It is no secret anymore, MTs are able to do 1000 to 1500 lines per day (eight-hour shift), I even know one who is able to do three times more than that in a shorter period of time and believe me, he is as normal a human as we all are. His secret? No, not his shampoo, it is what we MTs call shortcuts or abbreviations.
When I started training would-be MTs more than three years ago, the question that most of them wanted to know was how a non-keyboardist, as most of them were during that time, can type 1000 to 1500 lines per day in an eight-hour shift. For someone who is new with keyboarding, they find this ridiculous and seemingly impossible. Ridiculous because they would question the accuracy of the report of someone who is typing away with the speed of Flash Gordon and seemingly impossible since they really only have less than eight hours since they still have to take their meal breaks, smoking breaks, powder breaks, bladder breaks, etc. But an MT-wannabee who would want to reach their productivity goals much sooner would have to religiously use the MT’s secret weapon. I sound as if we belong in a secret service. Well we do have special investigative skills and special weapons and we do interrogate (not directly though) our subjects and we keep things highly confidential, so I could definitely say that MTs belong to the Secret Intelligence Service, and if James Bond has a license to kill, then we MTs have license to (help) heal. And if James Bond has a favorite weapon, so do we. It may come in different forms and brands but they all do the same for me, kill those difficult-to-type lengthy words and make it simple ones thereby producing more lines in a shorter period of time.
MTs kill? Well, more like MT skill. Let me show you how.
If an MT was to type the word ESOPHAGO-GASTRODUODENOSCOPY or STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID or SALPHINGO-OOPHORECTOMY (whew!), every time the dictator would mention these tongue twisters in a report, there is always the possibility that you might spell it wrong or it may take you a whole minute to type just one of them. Productive? Definitely not! There is a multitude of words, terminologies and phrases that are such finger-twisters as they are also tongue-tiers that it will frustrate any MT typing them every time. But with the skill an MT should have acquired, and of course the secret weapon that we have, one would have to type only the abbreviated forms of these words and phrases and it will spellout with correct spelling and no faltering when typing and checking any longer as they did before. You can even do this with one whole paragraph or even a whole report given that it is a usual dictation of a dictator like a usual operative procedure or physical examination. Dictators can only use so much terminology for an MT not to make an abbreviated form and make transcribing faster and more accurate. This would mean less time being devoted to checking the spelling as most of the entries would be encoded by the MT themselves.
There are several softwares available. You may search for this through the internet or if you are using a Microsoft OS then your PC has its own capability of programming abbreviated shortcuts. For Windows XP, in your toolbar section, go to TOOLS and then AUTOCORRECT OPTIONS and choose AUTOCORRECT. There you would be able to input your own version of abbreviation forms. Make sure that you use the widely accepted forms of abbreviations and to use abbreviations with no similar word spelling and abbreviated forms that you would be able to use and actually remember. It is much better to continue adding your shortcuts or abbreviations while you are doing actual files for immediate recall of usual terminology and phrases. You can edit or enhance your abbreviations during your free time. Be careful when choosing abbreviated forms for your words and phrases make sure that these are unique and have no other word representation.
For example, to minimize typing a period with the medical abbreviations that we use, like p.r.n. or b.i.d. everytime, I used prn2 to spellout p.r.n. or bid2 to spellout b.i.d. Take note that bid is a word as it is, so I added a 2 after the word “bid” to differentiate this to the actual word “bid” when typing it. Choose abbreviations that you will recall whenever you hear the words or phrases.
These are just some of the words and phrases I use for transcription:
tp the patient
hpn hypertension
wn well-nourished
ctab clear to auscultation bilaterally.
aaox3 alert, awake and oriented times three.
pe PE
pe2 physical examination
pe3 pulmonary emphysema
pe4 pulmonary edema
hos hospital
hosj hospitalization
TIP: If the abbreviation has a number of other different meaning, just keep on adding a number after each abbreviation giving importance to the most commonly used abbreviations by assigning them the first few numbers and take it from there.
Remember, you will be the one to use these abbreviations, so make sure you use abbreviations that will suit your style and needs, and of course, that you will remember. Keep using them for recall and in no time you will be happily transcribing your way to the bank with your productivity!
