Pay with Dict8

[Chrissols]

Looking for people from the previous thread that closed as must of been full?

@Gally123: I totally agree with you, you can't remember most dictation but some just 'stick' because you know you struggled with it and if 'it' sounds non-idiotic after rewinding multiple times you just go with it. I am getting to the point now, as you say, 'where they change their mind' you can't afford to go with what you know is correct and what the dictator says is nonsense. It can be a minefield of frustration and irritability at that point. Funny out of the `100's of letter we must type you always remember that one which will come back and haunt you. GGGrrrr

Sorry to say but I am now inclined not to type such 'trash' dictation. It really isn't worth the time, effort or inclination; hence defying such ridiculous feedback.

I do not mind constructive feedback none of us are 100% perfect all the time; of course there will be some feedback now and again, but to me there seems to be a lot of nit-picking for no apparent reason. Just saying LOL. As someone else said on here if you are in the office and have the patient's notes to hand (not a remote typist) you could put a note on the printed letter highlighting that you thought this or that 'word', 'sentence' is strange and you would not lose your job over it!!! I do believe the Secs in the office know what we have to deal with so it's like "people in glass houses shouldn't ...."

@Poppy379 - I have often wonder if the secretaries are aware, sometimes I cringe at what I am typing (as I too type what is dictated and if it sounds bizarre I put a note in the box asking them to check letter/sentence just to cover myself) all unpaid work just because of poor dictation :(

I don't do it so much now but in the past if I had a pig of a task and felt uneasy sending it off I would note the task number and my issues with it - as I think @Gally123 might have pointed out, they don't let you see the whole task and it's impossible to remember all the tasks typed over a week (well it used to be ! :) ) as at one point some of the mistakes I was being pulled up about I was convinced I didn't do, such is the paranoia of working alone :)

I often wonder who decides/downloads the tasks to the DICT8; presumably it is the secretary who decides and not the dictator as I once typed a letter where at the start the doctor directed his secretary to type it herself and not to put it for DICT8, a message which, of course, I put in the note box, and another where a doctor was asking the secretary what she was doing at the weekend and sort of chatting her up, which as it was not letter or work related, I did not put in the note box, (also he probably would not want the embarrassment of other people having heard).

I have just found you all after my original thread was closed. I see DICT8 are as pants as ever. Have you guys tried T-Pro again or are they still closed to new transcribers? I think I managed to get in just before lockdown so luckily I am managing to get work with them. They seem so much more professional and hats off to the Irish hospitals that seem to have sorted out virtual clinics and telephone clinics which in turn create the work. @Gally123 hilarious about the doc chatting up his sec on a dictaphone

As far as I an aware the dictator places the handset in a portal (either in the clinic setting/ theatre or they take the handset to the Secretary to upload into the system which goes directly to the transcription company) .. I don't think the typists within the hospital have any control over that. A Dr can place the handset on the portal at weekends at any typist's desk, late end of day or on-call shift and they go straight through to the transcription server *i.e. DICT or Big Hand or whoever. I have typed letters from weekends or bank holiday that would indicate that to be the case. ? Anyone Dr making an inappropriate conversation should know that ... that is the weirdest thing I have ever heard (that task could have been picked up by anyone (inc. staff ... how embarrassing)) - I think I would have typed it anyway in full, after all we type as we hear don't we?

p.s. I would have put in the Notes Box: Secretary/PA to type only!!!

Regarding the handsets I am sure they (doctors etc) can use their mobile phones as a handset with the Dict8 app. Which means they could upload it to Dict8 themselves without the secretary needing to be involved.

Anyone seen any tasks today?

Just a few tasks so far.

Haven't seen a single one....

Not a single task as yet - think it's lunch time . Fridays have been hopeless for the last few weeks and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday !!

I have had two very short ones......think I might give up for the weekend

I have typed a few tasks - I started early this morning, just after 7 am - but I have left more than I have done as the sound is just dreadful, distorted, or noisy backgrounds so cannot hear the dictation at all. I did one letter when the dictator kept turning away from the microphone so it got quieter and quieter until he turned back, but it is not worth my blood pressure to struggle with some of these, so I leave/reject them.

