Apparatus and method for queuing jobs in a distributed dictation /transcription system

A dictation manager having a connection to at least one client station and at least one dictation server where the dictation manager, comprising:

• at least one data port to receive audio signals front a client station and to transmit the received audio signals to a dictation server, to receive textual data from the dictation server where the textual data comprises data from the audio signal transformed into textual data by the dictation server;
• a dictation server selector to identify an available dictation server to which the dictation manager can transmit the received audio signal;
• at least one memory containing a user profile and data regarding whether a user profile has been loaded to the available dictation server;
• a job queue to store a plurality of audio files waiting to be transcribed by the dictation server;
• wherein when the dictation server selector identifies the available dictation server, the dictation server determines if the user profile loaded to the available dictation server matches any of the user profiles associated with the audio flies waiting to be transcribed in the job queue;
• and
• wherein if it is determined that an audio file in the job queue has the same user profile as the user profile loaded to the available dictation server, the dictation manager sends the audio file to the dictation server with the same user profile.