CAPITAL EDITION

Volume No. 20, Issue 2 Fall/Winter 2009                                                                                                                         Publisher: DC/DE/MD STATE SOCIETY OF AMT

Honor Roll State Society Winners:

1. DC/DE/MD

2. Maine/New Hampshire

3. New Jersey

4. New York

5. Pennsylvania

6. West Virginia

Distinguished Achievement –

Pamla Sharp, RMA – New Jersey

Exceptional Merit

1. Melissa Martin, RMA, Pennsylvania

2. Tonya Satterfield, MT – West Virginia

Pillar Award – Pamela Vieta Kriegel, MT – Maine

Silver Service – Charlene Maturi, MT – Maine

Bracey, Jr., MT, Fort Washington, MD

Congratulations to all of the award winners, and thank you for all your service and hard work!

At the Eastern District meeting held during the National Convention, the following information was shared with members:

1. Members wishing to serve on national committees should send their requests to me as soon as possible. National committee members for 2010 will be chosen at the Board of Directors meeting in October.

2. Please submit the names of any deceased AMT members who have been active at the state and/or national level to Peggy Oiler, MT, for the Book of Memories. Pictures and a brief article about the member are greatly appreciated, and is a wonderful way for the state society to honor the member.

3. More information is being added to the new AMT website – if you have not visited it lately, be sure to take a look at www.amt1.com.

4. If you have a topic that you would like to see discussed in future Councillor’s Corner articles in AMT Events, please forward them to me. The October issue features an article on ways to become active in your state society.

National Medical Assistants Week is October 19-23, 2009 – this year’s theme is “A caring touch that means so much”.

This is a great time to say “thank you” to the nearly 420,000 medical assistants who care for our patients each and every day.

Future National Convention dates:

a. 2010 – July 12-17 in Summerlin (Las Vegas), NV – JW Marriott Golf Resort

b. 2011 – Possibly joint with CASMET – Southern District

c. 2012 – Central District

Please support your state society and attend your next society meeting. Here is a list of upcoming state society meetings in the Eastern District:

d. DC/Del/MD – September 26, 2009 Beltsville, MD

e. ME/NH – October 21-23, 2009 Portland, ME

f. NJ – October 17-18, 2009 Mount Laurel, NJ

g. NY – October 17, 2009 Queens, NY

h. PA – April/May 2009, Valley Forge, PA

i. WV – October 15-16, 2009 Charleston, WV

In conclusion, I would like to thank the members for the opportunity to serve you. Please feel free to contact me if I can assist you in any way.

Sincerely,

Janet Crigler, MT

Eastern District Councillor

Editor’s Message

“Still Looking for a new editor.”

Please if interested contact me, you will not work this alone!

Robin Miliner, MT

President & Editor, DC, DE and MD SS of AMT

State Society Members,

Hello to ALL MEMBERS!!!

I sure hope to find all doing well and preparing for a joyous and wonderful New Year ahead. What happened to 2009?

Our fall meeting was again a success with very interactive session on Clinical Research Coordination with Ms. Shannon Blotner (see

message under “Bits & Pieces). And as a reminder check out AMT website, http://www.AMT1.com and our very own web page http://www.dc-de-mdssamt.com for current and updated information.

Members, please share your news with us, i.e. additional certifications, publications etc.

As always, THANKS for your support!

Enjoy your holidays and upcoming New

Year!!!

To all our New Members of the DC, DE & MD State Society!!!

At our fall meeting, the topic was Clinical Research Coordination by Ms. Shannon Blotner from the US Immunodeficiency Network in Towson, MD. Mrs. Blotner discussed the importance of clinical research and protocols; she also answered many of our questions about what clinical researched is all about. It was very interesting to learn about the various types of research that is done. Mrs. Blotner also explained protocols, phases of the studies and why the studies are done in different phases. The main purpose is patient safety and they use healthy volunteers (sometimes seriously ill patients with no other options). Trails can include New Drug Applications or Medical Device Research and Development. No matter which one, researchers have strict protocols they must follow and adhere to. They have regulatory documents from protocol, safety reports, patient informed consent, documentation of the different phases of a trail, training logs to financial reports. All of this documentation and patient participation plays a vital role in making sure what goes to the FDA is true and factual for them to approve for marketing. What they are researching and doing trails on today could be the drug or device that saves a loved one in the future.

