Showing posts with label typing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label typing. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Most Common Medical Shorthand Abbreviations for Medical Transcriptionists

Software Tips and Tricks: Abbreviations to Use in Text Expander Programs for Medical Transcriptionists


Text Expander programs like FastFox have made it into part of the core toolkit used by medical transcribers next to dictation software and foot pedals.

Such macro software has shown to improve output as well as reduce the number of mistakes, something highly important in an environment where minor typos can affect a patient's medical history and assistance from spell check/autocorrect tools is nearly non-existent.

Below is a list of the most commonly used medical abbreviations, organized by usage type and alphabetically. This list has been optimized for Medical Transcriptionists to use in FastFox Shorthand Software.

How to use this list:
  • Read the How-To article on using FastFox for Medical Transcription, and add the shortcuts/words accordingly.
  • Remember that usage of terms changes drastically based upon the specialty of the doctor; these are just the most common medical phrases in use. Use the save/load list function of FastFox to change your abbreviation list quickly and easily to match your client's needs.

Anatomy/Physiology

  • CNS central nervous system
  • CSF cerebrospinal fluid
  • ECF extracellular fluid
  • ENT ear nose and throat
  • GI gastrointestinal
  • GU genitourinary
  • ICF intracellular fluid
  • IM intramuscular(ly)
  • RBC red blood cell
  • SC subcutaneous(ly)
  • WBC white blood cell

Compound/Chemical

  • HLA human leukocyte antigen
  • PMN polymorphonuclear leukocyte
  • ACE angiotensin-converting enzyme
  • ACTH adrenocorticotropic hormone
  • ADH antidiuretic hormone
  • ALT alanine aminotransferase 
  • AST aspartate aminotransferase 
  • ATP adenosine triphosphate
  • BCG bacille Calmette-GuĂ©rin
  • Ca calcium
  • cAMP cyclic adenosine monophosphate
  • CK creatine kinase
  • Cl chloride; chlorine
  • CO2 carbon dioxide
  • CPK creatine phosphokinase
  • CPK-MB creatine phosphokinase muscle bandisoenzyme
  • DNA deoxyribonucleic acid
  • D/W dextrose in water
  • G6PD glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
  • Hb hemoglobin
  • HCl hydrochloric acid; hydrochloride
  • HCO3 bicarbonate
  • Hg mercury
  • HMG-CoA hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A
  • IgA immunoglobin A
  • IL interleukin
  • K potassium
  • LDH lactic dehydrogenase
  • Mg magnesium
  • N nitrogen
  • Na sodium
  • NaCl sodium chloride
  • NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
  • O2 oxygen
  • P phosphorus
  • PPD purified protein derivative 
  • RNA ribonucleic acid
  • soln solution

Disease/Diagnosis

  • ABG arterial blood gas
  • AIDS acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
  • BPD borderline personality disorder
  • COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • DTP diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis(toxoids/vaccine)
  • FUO fever of unknown origin
  • GVHD Graft-versus-host disease
  • HIV human immunodeficiency virus
  • MI myocardial infarction
  • RA rheumatoid arthritis
  • SBE subacute bacterial endocarditis
  • SIDS sudden infant death syndrome
  • SLE systemic lupus erythematosus
  • TB tuberculosis
  • URI upper respiratory infection
  • UTI urinary tract infection

Measurement/Test/Dosage

  • bid 2 times a day
  • BMR basal metabolic rate
  • BP blood pressure
  • BSA body surface area
  • BUN blood urea nitrogen
  • C Celsius; centigrade; complement
  • CBC complete blood count
  • cGy centigray
  • Ci curie
  • cm centimeter
  • CT computed tomography
  • Cu cubic
  • dL deciliter
  • ECG electrocardiogram
  • EEG electroencephalogram
  • ERCP endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
  • ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate
  • F Fahrenheit
  • Ft foot; feet
  • G gram
  • GFR glomerular filtration rate
  • H hour
  • Hct hematocrit
  • Hz hertz 
  • INR international normalized ratio
  • IU international unit
  • IVU intravenous urography
  • Kcal kilocalorie
  • Kg kilogram
  • L liter
  • lb pound
  • M molar
  • MCH mean corpuscular hemoglobin
  • MCHC mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration
  • mCi millicurie
  • MCV mean corpuscular volume
  • mEq Milliequivalent
  • mg milligram
  • MIC minimum inhibitory concentration
  • mIU milli-international unit
  • mL milliliter
  • mm millimeter
  • mmol millimole
  • mo month
  • mol molecular weight
  • mOsm Milliosmole
  • MRI magnetic resonance imaging
  • Ng nanogram 
  • Nm nanometer 
  • Nmol nanomole
  • oz ounce
  • PAco2 alveolar carbon dioxide partial pressure
  • PAo2 alveolar oxygen partial pressure
  • PAS periodic acid-Schiff
  • Pco2 carbon dioxide partial pressure
  • PCR polymerase chain reaction
  • PET positron emission tomography
  • pg picogram
  • pH hydrogen ion concentration
  • Po2 oxygen partial pressure 
  • ppm parts per million
  • PT prothrombin time
  • PTT partial thromboplastin time
  • q every
  • Sao2 arterial oxygen saturation
  • SI International System of Units
  • spgr specific gravity
  • STS serologic test(s) for syphilis
  • wt weight

