Pay with Dict8

[Chrissols]

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

I have felt it has been like total lock-down since last Friday

Been hardly anything for my specialty on DICT8 all week. I have returned to work in the NHS for 1 - 2 days a week and clinics have been quite busy there with lots of typing to do. Tbh I can't see the work returning on DICT8 to how it was a few months before lockdown, as surely we would have seen reasonable increases by now, instead of the sporadic 1 or 2 tasks or a small handful if you are lucky.

not having a good morning - there are tasks available but they are speaking (mumbling) so quietly even with my volume on as high as possible I cannot clearly hear all what is said, not enough to make any guesses. I really despair with DICT8's quality control - I have often left comments to check the letter carefully due to faint dictation on dictations where the sound needs to be louder but instead of people actually dictating properly in the microphones it is getting worse. Sometimes it sounds as if they are across the room. Add in the rustling of papers as they turn the pages and it is impossible.

Why oh why does DICT8 continually fail to ensure that the tasks are possible to type? Surely they must have some responsibility.

I am still waiting for my T-Pro application to go through and I just hope that they monitor the volume control a little better. I know accents etc is beyond the scope of companies to do anything about but getting people to actually speak into the microphone properly should be possible.

I have typed 9 letters since 8 o'clock. Too early for me to attempt 'mumbling' and 'err, err, err's' so I have just done those I can clearly hear for a start! Building up to attempt something more challenging - I'll have a brew first

@danblack87 - you have typed more letters than I have managed this morning in the same time period.

So far the worst ones are mumbled whispers which are completely unintelligible or in areas of anatomy/terminology of which I have no clue in any of my three specialties which is rather strange

I do think it is counterproductive when the DICT8 system leaves inaudible, muffled dictation hanging on the system dominating the task list, that no one wishes to pick up. It can't be bypassed onto clearer tasks so everyone sits there waiting and in the meantime income for both the transcriber and DICT8 is lost. Apparently there is also a problem with connecting the Attend Anywhere platform system to some dictation software programmes, causing the audio to sound muffled. Hope It gets sorted soon.

@Whitestar5 It's not only counterproductive but it's infuriating. I don't know if you or any of my fellow Dict8-ers have ever been locked out by a message saying something like 'this job has been waiting on the system for a long time so must be dictated first'. You can see the four other jobs alongside, but none of them are available to be picked. I have known inaudible tasks just sitting there all day with no takers - so, as you say, no-one at all gets any work if you happen to type that specialty. When Dict8 withhold work like that I feel we are being treated like naughty children! I don't know why Dict8 either don't return these tasks to source and flag it up, or use salaried staff to have a go at transcribing them.

@Poppy379 Yes it's an inefficient system isn't it. I usually go and wash up or something when it happens, hoping that it gets removed.

@Poppy379 - yes I have seen that message highlighting dictations that must be typed first (though often I don't think they have been there that long but perhaps have been flagged as "urgent" by dictator) and once or twice I have typed these, but if they are the impossible to hear/understand ones then I usually just log out and do something else for 10 mins.

In any hospital I have worked in, dictation impossible to hear/understand gets given back to the doctor to do again -properly- no arguments about it. And it gets re-dictated, properly, and generally that person takes more care in future (unless of course it was a technical issue - we once had a young SHO who used to sellotape his tape carefully to something so it would not get lost - until he accidentally stuck the sellotape to the actual tape and destroyed it. That was why most doctors used envelopes).

I had a task the other day where I was not sure whether to transcribe the loud person in the background or the whisperer 🤣🤣🤣

Just seem to be sitting and twiddling my thumbs this morning -nothing on DICT8 workwise.

Wish my application with T-Pro was going through quicker - I signed my contract nearly two weeks ago now but not heard anything; I shall have to enquire, again.

@Gally123 Nothing coming up for me this morning either - it's so dull. At least your application with T-Pro is progressing so you know there is light at the end of the tunnel - surely it can't be long now until you get started. No harm in chasing it up though, I wouldn't have thought. I applied to T-Pro weeks ago but have never heard a word since, so I'm assuming they've got their quota of transcribers for the time being.

I applied months ago and chased up twice and the only email I got back was enquiring what service I would like them to provide ? Sounds like it's not worth it at the moment

@Poppy379 - I originally applied to T-Pro in March just before lockdown and I was awaiting my typing test when they put a hold on recruitment. I initially did not hear anything and emailed in to ensure they had received my application, then at the end of lockdown when other people said their applications were progressing I contacted them again. I seem to be the person doing the contacting all the time but I need the extra work and they have a lot of applications so are very busy.

Sometimes I wonder if my particular specialties are not what they are after at the moment and I did ask them this when I enquired the first time. I know that want people to type all specialties but you may be luckier than me if you have what they are looking for, my background is more surgical than general medical and it may be general medical that they need.

It has been a long, slow morning so far. I have seen the message 'must be typed first', several times in the past but only once recently. There are 3 stuck to the task list at the moment which no-one wants to take - I have already done 3 horrible ones (same dictatator) so I am just thinking about writing some christmas cards!! Nice to know you are all still there - I thought everyone had disappeared to T'Pro!

I too had instances in the past where Dr's had taped the tape to the clinic list ending in disaster and them having to re-do the clinics (about 4 clinics) - tapes getting stuck in the transcription machine was the worst meaning expenditure to replace the machine LOL

Hi all, just got back from hols. Sounds like things have gone a bit downhill on work front?

@Chrissols - hope you had a good break. I enjoyed my earlier mini break to Devon.

It was half term last week and sooooo quiet, even quieter than the previous week.

I have now started (just) with T-Pro but had some technical issues (!) and not helped by my online session being three weeks earlier. I am finding the templates very different from DICT8 and they have some very weird grammar rules so it is slow going checking and double checking everything, but on the plus front my foot pedal worked first try.

@Gally123 had a lovely break thanks. Yes, I find Tpro quite difficult, prefer Dict8 by far, just need more tasks

Jusr scraped in my target for the month (which is way below half of what I used to ear) - still, invoice sent so that I will be able to pay by bills

Hi all @Chrissols, glad you had a good break, timed nicely before lockdown too ! Hopefully this time round we get more than two tasks a day each !!!!

@Meha5 yes was great timing. Fingers crossed things don't go too quiet again, although I checked with my local hospital about an appointment I have on Friday and they say they are still running clinics as normal this time........time will tell

Everyday this week when I have looked there has been loads of work but my internet was dodgy so couldn't take it. Today when my internet is fixed there is no work..........

@Chrissols - I have found it very quiet both yesterday and today with DICT8.

Has anyone had their pay cheque yet? Mine was marked on the system as having been paid Wednesday I think but not received it yet. I always worry about it getting lost in the post as my postman/woman are not the most reliable and often deliver to the wrong houses (many, many complaints over the years etc)