-art PC. Why? Because of all the bells and whistles the employer seems to think are so very necessary. So that the dumbed-down doctors (boy do I ever agree with that!) don't have to enter any demographic information that is actually CORRECT - instead, WE get to figure it all out! (Unpaid, of course). Naw, all they have to do is say the patient's name, no matter how mangled and un-spelled, and punch in 8 numbers (doesn't matter which), and they know that between the employer's miracle magic software, and the MT (who of course has hours and hours of time with nothing better to do) can take care of that in a jiffy.
So what if my line count (AND PAY) are cut in half? And our TAT becomes the daily joke among all of us who work for these people? At least dear Dr. "Singhaljapheduparupian", who can't read a McDonald's menu, but who somehow has a license to practice medicine in America, won't have to trouble him-little-self with looking up the correct medical record number, patient name, or gender. And he won't have to try too hard to enunciate, because of course everyone knows we're overpaid miracle-workers who sit on our butts all day, and we'll have the time, foreign language skill, and payscale to figure it all out for them.
Ditto ... You said it Rocky......nm - Fantastic !!!
[ In Reply To ..];)
Do you know I had a nightmare the other night - StartrekMT
[ In Reply To ..]about typing on a selectric again? The doc kept saying change this and that, and I kept making typos. Then, all of a sudden I was typing tapes of the worst dictators and on a manual typewriter, because the cubicle I worked in did not have a computer outlet. As well, they promised I could work at home too, but they took back the promise so I was stuck on this manual typewriter with tapes. I couldn't do anything properly, and QA faxed me back all my mistakes. Finally, after explaining to them they said I could work at home on a computer and not a selectric, manual typewriter, or tapes, they fired me for poor quality! In the dream, I try to take my decorations from the cubicle home but there were so many because we decorated and had parties at the office. I had to take down all the Christmas decorations and try to lug them on the train and bus all the way home. What a nightmare! Ahh transcription. Ahh selectrics. Ahh reality being better than dreams!!!! :)
The Internet - THAT is the difference - Nothing MTSOs have done
[ In Reply To ..]The internet has revolutionized medical transcription. But that is both good and bad - as in offshoring our work. But it is wonderful to have the world wide web at our disposal now - instead of stacks of useless books that were outdated before we even got them :-(
One space, here is why it is common practice now. - Typin_away
[ In Reply To ..]Taken from a grammar website:
Yes, the caller is correct and he's also right that a lot of people haven't heard about the change.
Two Spaces After a Period -- The Old Way
Here's the deal: Most typewriter fonts are what are called monospaced fonts. That means every character takes up the same amount of space. An "i" takes up as much space as an "m," for example. When using a monospaced font, where everything is the same width, it makes sense to type two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence to create a visual break. For that reason, people who learned to type on a typewriter were taught to put two spaces after a period at the end of a sentence.
One Space After a Period - The New Way
But when you're typing on a computer, most fonts are proportional fonts, which means that characters are different widths. An "i" is more narrow than an "m," for example, and putting extra space between sentences doesn't do anything to improve readability.
Although how many spaces you use is ultimately a style choice, using one space is by far the most widely accepted and logical style. The Chicago Manual of Style (1), the AP Stylebook (2), and the Modern Language Association (3) all recommend using one space after a period at the end of a sentence. Furthermore, page designers have written in begging me to encourage people to use one space because if you send them a document with two spaces after the periods, they have to go in and take all the extra spaces out.
I know it's a hard habit to break if you were trained to use two spaces, but if you can, give one space a try.
I've tried one space, and it still looks hideous. Not to - mention nearly impossible to proofread. nm
[ In Reply To ..]nm
Wow, where did my paragraphing go on that post? - Typin_away
[ In Reply To ..]I swear when I go to edit it the paragraphing is there.
Sorry that is so hard to read.
Same thing just happened to me, lol! - Oy Vey
[ In Reply To ..]I just typed a very well-formatted lengthy post and DANG...It's going to make everyone's eyes bleed because it's one GINORMOUS paragraph on the post!
Sorry in advance, MTStar'ers...I really did paragraph it out to make it easy to read!
An occupation nickel-and-dimed to death. - Whoosh
[ In Reply To ..]I find the new VBC (visual black character) method of line counting particularly offensive. The unit of work in transcription is the keystroke. When did hitting the spacebar cease to be a keystroke? Maybeeverythingshouldbetranscribedlikethis.
AnyofuswhogetsVBCforcedonusshoulddojustthat! - Getting fired for doing so would be a BLESSING.
[ In Reply To ..]Bring on that gool ol' UE, cuz I have no intention of playing the "VBC game".
What a bunch of chintzy BS that is. MTSO's who use it should be ashamed of their cheap little penny-pinching selves.
Rocky Raccoon
I agree - my poor thumb does not think VBCs - are any less difficult than any other key
[ In Reply To ..]My thumb burns up into my shoulder from hitting the space bar so much. Now they don't think I should be compensated for that space? So now I have higher doctor bills and facing possible surgery. And some "suit" thinks I should not be compensated for using that thumb to make THEIR documents look right? What a friggin joke this profession has turned into!!!
The one-space rule isn't limited to the MT profession. - Not an MTSO conspiracy NM
[ In Reply To ..]nm
I agree that it is clearer and easier to read and edit - sm
[ In Reply To ..]with 2 spaces after a period.
But why is English is the ONLY language with this rule?
I see the opposite from where I was 20 years ago - Some Doing Better
[ In Reply To ..]I realize that some are making less, but people I knew 20 years ago weren't doing all as well as many of you say that you were. The good old days weren't as good for me as people are looking back and remembering so fondly. Things are much better from my viewpoint.
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