President's Message

Why do I need to be certified? Will it pay more? I can do my job without being certified, so why go through all the expense and time to get certified, what is in it for me?

If you have asked these questions, please consider that every recognized professional has credentials, whether they are in the medical field, real estate, schoolteachers, etc.

What do you think certification means to transcriptionists? I believe in order for medical transcriptionists to be recognized as a professional by the medical community and other professionals, we need to be certified. Although this is costly and time-consuming, I believe it is essential.

I am not saying that medical transcriptionists are not professionals (we all require a very high degree of specialty skills), but that without certification the medical community will not recognize transcriptionists as professional. As medical transcriptionists, we all do appreciate the dedication, skills, and expertise that are required to be an excellent transcriptionist. The reality though is that professionals have recognized credentials.

Therefore, is it not worth the time and effort to obtain credentials after our names? Does this not make us want to be professionals and be proud of what we do as transcriptionists/editors? Does it make us want to be recognized like other medical professionals for the specialty that we offer? As medical transcriptionists, whether we are editing or transcribing or both, we should want and need to be recognized by the medical community, state, and nationally for our specialized abilities.

I have never regretted going through the process of being certified, nor getting the credits required for recertification. To me personally, one of the most important payoffs as a certified medical transcriptionist is the invaluable knowledge I have gained with recertification, which has given me extra abilities, skills, and expertise that I would have not achieved from any other source. With credentials, I am recognized and respected for knowing my job well. Without being certified, I would have missed an opportunity to be the best I can be at my profession as a medical transcriptionist.

I encourage all of you to think about whether or not you want to be recognized and respected as a professional by the medical community, what it would mean to you as a person, as a transcriptionist. I believe you will find that this is just what you need to truly feel great about being a medical transcriptionist, and that this will increase an awareness and an interest in your job that you did not have before. Go for it! It is well worth it!

E. Danielle Butler, CMT, President of ADHI-Colorado 2009
February 17, 2009