I sometimes feel people are very ready to complain but don't want to get involved in making changes. I was very active in my chapter back in Ohio, and I was president when I moved out here to Idaho, and it was very difficult get members involved; they were afraid it would take up way to much time. But even as president I did not spend ALL my time with AAMT. I think maybe people are afraid to actually get involved with trying to make change because they think it will be too time-consuming.
Being on this board is a great way to network and get educated, but I still feel belonging to a professional association just brings our profession one step higher to getting better recognition and respect; I know I have met many doctors who are very impressed and pleased that I belong to a professional association, and did not even know that one existed for us!
Members of AAMT all have to take the responsibility to bring about changes that are IMPORTANT to everyone. Some times we see our cause as important, but the good of the many outweighs the good of the few. This is an organization just like any other that has rules, regulations and guidelines that they MUST operate under. Change can come from the local chapter levels as well. I for one (and now maybe 2 or 3) think AAMT is doing a good job with the time, money (the dues are not overly exorbitant) and SUPPORT that they have been given. I really hope to see more people get involved instead of uninvolved! Starting another group may be a good idea, but along with it (over time) will come rules, regulations, dues, and unhappy disillusioned members as well. You have to take the good with the bad!
I've also avoided the subject on MT Daily and have handled questions on the subject by Email. I've decided to start a new page on the subject now on MT Daily, and would like to use the best of the notes posted here, if folks are willing. I hope we can hear from some who remember when AAMT began 18 years ago. And hope against hope, I hope we can hear from some national AAMT leaders on here, if they are allowed yet.
I won't be going to the national convention of AAMT in Minneapolis in July, but perhaps others are going and would like to set a time and place to meet as online MTs to get acquainted, as they did last summer.
4/96, name withheld:
I work for a service that recognizes CMT and gives
compensation for it, but I still had to take a test on the interview.
When it comes down to it, the only way to know for sure if someone can do
the work is to see what they can do.
The bottom line is this...I believe that someone fresh out of school could ace that written test and possibly even pass the typing part, as I did not find it that difficult. BUT could they do my job, which includes acute hospital transcription, something I have been doing for 17+ years? I seriously doubt it. What does that do for the value of the title, CMT? In my book, not very much! Not to take anything away from students or new MTs by any means, but if someone who has 17 years of experience but who is not a CMT, and a new inexperienced CMT applied for the same job and they chose the CMT, what would it show that employer? That is exactly my point.
I do not regret having gotten my CMT, but in all honesty, it has not done a thing for me. I did not get a raise. I did not get more recognition (a lot of medical employers do not even know what CMT is) but what I did get was personal satisfaction, which was MY goal in the first place. Expensive gratification!
The CMT is not comparable to the MD, RN or EMT in several ways. It is not required by law.
There are MTs of many years who are not pursuing excellence and learning, but there are CMTs like that too.
Very few employers can afford to require the CMT; there are only around 4000 CMTs. The earliest CMTs were grandfathered in; they didn't have to take the test at all.
Quoting from the CMT publication regarding why to take the test, it is called "a measure of proficiency at a specific point in time. . .It is objective." The author states she took the test "to proclaim to my employer, peers, and the public that I want to be the very best. . ." She states, "I feel as though it puts me in an elite class." She then gives a disclaimer, stating that there are some great MTs who have chosen not to become certified. She ends by stating that she thinks the CMT will become a standard measurement for MT employment.
I gave up my CMT and AAMT membership for several reasons, partly in protest and grief regarding their opposition to MTs being online and the confusion regarding the meaning of the CMT. I respect much of what they have accomplished, and hope they will join us online soon. They are working on a web site. If you want more information about the CMT, you can call AAMT at 800-982-2182.
Quotes from the "Cert Alert" July 1995 not by permission, but within the rules of quotes permitted by copyright law, to the best of my understanding.
From Mary: Regarding the CMT, I do not think many places recognize the
CMT since the AMA doesn't. It does help with other CMTs perhaps, but I
think years of experience, actual performance and ongoing learning are
the best credentials. Maybe we could have "virtual reality" 5-year
pins, 10-year pins, etc.! We've got lots of 20-year and 30-year
experts on here without CMTs. I think there are about 4,000 CMTs out
of the 10,000 AAMT members. There are 200,000+ MTs in the country. I
think online networking is an excellent way to keep sharpening skills
and getting "continuing medical education."
From Mary to Cathy:
I think it would be a shame for someone with your experience to have
to take the CMT test which is designed for new MTs and would not at
all reflect your expertise. I think you can confidently stand on your
experience and performance, especially if you have been a learner.
There are several good companies that would be delighted to hear from you and do not ask about the CMT. Are you open to work at home? I hereby award you a virtual 20-year pin! :)
From Mary to Arlaine:
CMT would mean something if the AMA recognized it. I think years of
experience, performance and ongoing learning are more accurate measures
than the confused meaning of the CMT. I do think years of experience
ought to be rewarded; every time someone starts with a new company they
have to start from the bottom again it seems.
As an unmoderated group, s.m.t. has no official stance on AAMT. We all agree to disagree. Any comments regarding AAMT should be stated as opinion. Those requesting opinions of the users of s.m.t. can draw their own conclusions as to whether AAMT serves their professional needs and whether it is worth it to them to pay for those services. Freely express ideas and opinons. If you disagree with an expressed opinion, explain why!