Treatment/Care

  • BR bedside rounds
  • CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation
  • D&C dilation and curettage
  • ICU intensive care unit
  • IPPB intermittent positive pressure breathing
  • IV intravenous(ly)
  • Npo nothing by mouth
  • OTC over-the-counter 
  • po orally
  • prn as needed
  • qid 4 times a day
  • SSRI selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
  • tid 3 times a day
  • TPN total parenteral nutrition
Click on the link to download or purchase:

Thursday, March 24, 2016

How Text Expander Software Can Save You 100's of Hours a Year

How keyboard macro programs can increase productivity through typing shortcuts

If you work as a legal/medical transcriptionist, eBay reseller, customer relations manager, data entry clerk, programmer, or web designer - a simple text expander program can help you save many hours a week by creating text typing shortcuts to fill in common phrases or code strings in your workflow. Text expansion is a bit like auto-complete on a cell phone/Google — it allows you to enter a long string of text with a shorter string. When you’re using a text expansion app, it monitors your typing, and whenever you type a specific sequence of letters, it will replace those letters with a predefined piece of text. It could be your name, your address, or a full paragraph that you’ve saved.

Think of how many things you type over and over on a regular basis and the number of seconds it takes to write each phrase - text expansion allows me to type a few letters instead of that whole string of characters. Do the math - if you are in the medical transcription field, you are often typing long words that are hard to spell (and often don't register correctly with spell check). With a short setup period with the software, you can have several common diagnoses and descriptive sentences ready to go - a paragraph that would have taken a minute or two to type up can now be written in a few seconds!

With transcription usage covered, a couple of other examples:

eBay Seller:

Have a couple of different templates or common descriptions for your items? Save each one with a different string, and halve the time needed to make each listing and get more products up and running.

Customer Relations (CRM):

If you manage support emails or a business Facebook/Twitter account, you can have frequently used responses (Thank you for the comment, please leave us a review here; Sorry to hear about your issue with our product! For technical support, please go here; etc) saved and ready to go. It will certainly make qualifying for the Facebook Page Responsiveness Badge easier for your business page!

Data Entry/Programming/Web Design:

Have a particular formula, recursive loop, file location, or coding template that is referred to multiple times in your project? Text expanders don't just store letters, you can have common code snippets saved as well to save on development time.

Give our highly rated text expander a try: FastFox Text Expander for Windows and Mac

Features:

Text Expansion and Image Insertion
  • Expand keyboard shortcuts into words or phrases
  • Create an unlimited number of text shortcuts
  • No limit on expanded text length
  • Save plain text or formatted rich text expansions
  • Create a shortcut to insert images 
Shortcut and Macro Creation
  • Define macros for actions using special keys
    (i.e., Ctrl, Alt, and Shift)
  • Create shortcuts from multiple key commands
  • Use keyboard macros within any program
  • Utilize a shared shortcut file on a network to standardize stock text across your business
  • Back up and restore shortcut data and groups 
Intuitive Autocomplete
  • FastFox learns your most commonly typed phrases and suggests them to you as you type, so you can select and insert text on the fly.
For a quick lesson on using FastFox, read this tutorial from WikiHow

Click on the link to download or purchase:

Friday, March 22, 2013

Smart Text Auto Complete Software

FastFox Smart Auto Complete Text Expander Software With FastFox instant text expander you can improve your typing speed and productivity not only with personalized keyboard shortcuts and shorthand abbreviations, but FastFox also learns what you type the most often and will make suggestions for completing phrases as you type with a popup alert in the corner of your screen. Just like the regular hotkey shortcuts, the auto complete feature will work while you type in any application, so you can select, insert and finish text phrases on the fly.