I really think dictators should be forced to listen to their efforts. I cannot believe the proof readers make no mention of some the dross. In any hospital I have worked at secretaries would refuse to type these until they had been re-dictated properly - ie clearly, which leaves me to think it is the secretaries who decide what goes on DICT8 for us to type and what they take for themselves. I am sure many of the doctors who start every letter "Morning Fred Bloggs" have no idea the letters are typed by complete strangers. One nurse regularly gives updates on her weekend activities before she starts, to excuse her typing if she gets tired (as if we are really interested).

Having worked in the scenario in a hospital using Dict8 I can say that all dictation there was uploaded to Dict8 but, yes, the secretaries could see all the tasks and type as and when they could if they weren't too busy (cherry-picking their own team to be sure); at that time though the backlog was huge. The alternative was overtime at time and half and supposed to be typed in date order next in line; however, again cherry-picking became the order of the day which I abhorred and did not participate in. All patients' letter are important regardless of which team they saw (like postcode lottery) --- I was so dismayed I left!!! .

There was also one secretary whose Consultant kept hold of the old tape recorder handset (for the secretary to type only (whole clinics) - who knows perhaps they were having an affair LOL; and the secretary would play those dictations for typing on the old tape recording machine (also within overtime/or when not busy) and it was completely, utterly out of order. It is one thing to dictate one clinic letter by phone to be taken by shorthand or other for URGENT purposes ONLY but that just took the biting of the biscuit one step too far. Like I said dependent upon which consultant/team the patient saw they would be up there typed within two days with no regard to all the patients' letters stuck in the huge backlog (post code lottery ?!). Doesn't make for a very constructive 'secretarial team' effort - P**sed me of completely. birdie !!!

@danblack87 I've worked with a few secretaries like that and some who did the consultant's private work in NHS time rather than the NHS backlog !!!!

@meha5: I never came across that one !!!

@danblack87 @meha5 - I have, actually one consultant wanted me to do the same, in fact do all his private work (he was just starting PP work) from the NHS office, I think so that he would not have to pay me, or at least supply paper, equipment etc. He also wanted me to write to all his NHS patients asking if they would like to see him privately, and I said, "yes, or course, if the hospital gives me the go ahead to send out such a letter," and he never mentioned it again.

We also had one consultant who used NHS notes for his PP work and kept them locked in a cupboard, which caused quite a problem when one patient was admitted to A&E and the secretary would not release the notes!! Unfortunately, the medical records manager declined to take issue with him as he was a famous professor.....

@Gally123: the things we learn within the NHS; all these upstanding NHS employees; it is deplorable. We only had one Consultant (to my knowledge) who used to take Hospital notes out of the hospital for his private work and he took issue with me because I used the Medical Records 'transferring of notes' i.e. I typed 'notes with XXX at private hospital XXX' and he got pulled up, by phone call, for it because the notes were not available within the hospital (at critical point) where they bloody should be + the notes were stored in the boot of his car Derrrrrr 'what an idiot' Derrrr patient confidentiality, etc, etc, car stolen scenario ????? ... he lost his case!! Then resorted to having his secretary photocopy the notes (still a bad idea I reckon). It is just ridiculous. Thank god I work from home and do not have to work with such idiots any more .

@danblack87 - you reminded me - we had a registrar (he used to act like he was the consultant, and when the consultant was on leave would take ward rounds in his jacket, not white coat) who took a patient's notes overseas to a conference and it only came to light as the patient came to clinic!

Electronic records have some uses, not many considering the number of times the system would be down, plus the unplanned power cuts. Yes, working from home has its benefits, even if we are not paid the same - and we still have some stories to tell re the proof readers and their antics.

the private place I worked, we used to have to phone the consultant if she was working in the NHS to make sure she was the only person at the fax machine when her private work was being sent over - years that went on - getting paid double !!

Hi guys

Those of you who have applied to Tpro. Is it just a case of emailing them? Or is there an official way to apply?

Thanks

@LMW1990 - there is a form on their website, and you need to attach a CV. i applied in March before lockdown etc and my application has been on hold since then.