I work for a service which pays me an incentive to maintain my CMT status and which also reimburses me a certain amount per "semester" towards continuing education expenses or dues. Therefore, it is very much worth my while to maintain that CMT. It may just be a few letters, but to my employer it is becoming a pretty important marketing tool. Clients are beginning to inquire as to how many CMTs are employed by the service. I don't feel like I am a better person just because I am a CMT. In fact, money was my motivating factor. I judge no one else because of their lack of CMT; no one should jugde me for having it. I am a self-educated MT. My first teacher was my mother, a non-CMT who learned terminology from nuns. The woman from whom I learned the most on my first job was a non-CMT with 20+ years experience.
Therefore, I, too, believe that in our field, experience is more important than passing any test. It is truly a hands-on profession, and everyday is a learning experience, thank God, or some days I'd die of boredom. There are bad people everywhere. There are people who had superiority complexes long before they got their CMT. I don't see CMT as a way to prove my worth. I've made it worth my while, I learn things I want to learn, and, yes, I actually enjoy it. It makes me proud of myself, in my mind it doesn't say anything about anybody else.
There is no question in my mind that AAMT has deviated from its original goals and has become what we originally determined it was NOT to be--a political organization. Certainly, if one has access to, and reads over, old AAMT publications, it becomes crystal clear that there is a huge gap in its institutional memory. Many of their actions today are politically motivated, and it is questionable who is serving whom.
Having said all of this (and I could say much more), I am STILL a member of AAMT. I still pay my (ever-increasing) dues. I still go to the Annual Meetings when I can. Why? Because AAMT is the only professional organization mainstream transcriptionists have. From it have sprung many opportunities for self-improvement and growth, medical education, recognition (for some), and companies competing to provide quality reference books for MTs. There was a time, not that long ago, when the only references available were a dog-eared copy of Dorland's, Harbeck's Glossary, and Szulec's Surgeon's Syllabus. When the Medical Word Book by Sloane came out, it was manna from heaven.
Each of us needs to decide what we think about what AAMT has to offer. Then make your choice and join--or not. But DON'T stop the flow of ideas or discussions! Only by making problems public can we even begin to address them and (hopefully) resolve them. Is this AAMT-bashing? I think not. The free expression of ideas and opinions, and the responsible discussions of controversial issues, are paramount.
Linda Campbell, CMT, Director of R&D, Health Professions Institute, E-mail campbell@ainet.com
From Donna:
Thanks for the CMT information. It's hard for me to believe they
expect an MT to try to pass the CMT examination with only one year of
experience. The lady I used to work with who is now a CMT had a
two-year degree in business with a special section on medical
transcription AND five years' experience (in a small hospital) and still
wondered whether or not she was qualified enough to take the test. She
did finally take it and passed. The last I heard it was $150 for each
portion of the test.
I don't see how a CMT would be able to stay a CMT without some commitment to learning; after all, she does have to have so many medical credits to renew the CMT.
It is my personal opinion that many, many years ago other professionals were in the same predicament we are in now with little recognition and no political clout. They banded together to form organizations to gain for themselves political clout, recognition, and increased salaries, and I think AAMT is still in the infant stage in this area but is trying to gain the same kind of recognition for us. Of course, along with political clout and recognition (and increased salaries) comes more responsibility and more liability. I see that happening with the errors and omissions insurance being offered to MTs now (in fact, I recently received a package from AAMT regarding that type of insurance).
I personally think that if AAMT would come down on their membership fees a little (I renewed my membership before it went up to $100, which is outrageous) more MTs would join which would bring in more participation and ideas. I am also 45 miles from the closest chapter, which I think makes it difficult to be an involved chapter member. One of the chapters closest to me meets either at 7:30 or 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, which would make it extremely difficult for me, especially in winter.
Most of the "higher-up" AAMT people that I have met at the two state onventions I've been to (Texas and Colorado) have been extremely supportive and friendly and have not acted condescending at all.
You have brought up some very interesting observations. I guess the bottom line is an individual's preference. I know I certainly have enjoyed this forum immensely and have really gotten more out of it than from my two years in AAMT.
About professional development, AAMT has certainly majored in this, and can claim some accomplishments. However, I fear they have eroded into what I call "professionalisticism" where it becomes sterile and paralyzing. We are in a time of such rapid change, we need as much flexibility as professionalism right now, and they lack that, as most well-established professional organizations do in this time of revolutionary change in the way we do our work, obtain information and relate to people.
About AAMT's money, they are very strapped for money, in view of their goals. I think they could benefit from less travel and conferencing and more online investment, the direction of the future for us all I think.
It appears that in AAMT's effort to provide a style guide in this vacuum, they give the impression that they are the final word, whether they actually say so or not, just as they give the impression they are "THE professional organization for MTs" rather than "a" professional organization for MTs. Come to think of it, when we talk about something Online MTs have worked on, we probably sound like we think we are the final word too! How can we avoid sounding like the absolute authority or monopoly in our effort to establish standards for ourselves in such a vacuum? Such is the challenge of pioneers who chart new lands and try to make the wilderness friendly.