Bring the power of auto complete to all your typing with FastFox word expander software.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Everday Text Expansion

What do you type the most? your email address? your mailing address? maybe your phone number? or your web address? Are there any words you struggle to remember how to spell causing you to slow down and correct misspellings or typos? Or maybe you frequently browse to webpages just so you can copy and paste the links to make sure you get them correct.

Spring loaded text expansion for everyday use We are all constantly typing, from emails to forms online, and some of the things we are typing we have to type all of the time. FastFox text expansion software lets you save those words or phrases so you can not only enter them in faster, but also avoid typos. Think of it like auto complete that will work anywhere on your computer, or like a super powered clipboard that can save much more than just one snippet of text at a time. You pick your own shortcuts and what they are short for, then whenever you type the shortcut it will be automatically replaced. So, typing something like :em could be all you need to type to enter your email address, or you could just type :sig to add a signature to the end of an email, a comment you're making on a forum. Anywhere you type, if you enter one of your text shortcuts FastFox will automatically replace it with the expanded text.

The possibilities are endless, you don't need to be a typist or transcriptionist to find things that would make useful text shortcuts, just think, what do you type the most often? Once you've created shortcuts for those common items and phrases you will wonder what you ever did without them. Spend less time typing with this fast, everyday solution.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Speed Up Typing Using Keyboard Shortcut Software

FastFox text expander software used to insert your most commonly used text quickly and easily. Expand words, phrases, images, and more to avoid typing things repeatedly and improve your typing speed and productivity.

FastFox is perfect for everyone whether you are saving shortcuts for the correct spelling of complex terminology, storing email templates and answers to FAQs, or even save your address to fill in online forms more quickly. To help you get started we just put together a tutorial video to walk you through setting up your own keyboard shortcuts and introduce you to the autocomplete text suggestion tool.


Download the free trial today. Once you get started using FastFox shorthand text expander to speed up your typing, you'll wonder what you ever did without it.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

T is for Typing

NCH Software ABCs Series

typing software for typists Typing is a part of life. The written word is more frequently typed than penned these days and there is no turning back. We've gone from having scribes to copy documents, spending their days putting ink to paper, to having professions like medical or legal transcription that focus on typing words instead. Strong typing skills are required in many other professions as well. So it should come as no surprise that we provide typing software to help you learn how to touch type, testing your typing speed, speed up transcription and making typing more efficient. Check out all of these typing software solutions:
<<< Previous: S is for Sharing Next: U is for Utilities >>>

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Q is for Quick

NCH Software ABCs Series

Q is for Quick SoftwareIf you are looking for a fast solution you have come to the right place. Just like our efforts to provide you with easy-to-use software, we are constantly striving to improve our programs so that they can get you up and running quickly. From speedy downloads, fast installations, quick start guides and wizards a lot of thought goes into getting you as close to the solution you were looking for in three minutes. For example, you can download any of our file converters and go from download to converted in minutes, if not seconds, because who has time to waste learning a program when what you really want is a file in a different format?

If you are not just looking for a fast solution but something that will speed up other day to day tasks we have a few programs that fit that bill as well. Take FastFox Text Expander Software, which allows you to set up your own shortcuts and macros to help you zip through typing or repeated tasks on your computer. Or any transcriptionist can tell you how much time they can save by using Express Scribe Transcription Playback Software when typing from an audio file, and that is just scratching the surface. For more Quick Software solutions be sure to check out the entire NCH Software collection.

<<< Previous: P is for PDFNext: R is for Recording >>>

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

O is for Optimize

NCH Software ABCs Series

O is for Optimization SoftwareWe are obsessed with speed. Today, everything is going faster than it used to, from just the general pace of life to Olympians setting new world records to internet speeds. Faster is better and optimizing your computer and tasks is about both speed and efficiency to cut away the dead weight and streamline your processes.
  • To optimize your PC when your computing speeds are lagging, use Warp Registry Cleaning Software to clear out some of the unneeded data that can be dragging it down.
  • To speed up your typing, download KeyBlaze Typing Tutor for practice, drills and games to help condition your fingers for flying across the keyboard.
  • Add some shortcuts for things you commonly type with the aid of FastFox Text Expander to cut out the repetition and make your typing even more efficient.
  • To slim down in addition to speeding up, reduce the size of files and save space on your hard drive with Express Zip Compression Software or use our media converters to compress individual audio, video and image files.
That's just a sample, but with so many easy-to-use software applications available at NCH you are sure to find more programs that will make your life and your tasks faster and easier.

