Forming a local chapter or state/regional association
Part One- Getting started
Step–by–Step Component Association Formation Guidelines (Part 1)
Step 1 You must be an active AAMT Practitioner, Student or Postgraduate member to coordinate the formation of an AAMT component association. AAMT membership confirms your interest in the goals and purposes of the Association and your recognition of the value of joining with your colleagues to work toward these goals. Practitioner, Student or Postgraduate membership is also necessary to vote, hold office, or chair a committee. • Step 2 Become knowledgeable about the functions and purpose of AAMT, its local chapters, and state/regional component associations. Understand the purposes and goals of AAMT and the value of a local chapter or state/regional association and its benefits to members. Accurately answering questions about the Association and recognizing when to refer questions to AAMT’s professional staff is important. Knowing AAMT’s whys, whats, and wherefores will help you establish a successful AAMT local chapter or state/regional association. Step 3 At this point, evaluation of community interest is important. You are now ready to contact the medical transcriptionists in your community. Contact AAMT for names, addresses, and E-mail addresses of AAMT members in your vicinity to send them a notice of your plan to form a local component of AAMT and to If you are ready to pursue your quest to form a local chapter or state/regional association, sign and return the appended Component Formation Coordinator Agreement. You will receive of the Only you can answer these questions. No amount of coaching or encouragement will see you through the next three months if support for component association formation is lacking. • • Next ask yourself: • Have I exhausted all resources in contacting medical transcriptionists and other individuals closely allied with medical transcription? Is interest sufficient to warrant component association formation in my community? Can I assemble a support group to help plan an informational seminar? Do I have enough information on which to base my decision to act as coordinator? recruit interested ones to become part of the chapter formation planning committee. Expenses for the mailings you have may be reimbursed.(Keep all receipts and submit them to AAMT).
Step-by-Step Component Association Formation Guidelines - Part Two: Planning the Informational Seminar, along with valuable component
formation information.
Forming a local chapter or state/regional association
Part Two- Planning the Informational Seminar
STEP-BY-STEP COMPONENT ASSOCIATION FORMATION GUIDELINES (Part Two)
Step 4 If the response to your evaluation is to proceed with formation, contact the medical transcriptionists you encountered in your quest for support of a new component association. Schedule an informal meeting with them to brainstorm ideas for the informational seminar. Take time to get acquainted so that you can make the best use of the talents of the group. It is important to communicate your and AAMT’s expectations and to establish deadlines for all projects. Be sure to record minutes of all meetings and provide AAMT with a copy. Contact AAMT to with the date of your next planning meeting and ask volunteers to report their progress. Before you reserve the meeting site and speakers for your informational seminar you will need to contact AAMT to verify approval of your informational seminar date. It is important to request this at least ten weeks in advance of the proposed meeting so arrangements can be made for an AAMT representative to attend. Expenses of AAMT's representative speakers are paid by AAMT. Provide suggestions for the details of your informational seminar, including suggestions for a centrally located meeting facility (lodge, hotel, college, or hospital), preferably with a room that is free of charge. AAMT will assist in making the meeting arrangements. Once the date, time, and location of the informational seminar have been determined, identifying a medical speaker can begin. Notify AAMT of a physician or other healthcare provider who agrees to present a 45-minute medical/nonStep 5 Check with AAMT to learn who your AAMT representative speaker will be and get that individual’s address, phone number, and fax number. S/he will contact you immediately upon selection as the representative for your meeting. AAMT representatives are eager to help you have a successful meeting and to get to know you. It is appropriate to invite him/her to share a meal or conversation as schedules permit. AAMT representatives are responsible for making their own travel and hotel accommodations, including transportation to and from the meeting facility. It is, however, appropriate to offer to escort him/her, if you wish. If the meeting facility does not have sleeping accommodations, you may also investigate nearby hotels and advise the AAMT representative. The AAMT representative serves as a speaker and will provide a creditworthy presentation. AAMT prefers that your informational seminar be on a Saturday to accommodate the AAMT representative speakers, who may have to travel a considerable distance to attend your meeting.
