Educators Workshop

Rebecca McSwain, PhD, CMT
Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F

CE Credit: 2 PD

With an industry rapidly evolving around us, being able to strategically address changes in educational programming will continue to be an important part of meaningful workforce development and a thriving future for our sector. This year’s Educators Workshop will take a closer look at this evolving sector and what changes in curriculum, resources, and exam preparation industry educators will need to make to stay ahead of the curve. AHDI Professional Programs Associate Rebecca McSwain will provide workshop attendees with an update on education program approval and address plans for updating the AHDI Model Curriculum to reflect changing needs and emerging roles in the marketplace. In anticipation of the new RMT exam to be launched in January of 2011, AHDI Professional Programs Director Lea Sims will unveil the new RMT and CMT exam blue prints and walk educators through the blue print expectations for program graduates who sit for the new RMT exam. Then, workshop attendees will be break into table groups and engage in item-writing for assigned RMT exam objectives with the goal of delivering back to educators a comprehensive practice exam that can be used to prepare students for the new RMT exam. You won’t want to miss this collaborative opportunity to develop a resource just for your students! Note: Unlike previous years, this is not a separate ticketed event. The workshop is open to any registered ACE attendee, whether affiliated with a school or not.

Speaker Bio

Rebecca McSwain, PhD, CMT, serves the health documentation industry as Professional Practices Associate at AHDI. Rebecca is an educator, researcher and writer, and a medical transcriptionist with over 30 years of acute care, clinic, and office experience. She has worked as an on-site and home-based production MT, supervisor, and QA manager. She has been an adjunct college instructor since 1990 and for five years authored the column “Transcription Zone” for the online edition of Advance for Health Information Professionals. Rebecca has also written for ?The Journal of AHIMA and the print edition of Advance. Rebecca’s PhD is in anthropology, and she has written for academic journals and books on anthropological topics.

Lea Sims, CMT, AHDI-F, is the director of professional programs for AHDI and has been working for the association since 2004. In that role, she oversees all association messaging and communications, including coordination of association print and electronic publications; drafting of key association position papers, press releases, and standards; creative and strategic direction of campaigns and advocacy programs; direction of AHDI credentialing/education programs; and coordination of best practices initiatives. She is the author and managing editor of The Book of Style for Medical Transcription, 3rd edition, and The Book of Style Workbook, 3rd edition. She has been an MT for 22 years and holds a BA in Education (English) with a minor in linguistics from the University of North Florida.