Last Updated Aug 2011
Remember typewriters? We sure have come a long way since then. Granted, those clunky old machines were wonderfully straightforward—a few keys, the occasional bottle of Wite-Out®, and you were all set. But before you start getting nostalgic for the good old days, consider this: contemporary word processing programs such as Microsoft Word offer countless ways to compose, organize, and enhance written documents quickly and more efficiently in the workplace. And in the healthcare setting, its high degree of usability makes Word the premier choice for creating professional-quality documents for a broad range of purposes.
Getting Started with Word
Featured alongside Outlook and Excel in Microsoft Office, Word is the premier word processing application used by billions of professionals across the globe. It combines beneficial formatting, editing and revising tools with exclusive built-in templates to create budgets, calendars, memos, newsletters, reports and time sheets—all of which can save precious time for healthcare professionals.
To get started, open the Microsoft Word application through the Start menu on your PC. If you do not see Word in the Start menu, simply select Start, Programs, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Word. This will open up a blank Word document.
Entering Text
The easiest way to enter text in a new Word document is simply to type it. Each character displays on the screen as you type. One nice thing about Word (and unlike the persnickety typewriter) is that it starts a new line automatically when you reach the end of a typed line of text. Do not press the Enter key to achieve this 'wrapping' of text. When writing a document containing multiple paragraphs, pressing the Enter key will create a new line.
As you type, you may notice paragraph symbols on all the empty lines. Word creates these symbols every time a user strikes the Enter key. Also notice the dots representing every empty space between the characters. Word creates these dots every time the Space Bar is struck. In order to see the formatting behind the text, the Show/Hide feature must be enabled. The Show/Hide icon is found on the Standard Toolbar. Click on the icon to display the formatting and then click the same button to disable the visible page formatting feature and return to the previous view.
Selecting and Deleting Text
To select text while in your document left click (and hold down) on your mouse and drag the pointer left, right, up, or down. As you drag the mouse with the left button depressed, you will notice text on the screen becoming enveloped in black. The highlighted text is now ready to be changed. It’s as simple as that. Release your mouse to continue.
There are several ways to delete text. Position the cursor to the left of the text you wish to delete and strike the Delete key. If you prefer deleting from right to left, you may use the Backspace key. To delete larger chunks of text all at once, click at your starting point, hold the left mouse button down and drag the mouse pointer until all the text you wish to remove has been highlighted. Release your mouse. At this point, all you need to do is strike Backspace or Delete as either will remove the highlighted text instantly.
Cutting & Pasting Text
To cut text from its current position and move it elsewhere, there are three options:
• Highlight the text you want to cut, click Edit in the Menu Bar, and click Cut. Now the cut text resides in memory on the Clipboard. Even if we closed Word and reopened it, the text on the Clipboard is still there.
• Highlight the text to be cut and click Ctrl + X (Control + the ‘X’ key). Again, the text now resides on the Clipboard until you decide where to place it.
• Use the Scissors icon from the Word toolbar.
To then “paste” your information elsewhere in the document, simply position the cursor before where you want the text to reside and click Ctrl + V (Control + the ‘V’ key). You may also select Edit and then Paste from the Menu Bar.
“Save As” vs. “Save”
When you are ready to save your document, it is important to understand the distinction between “Save As” and “Save”.
Save As: When you are working on a document for the first time, that document has no name yet; the generic moniker ‘Document’ appears in the title bar because the document is still untitled. The first time you save a document, you are automatically using “Save As”—which is Microsoft Word’s way of asking us: What will you call your document? Simply type in the name of your document (e.g. Adult Medical History Form) and hit the Save button.
Save: After a document has already been saved for the first time, clicking on “Save” from the File Menu (or Ctrl + S) will save the current work completed on the document. “Save” does not create any new documents; it simply saves to memory the most recent changes you have made to an already existing document.
One Final Tip
The healthcare environment can be pretty hectic. If you find yourself constantly interrupted by the rigors of a busy workday, you may forget to save your document regularly. Rather than risking a disaster, AutoSave your document. To use AutoSave, go to Tools/Options. Click on the Save tab. Check the box that says “Save AutoRecover info every _____ minutes.” To be safe, set the time between five and ten minutes. Click OK to exit. Now you can relax a little when you are abruptly pulled from your work.
So Many Possibilities
Remember, these are just the basics! With Microsoft Word you can perform countless functions and create many different documents to make your job easier and help you and your colleagues work more efficiently. Helpful tables and graphics may be added to your documents; font type and size may be modified; margins may be adjusted; and helpful Headers and Footers may be added to give your documents a polished look.
For a more detailed look at using Microsoft Word in the healthcare setting—including page setup, formatting, editing and printing tools, and even creating labels—view our comprehensive course Microsoft Word: The Basics for Healthcare Professionals.
About Care2Learn: We are the leaders in providing interactive, online continuing education to the long-term healthcare industry. Our success is built on four key underpinnings.
Click here for more information on Care2Learn.