medical lecture followed by a 15-minute questionand-answer period. Step 7 Secure publicity for your event by contacting AAMT will need a brief description of content, speakers name and title, and summary of speakers qualifications for continuing education credit approval for the certified medical transcriptionists who come to the meeting. AAMT will provide a proof of attendance form for continuing education credits It is the responsibility of AAMT and the coordinator to provide a profile of the expected audience as well as to send a letter summarizing the agreement and specifying the meeting location, date, and time of the event. Step 6 Send AAMT a list of the MTs you have contacted so that we can enter them into our database to include in the brochure mailing. At least ten weeks before the date of the informational seminar AAMT will need to have all necessary information to develop a registration brochure. AAMT will fax it to you, if possible, to confirm that the details of the seminar are correct and that there will be no changes in the program. It is important that you proofread the brochure. We encourage you to enlist others to assist you with this project. Once you have reviewed the brochure, notify AAMT within 24 hours of any corrections or proposed changes. Once the brochure has been finalized, the AAMT office will send the brochure to AAMT members and prospective members as well as the state/regional president in your area. Step 9 Everything’s in order. You’re almost there! Today’s the day! As component association coordinator, you are responsible for hosting the informational seminar with the AAMT representative. Use this opportunity to meet the transcriptionists and others assembled for the initiation of this new component association. You should acknowledge and welcome all guests. This is the time to generate enthusiasm and interest. Be prepared to announce the date and location of your next meeting at this time. Step 8 A minimum of 20 people must be registered 2 weeks prior to the meeting date or the meeting will be canceled. All payments for pre registrations must be payable and sent to AAMT 2 weeks before the informational, (postmark date). The AAMT representative will be responsible for on-site registrations. If the meeting registration is more than 30 people, volunteer assistance may be requested. various forms of media: newspapers, radio, and television stations, hospital newsletter editors. Ask component associations in your state/ region to publish the date of your informational seminar in their newsletters. Send a personal invitation to their presidents. This information can be obtained from the AAMT office if you are not sure who or where the other local or state/regional leaders are. AAMT will publish the date in The Leading Edge, JAAMT, and on the AAMT Web site.
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Continue to confirm progress in the various planning stages of the informational seminar with your planning group. Close communication throughout the formation process will facilitate a successful meeting.
Step–by–Step Component Association Formation Guidelines (Part Three)
Step 10
The component association coordinator continues as the new component association’s leader until permanent officers are elected. The nominating committee must be composed of AAMT Practitioner members. The committee members compile a slate of AAMT Practitioner members who are interested in running for office in the component association. the chapter) may assist with the details of the new component association. Decide on a day, time, and place for holding regular chapter meetings. Meetings should include a medical and/or nonmedical lecture and a short business meeting. When possible, schedule a place, date, and time for the next several meetings so
Once a slate of candidates is established, contact AAMT with this information so a ballot can be prepared and mailed by AAMT. All candidates should be informed by the coordinator of the election results immediately following the tellers’ report. It is recommended that election results be announced at the following meeting and/or by flyer, postcard, or newsletter. Notify AAMT of the results. Prepare the component association’s Petition for Recognition and mail to AAMT for acceptance. Be sure to make a copy of it for the component association’s permanent records. An alternative meeting plan is to rotate meeting days, times, and locations to accommodate as that members can plan ahead. Until you are officially an AAMT chapter you may notify AAMT if you would like them to send a postcard or flyer to all potential members, at least three weeks before each scheduled meeting. A telephone committee may be formed to assist in notifying members and potential members of meetings. Announcements should appear in your newsletter.
Step 11
For the first two or three months, the component association coordinator (if not an elected officer of
many MTs as possible, especially if your component association covers a large geographic area. This also provides an opportunity for
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transcriptionists from various facilities to host the meeting and perhaps arrange for a local speaker.
for addition to the handbook. The Leading Edge, AAMT’s publication for component association leaders, is available on the web site www.aamt.org
A suggested format for your meeting is to hold the business portion first (one hour is the maximum time recommended for business), followed by a one-hour medical and/or nonmedical lecture and question-and-answer session. If your meeting includes a meal function, inquire if local restaurants will provide free meeting space in exchange for holding a meal function. Some hospitals and large clinics will cater events for a reasonable fee.
and should be shared with the officers of your association, and your newsletter editor. You are also encouraged to share this information contained in it with your members.
Revised 06/04
Step 12
Within one year of recognition as a chapter/state/regional association, the bylaws of the association shall be submitted to the Administrative Office for approval by the AAMT Board of Directors.” Available on-line(aamt.org) is the Model Bylaws for Component Associations.
AAMT will apply for an Employer Identification Number(EIN) for the component association in order to establish a bank account for the component and receive reimbursement of the remaining funds from the informational seminar from AAMT. Once your group tax exemption number is received, AAMT will contact you.
You have received a copy of the AAMT Leadership Handbook for Component Associations. One copy of the handbook is issued to each component association, and we ask that it be given to the incoming president as elections occur. As new or revised chapters are added to the handbook, they will be sent to the component association president
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