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#4540 - 11/13/02 01:25 PM
Typing speed
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catsby2
Junior Member
Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 87
Loc: Cherokee, Iowa
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I have a question for all of you new MT's. How fast is your typing speed? I have been working for a company for 3 months now. This is my first job as an MT. I type around 50 WPM. The problem is they want me to be faster. I don't know of anyway to improve my speed except with practice. I've only been typing full-time since I got this job and just learned how to type period when I went to school. Any suggestions?
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#4541 - 11/13/02 01:32 PM
Re: Typing speed
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Debo
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 2576
Loc: Mid-Connecticut shoreline
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One thing I do to enhance my production, is to make full use of my abbreviation expander. It makes a huge difference to the point that the thing that slows me down is the speed of their dictation. Deb
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#4542 - 11/13/02 08:27 PM
Re: Typing speed
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RiverRotts
Member
Registered: 08/04/02
Posts: 205
Loc: Gateway to the West
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Hi catsby, I've been doing this for almost 7 months and this is also my first MT job. I currently type around 100 lph. I asked around too because I was pretty discouraged by my typing speed as well (and still am actually). All the responses I got back said that was pretty good for a newbie. Still not as fast as I want, but I also know that with time will come speed. And like Debo said, use your expander to the hilt! Even put in the most common phrases like "the patient is a" and "she says" and that sort of stuff (I'm sure you already knew that though). Keep all your resources at your fingertips. Those are the things that I do. We just have to have a little patience (which I have very little of). You'll get faster, don't worry. Good luck! Feel free to email me. If you don't have one, I have a list from the school I went to of over 15,000 abbreviations for words and phrases. I'd be glad to share it with you if you need it. Michelle
luvmyrottys@netzero.net
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#4543 - 11/13/02 10:53 PM
Re: Typing speed
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CRenee
Member
Registered: 03/20/00
Posts: 2319
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Word expanders are a big help! If you use MS Word, you can make good use of the AutoCorrect and AutoText features. I know WP has something similar. I also use Instant Text Pro. You are correct in that you will gain speed with experience. However, I must say that not all of us are speed demons. I have been at this for 12 years, and on a good day I type about 75 cwpm. I'm very concerned with accuracy...even when it comes to placement of a comma...so that slows me down, but my accuracy rate is very high. The down side is that I'll never make a pile of money doing this, but I enjoy it and can work from home. That's what's most important to me.
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#4544 - 11/14/02 07:20 AM
Re: Typing speed
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cleanseeker
Member
Registered: 09/30/02
Posts: 54
Loc: Fulton County , Pennsylvania
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This may be an off the wall suggestion, but it has helped me with my speed. Aside from the obvious way, which is practice, practice, practice the trade, I play online, timed word games. At uproar.com there is a game called Word Yacht. You have a time limit to make score by making words out of a scrambled bunch of letters. The more words you put, the more scores you get. For example, 15 three-letter words is worth 45 points, 15 words that begin with the same letter is 45 points and so on. You have to register with the game site; it is free. The good thing about the site is that you can go and sit at a game table and just play the game by yourself or you can play with other players. The other thing about it is that it is a good way to just unwind from the transcription process. Speed will come along. There are many ways to improve, but the Word Yacht is a fun way to do this. I feel like by doing that game over a period of say a year, my typing speed went up about 10 to 15 words per minute. Happy typing.  
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#4545 - 11/14/02 07:44 AM
Re: Typing speed
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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I have just finished the basic part of my MT course and am now on the SUM advanced tapes. I have yet to use macros to increase my typing speed. I have a wonderful book that shows me how to do it, but I just have this mental block that says it will actually slow me down to have to memorize all those abbreviations for phrases and long medical terms. How does anyone memorize thousands of abbreviations? If you have to look them up, doesn't that slow your speed down rather than just typing the word? I know that the light must not be turning on for me because everyone else is using macros.......EXCEPT ME!! Isn't getting started with them a real pain?? Is there an easy way to do it? Thanks!!
