A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

AAMT/AHDI sellouts? - RawRecruit

Posted: Mar 03, 2010

I read a lot of negative stuff on this board about AAMT/AHDI - how they're screwing MTs here at home. Can someone explain? When I was taking the Career Step course all I ever heard were glowing comments about the RMT/CMT exams, Benchmark, etc. - so I'm a little surprised to read the negative comments here. I know that this industry is going down the tubes for lots of reasons, corporate greed probably being #1, and if AAMT/AHDI is a party to this, I'd like to know! Thanks!

AAMT - sounds right

[ In Reply To ..]
What else would the school say? They are out for the money too, even though they hare supposed to one of the best.

I have done this toooooo many years, and yesterday I contacted a local college satteltite in my small town to look for something else to do and try get some further education. I am sick of all the BS going on with this profession and I have 35 years behind me, the first 20 were really great. Everthing, and everyone, including AHDI has ALL changed, and not for the good.

Yes, but what have they done? What are they doing? - RawRecruit

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I get that they're the bad guys, I just don't get why. How are they screwing us?

Theyre screwing us by promoting offshoring of our - jobs, for one. And by lowering wages. sm

[ In Reply To ..]
If you're new to this field, then what you don't know is that most, if not all of us, make far less than we did 10, 20, or even 30 years ago. Wages continue to go down as these companies joust and jostle for accounts by continually undercutting each other. 10 years ago I was paid by the hour - and got roughly $24/hour. Others, paid by the line, could get 12 to 15 cents a line (including spaces). There were even such things as incentive pay, production bonuses, and yes, even RAISES. No more.

AAMT/AHDI and their visions of grandeur and wealth - have done more to ruin the MT industry - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
than even regular ol' corporate greed. Their greed extends beyond our country's borders, and aspires to be global and incontrol of it ALL. If there is a penny to be made in MT, AHDI wants every single one.

Okay, I think I understand, thank you. - RawRecruit

[ In Reply To ..]
I am new to this industry, and I am lucky to be working and earning fairly ok wages, but I can see from this board that the changes in MT in the last several years/decades are definitely not positive ones. I also see that Career Step is offering courses in places like Philippines and India where certain MTSOs are offshoring in order to save money, and the net result is that we over here get nickeled and dimed to death. I just was uncertain as to what role AAMT/ADHI had to play in this sorry state of affairs.

AAMT and our train wreck - annon

[ In Reply To ..]
I can tell you exactly how it started. I used to teach MT in a night school program. It wasn't a fly-by-night school, I am a credentialed teacher for the state of XXX and this was one of their vocational education programs (not everyone wants to or is cut out for college).
While I was teaching I was contacted by Susan Lucci, who owned her own MTSO and was a big time player in AAMT, at that time I was an AAMT member and certified. She offered me a job teaching MT in India. This was the gig...6 month assignment minimum, a house, a driver, a cook, a housekeeper, clothing allowance, long distance call back to the US once a week and once a month we would go out to a theater/opera, etc. and dinner....Sounds pretty sweet huh? My students would all have passed freshman level college English and were being PAID to take the class. Upon completion they would be given a job. We know how well that worked for the students, they have our jobs.

The kicker.... it was Susan Lucci's MTSO that was pioneering this program complete with the contracts the students would be learning the transcription on and it was her pockets being lined.

I never took the job because their semesters are opposite of the U.S. and I would have had to quit a class in the middle of the semester..Susan said she was having the same problem recruiting instructors all over the U.S. and even offered me a job editing for her company from Sept. until the start of their semester. I wasn't convinced I wanted to burn my bridges by quitting the program that I implemented and got the curriculum approved by the state.

Now for the truth---the house, cook, driver, etc.: oh yeah she forgot to tell me that I would be living with an Indian family in their house. I heard that part from someone who made the mistake of going.

Bottom line - this India transcription idea was started over 15 years ago by Susan with AAMT's blessings. So now tell me who started this whole train wreck and who do we have to thank for it? By the way, I found better ways after 20 years to spend my money besides on certification, dues, AAMT sponsored cont. education seminars, conferences, etc.; the majority of the money went to line AAMT's pockets.

An EX AAMT member.

WOW. Thank you for your post. It explains a lot nm - RawRecruit

[ In Reply To ..]
.

AAMT's shenanigans - NotNewMT

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The above-mentioned person from AAMT was not the only AAMT person who was wading deep into this sort of project. There were a few of their well-known people who were involved.

AAMT started out with a decent bunch of people with a good cause and over the years it evolved into political rhetoric. The could not maintain membership, let alone grow membership. They did some really nasty things to the local chapters - many of which have folded based on national change in rules or other issues brought on by AAMT, not by any local chapter problems. Many things came down to money for AAMT. It has not been about the individual MT in years. AAMT has been in the MTSO's pocket for years. If any member even local or state member even dared to not be a 'yes' person, they were bullied and treated just terrible. On a local level, many chapters are great places to make contacts. Beyond that, it's a waste of time and money.

Wasn't saying ...... - travelinMT

[ In Reply To ..]
I didn't mean to imply Susan was the only one involved in all of this but she was the one who kept contacting me well over a 12 month period. I have been around a local chapter (until it folded) and I was around at the beginning of AAMT. I agree the chapters were a great way to meet other MT's, network, etc. AAMT started out as a way to put and face and a voice to our profession, to make people realize we were much more than just typists. Too bad it eventually went by the way of the almighty dollar at our expense.

How very intesting, thanks for post - darlene

[ In Reply To ..]
Kinda deceptive about "living" not on your own (privacy) but another family, ugh.

Thats AAMT/AHDI for you - just smoke & mirrors. - nm - Zircon

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