<<< Previous: N is for NewNext: P is for PDF >>>

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

30 Seconds to Type

new 30 seconds to type typing gameAs promised, KeyBlaze typing tutor now has a second typing game. In addition to Word Blizzard,which we told you about previously, on the game tab you will now also find 30 Seconds to Type. The name says it all: in this typing game you are racing the clock, typing as many words as you can as they appear on the center of the screen before you run out of time. Type twelve words correctly for a twelve-second bonus, giving you more time to reach a high score and make it to the next level.

So, how fast can you type? Take KeyBlaze typing tutor software out for a test drive, and play not only 30 Seconds to Type, but keep practicing with lessons, exercises and drills to watch your fingers really start to fly.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

New Typing Games Coming to KeyBlaze Typing Tutor

Word Blizzard typing game in KeyBlaze typing tutor softwareLately there has been a lot of development focused on not only KeyBlaze typing tutor, but specifically on the typing game. There are a lot of great improvements and fixes in the new version. We gave the game a new set of graphics in the motif of a snowy landscape. Along with the new graphics, we have changed the name of the game from Falling Words to Word Blizzard. The game mechanics have also been reworked to make it more fun to play (and coincidentally improve your typing).

Word Blizzard is the first of four typing games that KeyBlaze is going to gain in the next few months. The next game coming to KeyBlaze is going to be a race the clock style called 30 Seconds to Type, to help users develop their speed. Then we will do a game focusing on rhythm and key combinations called Typing Hero. If you like games, keep an eye out for these upcoming additions to KeyBlaze typing tutor software!

Monday, January 9, 2012

New Mac Typing Tutor Software

KeyBlaze Mac Typing Tutor SoftwareKeyBlaze typing tutor software has a brand new Mac version, providing all the same typing lessons and exercises for learning how to type or improving your typing skills and speed, that are in the Windows version. With basic lessons starting with the home keys, typing tests for measuring your speed and accuracy, a typing game, and even audio files to practice typing from dictation, there are a ton of ways to learn. So whether you have a PC or a Mac, if you want to improve your typing you can download KeyBlaze typing tutor and start improving your typing in no time.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Productivity Increase on Ebay with FastFox

Increase Productivity on Ebay with Text Expansion SoftwareThese days it's impossible to go anywhere without running into someone who's bought or sold something on Ebay. At any given time there are over 100 million active auction listings and each one of those was added by a seller. That's a lot of hours of work if you have several items you are selling on Ebay. I have been a seller on Ebay, and the biggest annoyance and time waster for me was repeatedly typing similar Ebay listings. Or at least it was until I found FastFox.

FastFox is a text expander for Windows or Mac. A text expander, or textexpander, is a form of shorthand software that allows you to paste a chunk of text by typing in a predefined shortcut term. This is much more valuable than a normal copy and paste feature because it can hold many shortcuts each with it's own text value associated with it. How a typing expander works is you set your shortcut term, then set your expanded text in FastFox, and once you type the shortcut term in any browser or program you have instant text conversion to the expanded text.

Now you must be asking "How can this help me to be faster when listing on Ebay?" Well, if you're like me you've dealt with listing hundreds of similar products at one time. Repeatedly typing similar text into my listing software feels like a waste of time. What I like to do is create FastFox shortcuts for all of my auction elements that are the same or remain very similar, and then make small edits as needed. It has quadrupled my productivity while listing.

My example deals with selling baseball cards. I would list a couple hundred baseball cards on Ebay at one time. All of them were from the same year and all of them were similar quality of cards. An auction title read something like: "1961 Topps - Harmon Killebrew #80 - Excellent Condition." The only things that would change in each new auction was the player's name and the card number. With FastFox I could create a basic shortcut that said: "1961 Topps - # - Excellent Condition" and fill in the other information for each card. As soon as I typed in my shortcut, "TITLE," I had most of it finished.

Where this really picked things up was in the category and description of the auction. All of my auctions were in the same category, so filling that out was as simple as typing one shortcut. It really helped to not have to go through and find the correct category. It also eliminated me putting a few cards in the wrong category. Lastly and most important was the description. No more Description Builder! With FastFox I could create a description one time and simply enter the shortcut and add in the player's name and card number. This new way of listing products really sped up my Ebay auction listing process and ended in higher profits over a shorter timeframe.

