All Things Transcription

I would like to say a few words about text expanders. There are many text expanders available and you will find that all of them have transcriptionists who love them or hate them. You will also find that many MTSOs require the use of certain expanders. I have also heard of just a few companies that do not allow the use of expanders at all. (A very few, and this is based on pretty old information so I doubt there are many of these dinosaurs left).

Follow up:

We all know that using a text expander will increase your production rates, even if you only use autosuggest in Word. There is no hard and fast rule about how much it will raise your production. You will find that it depends on how many accounts you work on. Obviously if you only have one or two doctors, the repetition increases allowing you to shorten whole paragraphs at a time. This will really boost your production levels. If you work on a hospital account and have many different doctors, you may only be able to shorten terminology related to specialties. However, even this will save you scads of keystrokes leading to an increase in production. This increase may be smaller but it will still add dollars to your pocket in the long run. Take a look at this:

If your expander did 10% of your 1000 lines, that is 100 lines. If you get paid 7 cpl, then that 100 lines saved equals out to be $7, so if you work a 7-8 hour day, then that would nearly up your pay per hour by $1/hr, which is substantial considering your expander "only" did 10% of your keystrokes for you.

Who wouldn’t accept a $1 per hour raise? In these times, a lot people would be grateful to get far less than that as a raise. Just plug in some numbers to figure out how much money you add to your coffers as your production percentage goes up.

As the number of keystrokes the text expander handles for you goes up, the amount of time spent at the computer goes down. This will allow you either more free time or increase the amount of work you can accept in a day. Either way you look at it, you have made money. Always be aware that time is money too, so spend it well.

When we talk about text expanders it is well worth it to mention that, as with any other software, there is a learning curve involved. It is incredibly frustrating when you begin using any text expander. It will slow you down and add to your work load. This frustration won’t last long. Once you get in the habit of using and adding to your text expander (I think on the fly is best) you will quickly see the results in the form of bigger paychecks.

The beauty of expanders is that you can set them up in whatever way you find to be easiest for you to remember. Here are a few examples of ways to create entries that you may find to be helpful.

I say: Let the short form be the short form. I have known some to do things like add a character for an abbreviation. Why? I just let the abbreviation stand for itself and double the last letter for the expansion. Examples:

TMJ:tmjj = temporomandibular joint
ACL:acll = anterior cruciate ligament
DRE:dree = digital rectal exam, etc.

I think that this is one of the best hints I have seen. It makes it easy to use any abbreviation and you don’t have to remember some strange combination. You also won’t have to worry about repeating a combination.

Here is another good tip:

I like to keep my shortcuts organized. One way I do this is by grouping diseases, fractures, equipment, thusly:

dsadd = Addison disease
dsalz = Alzheimer's disease
dscj = Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, etc.;

fkbh = bucket-handle fracture
fkgs = green-stick fracture, etc., etc.

This is a wonderful way to keep things organized in a way that makes perfect sense. This way you won’t be searching for a certain term in a huge list. If it is a disease, you just go straight to your disease list. Fabulous tip!

Basically, you just want to set your expander up in a way that makes sense to you. Before you know it you will see a continual rise in your production and adding to your expander will be an ingrained habit that doesn’t take up much of your time at all.

Here are some of the most commonly used text expanders.Some of them offer free trails so you can play with them a bit to see if they work for you.

http://www.abbreviate.cc/
http://www.asutype.com/
http://www.nch.com.au/fastfox/index.html
http://www.textware.com/
http://www.sylvansoftware.com/shortcut.htm
http://www65.pair.com/lim/shorthand/
http://www.shortkeys.com/
http://www.bytescribe.com/index2.htm

If you already use a text expander, continue to improve the way you use it. If you do not use one take the time to research the different ones available, choose which one you think is best for you, and get going with it! You won’t be sorry when those paychecks get fatter!

Note: The quotes in this article were found on forums. If you recognize yourself and want credit for it, please email me.