How To Increase Your Productivity While Transcribing

If you are a medical transcriptionist, you also know that how much you earn is based on productivity. The more lines you can produce, the more money you can earn. But for the work to be done, problems always arise. Difficult dictations. The physician speaks 115 miles per hour, or speaks with an indecipherable accent and you can't make some sense out of it. And when you have finished your report, you go back and review it. And you still have 14 blanks.

Having to review your work decreases your productivity. Whenever you review your work, you are either uncertain that you have typed the correct word or that you have left a lot of blanks that needs to be filled out. You put "X" minutes to just to edit and proofread the report. I understand you want quality in your work, but quantity is equally important as quality. But if you can reduce that time to edit and proofread your work, you'd produce more lines. Hence increased productivity.

Normally, some would say that the most effective way to increase your productivity is through the use of the following:
  • Word Expanders
  • Keyboard Shortcuts
  • Autocorrects
  • Using References
  • Macros
  • Templating
  • and the 7 useful techniques I use
I tell you, there is another way to increase your productivity.
You have to decrease the audio speed of your transcriber by up to 25%. Often times, this alternative is not considered because they believe that decreasing the audio speed would probably increase the time it takes to transcribe a file, hence decrease productivity.

It's partially true and partially false.

Partially true, because it really increases the time to transcribe an EASY FILE. And when I say, "Easy", I meant, very clear dictations. and...

Partially false, because as opposed to others might say, it increases that chances that you will HEAR that unfamiliar word the physician is dictating especially when the dictation is difficult. In turn, it will "DECREASE" the time it will take for you to repeat/rewind the file. LESS EDITING AND PROOFREADING.

My formula for increased productivity:

DECREASED AUDIO SPEED = LESS EDITING AND PROOFREADING = INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

I have used this technique myself and it works. I hope that you will find this technique useful too.

1 comment:

transcription blog said...

Decreasing the audio speed, most often, distorts the voice of the doctor. I always use the normal speed.
It's good to know that you work well in deceasing the audio speed, thus increasing your productivity.
Great post as usual.