Learn more about FastFox typing expander on the NCH Software website.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Scribe Excels at Thesis Transcription

Guest post by Clara Bianchini

Student Saves Time Transcribing Interviews for Thesis with Express Scribe Transcription SoftwareI was transcribing the interviews for my master thesis and, like every student in this situation, I didn’t have enough time! I was using the software that my teacher recommended, but it was still taking too long and it wasn’t pleasant to use. To listen and type at the same time I had to reduce the speed, but the voice got distorted to the point that some of the transcribed sentences didn’t make any sense when you read them back. I had already transcribed two interviews and I had 17 more to go. Since quality and timing were crucial to my work, I decided to ask Google about better software.

On the first organic result that Google gave to me I came across a comment that caught my attention. I am normally the type of person that is a little skeptical and will investigate at least three options, but when I read the comment that essentially said, "Express Scribe made my transcribing work 5 times faster, without distorting voices. You should try!" I stopped. It was later than 10 P.M.; I was tired and frustrated with my teacher’s software so I decided to give it a try.

I Googled for where I could download Express Scribe, and in few short seconds, it was in my computer. I opened it, and the first impression was already better: it looked MUCH better than the other software. I opened one of my audio files there, changed the speed from 100% to 50%, crossed my fingers and waited to hear what the sound would be like. To my surprise, the voice was totally clear, almost without distortions, and there was a typing box right there, almost smiling at me and waiting for me to have fun.

The next day alone I transcribed two more interviews, at an incredibly fast pace. I was so happy that I shared my discovery with all my classmates. I am pretty sure that without target="_blank"Express Scribe I would be still transcribing interviews right now. It really made all my work much faster and easier.

Clara Bianchini is a student of Imagineering, a Master's degree in Strategic Business Innovation from the experience perspective, a new program about how to design companies towards co-creation of value. In a more participatory approach, business is done together with stakeholders and value and experience are co-created. Some people might say that this is the next stage of Marketing. In order to understand how to design the participation of stakeholders during her thesis research, Bianchini conducted qualitative research which included one-on-one interviews that were transcribed for analysis.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Learn 10-Key with KeyBlaze

Learn 10 Key with KeyBlaze Typing Tutor SoftwareYou are probably already aware of the importance of knowing how to touch type, but did you stop with the QWERTY portion of the keyboard? From data entry to math calculations, there are many professions where it is also very useful to be well-versed in using the number pad, or 10-key typing. Similar to touch typing, the benefits of practice and proficiency include increased speed, efficiency and accuracy, which can make tasks like entering data into a spreadsheets both faster and less painful.

Especially in data entry occupations, acquiring superior 10-key skills will result in higher paychecks. Many employers expect you to have a minimum of 8000-10000 keystrokes per hour (KPH) with 100% accuracy, while experienced clerks tout average speeds around 15000 KPH and above. Practicing 10-key on a computer program will also translate to increased skills on an adding machine, though there are some notable differences. KeyBlaze Typing Tutor has lessons for 10-key typing, in addition to touch typing, so that you can practice and improve your skills in both areas. So whether you are trying to improve your words per minute or keystrokes per hour, KeyBlaze is all you need.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Transcription Foot Pedal or Hotkeys?

Transcribe with Express Scribe transcription software and a foot pedalOne of our programs popular with transcriptionists worldwide is Express Scribe Free Transcription Software. Express Scribe, an invaluable tool to transcriptionists, helps control the playback of audio or video files during transcription with extremely helpful features, including variable speed playback, and can be controlled either with a transcription foot pedal or with assigned 'hotkeys' on the keyboard. Most transcriptionists rave about foot pedals, but have you ever wondered if they really make transcription more efficient or if their use is really just a matter of preference?

Well here's your answer. Chris Beamish at HoT Virtual Assistant Resources recently crunched the numbers on if you should use hot keys or a foot pedal for transcription and, based on his estimates, you could potentially save yourself over 11 hours-worth of typing in a week by using a foot pedal instead of hotkeys where he has found the potential for hitting the wrong command to be much more likely.

What do you think? Do you use a foot pedal or hotkeys with Express Scribe? And if you invested in a foot pedal did you see an increase in your productivity once you got into the swing of things?

