I am going to be starting a new job in a few weeks. I will be working for a gastroenterologist at her private practice and will be transcribing her dictated reports.

I am trying to decide between ordering microcassette and digital equipment. I am used to the microcassettes. Are there any cons to the digital equipment? Do you have any suggestions on what to buy?

Thank you for any help you can give me.

MES

Hi MES,

If I were in your position I would definitely go digital--it opens up your options for possibly working off site in the future, being able to get coverage from almost anyone in the world, no damaged tapes, etc. The dictator can also dictate remotely and then send the voice file to you to transcribe without having to bring the tape to the office.

There are definitely certain requirements for digital transcribers--certain features are necessary that aren't on all recorders. There are also programs you can purchase which will automate much of the everyday tasks (i.e, automatically sending to a specific site or e-mail, etc.)for both you and the dictator.

Microcassettes are a thing of the past in many parts of North America, though there are still some of us who use them.

This site sells digital equipment, and they also have an overview of digital dictation here:

http://www.medword.com/di gital-transcription.html

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the information kkb.

If we go digital, I am thinking of trying the audio player Express Scribe: http://www.nch.com.au/scr ibe/. What digital voice recorders work well with this player?

As it is a solo practice, would it be safe for her to save the files to a network that is only accessible by the two of us for me to retrieve?

Hi,

A lot of MTs use Express Scribe so I would assume it is a good product.

If you look under the Q&A section of their site it addresses some of your questions.

I went digital a year ago from tapes & machines. You can slow it down without altering the speech so it is easier to understand. You can filter background noise and no tapes, just headsets (get good ones--makes a difference) and foot pedal. Call first to see which one goes with your computer so you get the correct one. Should come with the program to install. I love it. They plug into the back of my monitor. Each job is individual so you don't have to search on a tape and you don't have to wait for it to record first.
Saves a lot of time. Only drawback is the headsets block my speakers so I have to have them on to hear anything else.

No cons. Digital is much better. Also, once you have a doc set on it and you learn your chosen system well, it opens up the door for even more clients. Tapes are much more limiting.
Judy

Thanks for your responses. I am a permanent F/T admin assistant for this one doctor at her practice but will also be doing transcription. We have decided to try digital.

What do you think of this digital transcription kit?

http://www.greensidegroup .com/FSUSBPRO.htm

We are going to order it from Grand & Toy, which is an office supply store in Canada that we have an account with.

I haven't found any yet. Also, with the digital, you can clear up the audio if you have a good program. It's alot harder to try and do anything like that if you're using tapes.

Hello MES:

Going digital is the best way to go today. Sending and receiving digital voice files is easy and very safe. You can decide to send them encrypted or not. We advise that all digital voice files be sent encrypted to ensure confidentiality. We use CenturionMail for encrypting our files. We buy a 10-user license so we can install a license on the client's computer. This way, we know the files will be safe when sent to us. It also generates goodwill, as we don't charge the client for the license. You can find information on CenturionMail at this link:

CenturionMail e-Mail Security Software

Your choice of the Sanyo FS-USBPro is a good one. However, just to let you know another option is to purchase the WAVpedal foot pedal and software system from Medword.com. The company we sell these systems for is the company that actually invented the whole PC digital voice file transcription and file manipulation. We have been selling the first and only authentic system for many, many years, with a lot of happy customers. The software handles most every digital sound file on the market and the foot pedal is designed for the tough world of medical transcription. Medword.com is a Canadian company, incorporated in 1989 in B.C. but the system ships from the U.S.

If you are interested, you can view the details by following this link:

WAVpedal Foot Pedal and Software System

As kkb stated, Medword.com also has a page that discusses digital systems and that page can be found here:

How Digital Dictation and Transcription Systems Work

We've used the WAVpedal in our office for years and couldn't work without it. We have many clients that use many various digital voice recorders and we need WAVpedal in order to receive and transcribe their particular digital voice file format.

Buying through Medword.com's Store also helps support our sites such as this one, which requires no membership fee.

Switching to digital dictation and transcription are the only way to go!