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

Getting credentialed, worth the trouble and expense? - Wondering

Posted: Jun 03, 2010

I've got under a year's experience and have been wondering about whether it makes sense to take the RMT exam, or, more to the point, the CMT exam once I've got 2 years under my belt. I've always thought it was nothing but an AHDI money grab, but I read so many glowing comments about becoming credentialed that now I'm wondering. Any thoughts?

cmt - i did it

[ In Reply To ..]
I was a CMT in the 1990s but I was very active with AAMT (what they were called then) on the county and state level in California.

We were actually appreciated back then in our job and our active life with AAMT, but no more. It is rather expensive and then you need to keep up credits in order to keep you certificate. You will have to attend medical meetings or conferences that will give you credits, or find other ways from AHDI on how to get your credits. I used to attend monthly meetings where there was a medical speaker and attending a 3-day conference twice a year and attending lectures. Man, those were the days. Not sure how easy it will be to keep the credits up (maybe something you can do on-line have no idea how they do that now days.

IMO, totally a waste of money and time for taking the test (which I was so sick the first day I took mine, I did not pass, but the test was not given all the time). The second time was much better. And you need to have a proctor to give the test, and very rigid testing.

The CMT is not worth it - Annie

[ In Reply To ..]
It's not worth it. I have made a lot of money in the MT world but will not support AHDI because of their stance on offshoring American jobs as well as other reasons. Don't waste your time/money. If you're good, you don't need to jump through their hoops. My own view is that that organization is just hanging on by its fingernails, anyway. They are reaping some well deserved karma.

Good luck!

Wondering re: AHDI - Been Around the Block

[ In Reply To ..]
AHDI is a legend in its own mind. Don't waste your time with them.

Thanks for the input. - Wondering

[ In Reply To ..]
I have had mixed feelings about AHDI, but I think I will forget about the CMT for now, unless the industry gets to the point where potential employers are insisting on it. I'm earning pretty okay money for a newbie, so I don't think I really need to get credentialled at this point, anyway.

Wondering - Old MTSO

[ In Reply To ..]
I have been in the MT business for 40+ years and I can tell you, I have never hired anyone because they had a CMT or turned someone who was talented away because they dod not have one. The CMT is overvalued. Many people (myself included) feel that AHDI is an organization that has become self-serving and irrelevant.

What about the RMT for a newbie? - StillStudying

[ In Reply To ..]
How about if you went to a school other than M-TEC or Andrews and you want to prove to a prospective employer that you are sufficiently skilled to start doing the job? Would getting the RMT demonstrate that you had a good base knowledge?

I'm still contemplating on testing for my RMT once I graduate. My school encourages it and says I should be prepared for it after graduation, although I'm going to study my tail off first!

Good question. I could argue both ways. - LOL so I will

[ In Reply To ..]
First, it depends on the potential employer and whether they even know or care what the RMT is or not. Some do. Does it really demonstrate that you have a good base knowledge? It does show that you have cared enough to get training and want to demonstrate your skills. That's worth something. If your school encourages it, they must be at least trying to prepare you for it. You might try getting a job without it and if that doesn't work, go for it, or if you want to test your own skills for your own benefit, by all means do it. It's an accomplishment whether anyone else honors it or not.

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