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Practice Typing from Audio Dictation

Practice transcription audio added to KeyBlaze typing tutor
Last year we added a great resource for transcriptionists in training by posting several practice transcription audio files for use with Express Scribe transcription software so you could practice typing and using your foot pedal or hotkeys to control the audio with sample dictations that were provided to us by Accuro Transcription Services.

To add another tier of options to practicing typing from audio or dictation files, we have now also added several audio samples as dictation exercises in another NCH typing software, KeyBlaze typing tutor (version 1.22). This new addition allows you to listen to a dictation file and practice typing along. You can pause the recording at any time and compare your typing to the completed transcription side-by-side, so you can check for formatting, spelling, and other elements inherent to the dictation process. So, if you are looking for training to be a transcriptionist or know someone who is, you'll want to try KeyBlaze for practice transcription and typing from audio files.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Be Fast as a Fox with FastFox Text Expander Software

FastFox Text Expander SoftwareHello! I'm Audrey. I just started working in the sales department at NCH Software about a month ago, and I already found my new best friend; it's FastFox Text Expander Software! You see, I send out a lot of emails answering sales inquiries, so instead of typing the same information over and over again, I assigned my email letter to a unique word in Fast Fox such as "salesinquiry". All I have to do is type my unique word/shortcut and BANG it expands to the five-paragraph email like magic. How brilliant is that? I wish I had known about this wonderful software earlier in my career. My tasks would have been a whole heck of a lot easier!

So take my advice and start using FastFox to be more efficient, like me! Simply download the free trial of FastFox Text Expander Software and you can immediately start creating your own shortcuts that will expand to a word, phrase, paragraph or more. Use your new shortcuts in emails, word documents web browsers and more to speed up all your typing tasks. Once you get started you won't want to ever type without it again.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Learn or Improve Your Typing Skills with Award Winning Typing Tutor Software

5 Star CNet review for KeyBlaze typing tutor learn to type softwareWe are very grateful that the editors at CNET recently took the time to review NCH Software's KeyBlaze Typing Tutor Software. They wrote a very nice review and awarded our free learn to type software with a full 5 out of 5 stars, saying:

"KeyBlaze Free Typing Tutor from NCH Software can help you learn touch-typing or practice your skills. It offers basic lessons, drills, and speed tests suitable for typists ranging from absolute beginners to keyboard jockeys. It's easy to use and effective, too. KeyBlaze is great for beginners, and has more to offer to those who already know how to type. The lessons are easy to understand, getting progressively more difficult to master, and effective, with immediate feedback that helps users quickly overcome bad habits."

CNET

You can read the complete review of KeyBlaze Typing Tutor on download.com, or download it now to start improving your typing skills right away.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

KeyBlaze a Trail to Finesse (and Fitness)*

the daily chore of typingHere's a fun fact: The average WPM (words per minute) typed by the average American computer user is 19.  19!  To put that into perspective, the last sentence you just read had 19 words and would've taken the average computer user a full 60 seconds to type. More and more, typing has becoming a commonplace part of the daily grind, whether you're typing an email or chatting with friends and knowing not just how to type, but how to type correctly, can help you succeed in more places than than the workplace - it might also help you work off those love handles!

Wait...what?

We all realize that sitting in front of a computer all day isn't an optimal position to be in for 8-12 hours straight. This gets a lot of flak from the health community in particular, having brainwashed us all into believing that we're all typing and clicking our way to inactivity and poor posture. But did you know that typing for 8 hours can burn over 800 calories? That's over 100 calories an hour and, depending on your size, age and BMI, may be a good chunk of your daily calorie intake! While you push papers for the man, you may already be working toward to a slimmer, sexier you!

Now, I'm not seriously suggesting you include typing as part of your daily exercise routine, and the catch concerning the aforementioned 800 number is that only the fastest typists can hit such a high mark. But like we've already covered, most people peck at keyboards, bastardizing what is already an archaic input method. The good news is whether you're 18 or 80, it's never too late to turn over a new leaf and learn the subtle nuances of typing correctly. If you're ready to accept the inevitable importance of learning to type, KeyBlaze typing tutor from NCH Software can help you improve typing accuracy and speed. It's straight-forward, easy-to-understand and best of all, free! You may even turn your typing into an art form and resolve to become a typist for a living in which case, we have software for that, too!

*Typing is not a viable source of daily activity. Please practice proper exercise and diet routines to experience real weight loss and health benefits.