“The most interesting session to me was “Medically Important Insects and Arthropods & Medico-legal Death Investigation and the Clinical Laboratory.” The information presented was very helpful to me in understanding how things are done. On Thursday, June 24th was the big day of AMT awards. Our state society received an award for Honor Roll of State Societies! Friday, June 26th was the district meeting along with one of the most important committee meetings—the Credentialing of Delegates. In addition, I have attended conventions in the past and each year they are getting better in which this one so far is the best.

This is my first time at this convention and I must say it has been very informative. Everyone I have met has been wonderful. I have attended a few of the sessions which have taken notes on. Bevel up Bevel down was a refresher on the basics of blood draws the correct side and angle of the needle and how to properly place a needle for a z-track. Spanish 101 was crazy, since I do not speak any Spanish. But I was given the basic words and phrases to help communicate with Hispanic and Spanish speaking patients. The handout will be very helpful.

The orientation session really gave me an insight to how AMT actually works. Belonging to this organization now means even more to me than before. Meeting all of the employees and the President Paul Brown was great. I now have faces to go with the names I have heard so much about.

• The Opening Ceremony/Welcome and Chet Dziekonoski Memorial Keynote Address with speaker Hero Pilot Jeff Skiles was awesome. He must be the most humble person I have ever had the pleasure to meet. He became a pilot at age 16 his love of flying came from his parents. He became an instructor while going to school and received a BS in geology. He told us he had only known the other pilot for 3 days prior to the accident. But with the combined experience of both pilots and crew they had an incredible outcome. Jeff also talked about how knowing what to do and remain calm help them. When you ask him what it is like to be a hero he just shrugged it off. He said the real heroes were the passengers who helped each other throughout the crisis. He does not feel like he is a hero he says he is just a regular guy who was in the right place at the right time.

• The general session for Integrative Pain Management: The Science and Spirit of Mind/Body Medicine were like being in a meeting with a Yoga guru. We were showed us ways to relax and distress. Proper breathing can help our overall health issues. Without proper breathing we cannot allow our body’s proper oxygen to keep us healthy.

• The session on HIPPA Maintenance was a great refresher course. Many good points were brought about how violations can be avoided. Employees must take great precautions to protect patients’ rights. It is our duty. • Professionalism in Health Care for Medical Assistants was a reflection of us. How we dress, talk, act and look is how we will be preserved by and treated by patients and coworkers, even friends. You should always present yourself in a professional manor no matter where you are. You never know who you will run into and were. The old cliché “dress like a party, everyone wants a favor”.

• Regional Emergency Preparedness the discussion was about what FEMA does and does not do and why.

“I just got back from the AMT local meeting (September, in Beltsville), which was my first time to attend, and I’m writing up my impressions.

I had been working in a basic research laboratory, but now I’m interested in transitioning to the clinical side of the field. I wasn’t sure if I’d be a stranger in a medical crowd, but it turned out nicely. Our speaker, Ms. Shannon Blotner, discussed many aspects of clinical research from her perspective as a clinical research coordinator. Her informative talk had something for everyone, including opening up my thinking to transition possibilities.

In another fortuitous development, I discovered that our local society president, Robin Miliner, MT, has a lot of experience in both research and clinical enterprises and could give me some really good insights to guide my decision. It’s quite nice to have all the professional support that members provide each other at the meeting.

Many of the attendees were folks who are involved more directly in patient care (the RMAs) and I found it really worthwhile to hear about various experiences they had and the issues most relevant to them. Overall, the meeting was a unique chance to immerse in a variety of specialties certified by AMT and get some new perspectives. I’m already looking forward to the next meeting.”

John Hallam, MLT

Spring Meeting ............................................................March 30, 2010

Fall Meeting ..........................................................September 25, 2010

National Dental Assistants Week ....................................March 2010

National Medical Laboratory Professional Week............April 2010

National Medical Assistants Week................................October 2009

July 12–17, 2010 ....................................Summerlin in Las Vegas, NV

(JW Marriott Golf Resort)

2011 ............................................................................Southern District

2012................................................................................Central District

Robin Miliner, MT

President & Editor,

DC/DE/MD State Society of AMT

9695 Halstead Avenue

Laurel, MD 20723

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