quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

Illegible Handwriting

Some of the worst offenders, people whose handwriting, I would think, must be clear and legible, are doctors. Ever see a doctor's handwriting on a prescription? Pharmacists must have a fun time.

It’s a daily struggle to play “Guess what drug”.

I have notoriously horrific handwriting. Always have.

Hindsight being 20/20, I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with being a genetic freak and having an extra muscle compressing the ulnar nerves in both elbows. After getting it corrected, I can barely write 2 pages legibly. Any more than that and I'm tempting fate.

In college I was introduced to block lettering (my instructor called it single stroke gothic). Changed my life. Now my handwriting, while still bad, is legible.

For what it's worth, I was taught cursive in school, but was summarily banned from using it from high school on because I can't write legibly to save my life.

My handwriting has always not been that great. When I am writing something for someone else to read I take my time and it is very easy to read just not neat.

Technology has much to blame, theres little need to actually hand write things in schools, voice to text translating software allows you to speak your paper into type, save as a pdf and email your teacher.

Recall in my High School days, not many guys would take the typewriting class, a few of us did, pushed by me as I figured out that typing out my essays got me extra points since the teachers/prof's could actually ready what my thoughts were. I had the luxury of access to a IBM Selectric and some of the first home PC's.

Isn't the point was to show that we know the subject, not simply that we know it and had handwriting that was legible, to this date I still have decent but not great handwriting, I know what was written, well, generally can read my own, but still have problems with hand cramps when writing for extensive periods,

That skill translated to the ability to use my Uncles Trash 80 over the old IBM Selectric to create reports all during my college years.

my handwriting is illegible even to myself, to the point where I ended up getting allowed to provide my own laptop and type all my notes in school.

I can however type faster than anyone else I've ever met.

I am a left-handed doctor. Need I say more?
Best course I took in high school was typing.

I protect myself from forgery - if you can read it, I most certainly didn't write it.

I’ll trade my writing skills for your shirt buttoning skills on my starched shirts.

Having been retired for a decade now, my need to hand write has diminished. That said I still favor my fountain pens with bold broad nibs. Just last week I had a bank official comment on my handwriting. I appreciated that.

It isn't because I wasn't taught script/cursive in school because I was but mine is at times nearly illegible and at best it's readable.

Like bald1 though I have always liked fountain pens, which I do not have any of at present.

My maternal Grandmother used a fountain pen all her life (Grandfather bought her a ball point once) she refused to use it. She had several daughters that were in their married life at varying distances from her and she would write them letters (in cursive) several days a week. She had a beautiful hand. I just wish some of it had rubbed off on me.

It could be worse.

 
At our local clinic and hospital, prescriptions are printed by a printer (off the computer), and signed by the Dr. And that's only if the scrip needs to be a hard copy (scheduled drugs). Otherwise, the Dr. can fax it directly to my pharmacy from his little notebook computer he brings to the examining room. Another benefit of electronic records, I suppose.
 

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:
I protect myself from forgery - if you can read it, I most certainly didn't write it.

And if you try to copy it, I can tell its not mine by the fact the little squiggles are wrong.