Last month marked the end of my 32 years as a medical transcriber. I never really believed it would happen, but voice recognition technology stole my job away from me. Luckily, I didn't get da boot. Instead, my company created a new position for me . . . scanning our old records into the computer. We have charts stored away in boxes stacked high in a huge room on a separate floor from our main office.
You might think it's a boring job . . . scanning . . . but I love it. No longer the lead of my department, I feel burden-free and stressless. Me and Bien, the guy who does our laundry, have the room all to ourselves. We have a grand ole time talking story while we each do our separate jobs. I look forward to going to work now.
It doesn't hurt that I have state-of-the-art equipment like this totally-da-bomb stable remover. Our charts were held together by staples. Notes and forms were also stapled on. There are staples everywhere. This staple remover is ergonomic and works really well. It's worth the $6.50 price tag. I got it from Amazon. Click here to check it out.
And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is my supa dupa, blazing fast, takes-any-kine-size, thick or thin, does-front-and-back simultaneously, upside-down-no-matter, amaaaaaaaaazing Fujitsu ScanSnap ix500, which I lovingly call My Precious. I would love to get one for my home, but it costs around $450.
This scanner scans so fast, that I sometimes feel like Lucy in the candy factory.
21 comments:
I gotta take out lots of staples too, but not as many as you. Looks like a great da kine you have there.
And ho, da scanner! I have tons of photos to scan and that one would be awesome!
J: thanks for sharing! I use to work at St. Francis and would have had better opps if I took medical terminology class (free) but I just couldn't see myself as a transcriber like yourself. Then later the technology started taking over - like how they say it's taking over court reporting. They were already outsourcing and contractors would call in to transcribe. Moe cheaper than having staff around. I worked at Kapiolani too and there was a huge pool of med. sec'ys whose job was to transcribe all the reports...guess they are mostly gone now. Since I've worked in an office as my career, I get really excited about office products too! I love going to office supply stores (love Fisher!!) and just walking around, like how some women go to shoe depts. I think your scanner is so awesome too! Having a dedicated high tech instrument is nirvana. At one job I had a shredding machine that shredded homongus thick files with paper clips/staples. It took it all and I was so jazzed. I loved that machine as I had to do HR and had so much to shred but dat machine gobbled everything up. My bestest 'helper' has been the electric stapler. I had one that I carried with me from job to job. And each job others would constantly use cuz it was so easy and fast. I also get your desire to job down, for me getting older means less stress and headaches. Managing people is a huge headache and a pain in the okole. Me, I want a job where all I have to do is answer phones, file and do no brainers - and go home on TIME. Let others stay late and stress out about decisions. Too bad employers think I'm overqualified for these jobs, but I left my ambitions about 10 years ago. Life's too short. -N
Is this the SAME....room with THOSE boxes????;) that a certain someone can't find?;!
Glad you found a happy place!
My precious, hahaha, omg, you sound like Bien and his LCD screen. Mine hasn't been ordered yet, but M said he's working on it.
I love my Bostitch staple remover as well Jalna!
congratulations! ain't it great looking forward to work?!? (i'm surprised, tho, that voice recognition software is as good as your post implies; i thought it was still very flaky; guess not.) do you know the name of the software they use???
Moki, the scanner goes zip zip zip . . . so fast!
Anon, it IS DA SAME ROOM. You get good memory!
You go girl. Just keep reminding, Mich.
Yay, Myko. Everyone should have one yah!
Exactly, Rand! Who woulda thought that voice recognition software could perform as good as my ear, right?! We installed a whole new system last month and the voice recognition portion came with it, so I don't know exactly what kind it is.
OMG, N. I wish you were here in front of me so that I could do the two fingers pointing to my eyes and then pointing to your eyes 'cause we soooo see eye to eye!!! LOL!!! When you mentioned the shredder that took thick files with clips/staples, I actually gasped in excitement. Then I had to laugh when I realized that I had gasped. I love to roam around in Fisher too. And so funny that Your Precious is an electric stapler!! You're so right about managing people. That's the part of my job that I didn't enjoy. I actually loved the transcription part . . . I coulda done that forever.
N is right, that's my dream job too...doing no brainers, not because of laziness but after almost 30 years of a highly stressful job its time to heal the body, lol. Count your self blessed because you look forward to going to work.
J: LOL I so get your excitement about Fisher. That's my place of worship for office supp. and equip. All kine pretty paper for crafting and cool tech. And yes, I admit I get excited about pens too. I am picky about my pens and not fancy kine. Gotta fit, gotta be comfortable, gotta be smoooooth. My biggest high and fix is Da Clearance Bill/Rack. oooohhhhh I ken dig through stuff for a long long time.
I use to take shorthand and discovered in practice that it is soooo boring; I'm too impatient and those were the dayz when boss would call me in for dictation. I hated it so much I purposely never used it again. I realized I hated shorthand when I went to KCC and had to take the higher classes and I was like 'whooahhh you not only lost me, but left me in da dust". Now it's a dying art IMO. One time I showed an college intern what carbon paper was. I felt so old when she was fascinated as she in her 20 years NEVER SAW carbon paper evah. *sigh*
Wow, Susan . . . you've been doing your job for almost 30 years?! But you look like you're only 30 years old.
N, when I started at this job I typed our reports with a typewriter and I used carbon paper for our copies. Our bills were produced with some kind of thermal machine. We were a staff of maybe around 8 people working for one doctor. Now we have 5 doctors, 3 separate offices and a staff so huge that I don't even know everybody and there are some who don't know me either.
No wonder medical insurance is so sky high....it's that scanning machine ... technology costs ! Thank goodness for your budget conscious tool...what's next laser staple removers?;)
Visions of jalna with a Luke sky walker sword zapping staples away in that room!!! Cue up some Star Wars theme music,please!!!! Take that you old document!
Hahahaha, Anon. You made me think of not Star Wars but Harry Potter instead . . . with a magic wand and spells to removed cursed staples. But wait . . . I can't be doing my job too quickly. I need for it to last a bit longer.
Cool! Even if they replaced your function with a computer they couldn't replace you.
Awwwww Erick, that's the sweetest thing you ever said to me. Thanks!
32 years? Wow! I'm sure you have done a fantastic job. I admire your postie attitude...'change' is kind of tough, you know.
I have never seen the staple remover before. I usually use my finger nail...ouch!
Thanks Akemi!!
good thing the duck never had to order your staple remover cause you wouldn't have it yet.... :D
True dat, Les.
wow! I haven't read your blog in a long time and get plenty news! Congratulations on your new position!
Thanks, Jos!
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