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#4546 - 11/14/02 07:51 AM
Re: Typing speed
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Debo
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 2576
Loc: Mid-Connecticut shoreline
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Another one of my speed things just occurred to me. When I hear dictation, I say it back to myself. For instance, if I hear "the patient is a 35 year-old white female who comes in for"....., I say the same thing to myself. That way I don't forget and have to rewind which saves time. It also helps with my reality-check process in which I constantly ask myself if something is right. Also, obviously the kind of work you do makes a difference. I have two major accounts, one of which is diagnostic imaging which is very repetitive and another is for OP notes which again once you get past that learning curve, is repetitive. The more you hear something, the more comfortable you are, the faster you can go. Good luck! Deb [ 11-14-2002: Message edited by: Debo ]
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#4547 - 11/14/02 08:28 AM
Re: Typing speed
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lib527
Member
Registered: 09/05/00
Posts: 4373
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A friend of mine who wanted to increase her typing speed actually found software that allowed you to practice typing. Here is a website where you can download free typing tutors and maybe you can practice in your "spare time" (like we have any of that!):
http://download.com.com/3120-20-0.html?qt=typing&tg=dl-2001 AutoText and AutoCorrect are wonderful tools to improve your speed as mentioned above. Macros are great, too, once you learn how to create them.
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#4548 - 11/14/02 08:58 AM
Re: Typing speed
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MTizfun
Member
Registered: 03/15/02
Posts: 969
Loc: Missouri
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catsby, speed will come, in time. Don't be hard on yourself. Accuracy is most important. 
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#4549 - 11/14/02 03:59 PM
Re: Typing speed
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carolT
Member
Registered: 07/06/99
Posts: 1646
Loc: Canada
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Vicky -- you have to have a system for naming your macros/normals/whatever you call them. Read over this site to get some ideas --
http://home.earthlink.net/~agjon/abczrule.htm the longer ones that I have for procedures, etc., I just use the doc's name.
You start out with whatever words/phrases you use most often or are most annoying to type, and build up your abbreviations gradually. At this point, my fingers know what abbreviation to type for a particular word or phrase, but often if I look at the abbreviation I can't remember what it stands for LOL!
HTH
carolT
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#4550 - 11/15/02 08:34 AM
Re: Typing speed
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Thanks Carol. You did help a lot! I printed out the information and will add it to my notebook. I actually played around with the auto correct on Word yesterday and made my first macro: IM for IMPRESSION. Worked great! Now I'm ready to make more!! Thanks!
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#4551 - 11/15/02 09:02 AM
Re: Typing speed
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straws
Member
Registered: 12/15/00
Posts: 2809
Loc: in limbo
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One of my tricks for marcos is to add an x to the end of things that can be mistaken... sob is a word, but it would also have been my choice for shortness of breath. It is now sobx. I also macro the docs physical exams by using their name or initials and adding 1, 2, 3, etc to the end. If you use Word, you can macro in paragraphs if you do AutoCorrect and make sure to select the "formatted text" option in the middle of the box. I echo all the others too that accuracy is the most important and the speed will take care of itself. Good luck!
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#4552 - 11/15/02 10:16 PM
Re: Typing speed
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Anonymous
Anonymous
Unregistered
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Just a reminder that IM also stands for intramuscular, so be careful when you type IM for an intramuscular injection and change it from IMPRESSION to just plain old IM. imx may be a good one for it. just a suggestion though....
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#4553 - 11/15/02 11:14 AM
Re: Typing speed
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catsby2
Junior Member
Registered: 11/13/02
Posts: 87
Loc: Cherokee, Iowa
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Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. This is such a great place to come to when you need suggestions.
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#4554 - 11/15/02 09:55 PM
Re: Typing speed
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Lindsey24
Member
Registered: 08/18/02
Posts: 388
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I'm not following you guys here. How can a transcriptionist make up their own abbreviations?
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#4555 - 11/15/02 10:15 PM
Re: Typing speed
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AnnR
Member
Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 18511
Loc: Ocean Park WA
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Lindsey, they are talking about macros here. Most transcription systems allow you to program short forms for common words, phrases, even whole reports. You then type the short form (which of course is not a common word, but something that represents the whole), and the system expands that onto your screen--for example, I do a doc who is very fond of the phrase "we then proceeded to" and all I need to type is wtpt. As Carol T says, your fingers know the macros once you have used them. Does this help any? [ 11-16-2002: Message edited by: AnnR ]
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