Arkansas State Society
Newsletter
Fall Issue: Vol. 13 October, 2015
Fall Issue: Vol. 13 October, 2015
Published Under The Sponsorship of American Medical Technologists. Articles represent opinions of
their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the policies or views of ARSAMT or AMT.
The Editor reserves the right to edit any article accepted for publication.
AMERICAN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS 10700 Higgins Road *Suite #150 *Rosemont, Illinois 60018 * www.american medtech.org
Phone: (847) 823-5169 or (800) 275-1268 / Fax: (847) 823-0458
Contents Welcome New President .................................................................................................................... 2
President’s Message ........................................................................................................................... 2
Arkansas State Officers ..................................................................................................................... 3
AMT Education Program & National Meeting Delegate Report from Memphis 2016 .............. 5
Arkansas State Society AMT Fall Conference ................................................................................ 6
District Councilor’s Fall Message 2016 ............................................................................................ 7
Welcome New ARSSAMT Members of 2016 .................................................................................. 8
News ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
The Edward Z. Young Memorial Scholarship Award ................................................................. 11
Upcoming Events .............................................................................................................................. 12
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Welcome New President
I'd like to welcome our new incoming ARSSAMT President, Ms. Cyndee Carr. She is currently a very active board member who is dedicated in serving her family, community, and our society. She's comes with great ideas and a wealth of knowledge in the field. She is a certified MA and a MA Instructor at Heritage College. As a member of the ARSSAMT Board of Directors, I plan to help her in continuing the growth of our organization. Congratulations Cyndee!
Sincerely,
Denecia Ramsey Denecia Ramsey, MHA, BS (AMT) AMT Editor
President’s Message
Hello Everyone,
I am excited to take on the President position for the Arkansas State Society of the American Medical Technologists. I am honored to be working for you the Arkansas members. I have served as Secretary and Legislative Chair for a year now and loved it. I want to make the Arkansas State Society the best it can be and that means getting those of you who are registered with AMT in Arkansas, all 600+ to participate more in the Society. I would love to hear from any of you with suggestions, comments, or just to say hi. I want to go forward and build upon the work that’s been done by the outgoing President Denecia Ramsey. I appreciate all she has done and will continue to do. She has been my mentor and I know will continue to be my mentor.
One of my goals this year is to fill all the positions on the board including members at large. I would love to see a lot of new faces at our next board meeting in the spring of 2017. New people bring new ideas and new skill sets which can only enhance our State Society to make it better. I attended the National Convention this past July in Memphis. I learned so much from all the attendees from all over the United States and the Caribbean. It would be great to have more than one member attending as delegates from Arkansas in July 2017 in Kansas City Missouri so start planning now. Another goal is to keep you all informed with information throughout the year through email blasts.
Cyndee Carr
Cyndee Carr, RMA (AMT), AHI ARSSAMT President
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Cyndee Carr, RMA (AMT), AHI
ARSSAMT President
Paul Bolding, BSMT(AMT), NSH
ARSSAMT Vice President and treasurer
Denecia Ramsey, MHA, BSMT (AMT), POCS (AACC)
ARSSAMT Past President / Editor
Carleen Goutz-Prichard
ARSSAMT Secretary
Debra Calhoon
Legislative Chair
Edna Anderson
Executive Councilor
Linda McGuire
Job information
Kimberly Cheuvront, Ph.D
Judiciary Councilor
Randy Swopes, MT, AMT
Central District Councilor
Randy [email protected]
Arkansas State Officers
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AMT Education Program & National Meeting
Delegate Report from Memphis 2016
Cyndee Carr, RMA (AMT), AHI
Elvis was in the house!!!! The convention in Memphis was a blast. As a first timer to an AMT convention I have to tell you all it was so much fun. I learned a lot from the seminars that I attended. Everyone there was so nice and helpful. The members there were always checking in with me to make sure I knew what I needed to know and where I needed to be. The feeling I
got from the members at the convention was like being with family. The keynote speaker on Monday, Brad Nieder, MD, was amazing and set the tone for the rest of the week. The welcome cocktail party was a great ice breaker, I met members from all over the United States and the
Caribbean. I got the chance to dress up to attend the awards banquet and accept the award for our state maintaining the needed requirements to be a chapter in good standing. There were 430 Members attending, 23 for the first time. As the only delegate from Arkansas I attended the business meetings and committee meetings as a representative. I really felt I learned a lot about how AMT works and what everyone at AMT from the National Board members to all the state
delegates do to make sure that you, an AMT member, is represented in Washington and in your state. There are members with more than one certification, many degrees, and accolades but the one thing I noticed was that they never used that to make you feel any less
a peer and that your opinion matters. Next year this can be you, watch for more information on dates for the conference which will be in Kansas City, Missouri. Watch for the newsletter from National to see all the pics and reports from the convention. AMT gives out many awards and we all know that awards, being involved with an organization, and especially being a member of a board is great on your resume. AMT also has scholarships available for members pursuing higher education in fields aligned with AMT. They only had 2 applicants for these this year and one was disqualified. AMT gives out 2 a year to pursue continuing education. If you think that as a member all you need to do is pay your dues and get your CEU’s then you need to change your way of thinking. We really need the voice of our members heard and the way to do that is to attend our board/business meetings. Whether you want to just be a member at large or to take a place on the board we need you. Most of the member’s currently holding office have done so for 5 years or more, they are doing a great job, but they are getting tired and need a break. We need some new blood with new ideas, in fact we welcome them. Our state board wants to keep the State chapter here in our state not have to combine with one or more states and lose our voice. If you’re not happy with your current job and you are an active member in AMT then you have a network available to you that is invaluable. We need our members to change focus from maintaining their membership to becoming pro-active in getting their abilities and education recognized and this is the place to do that. I just want to say in closing that I am proud to be a member of AMT. I am proud to be a RMA. I love the challenge of getting the scope of practice for MA’s, whether certified or not, in my current work place recognized.
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Arkansas State Society AMT Fall Conference At Arkansas Children’s Hospital
September 24th, 2016
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District Councilor’s Fall Message
2016
AMT has had an awesome year. The National Convention in
Memphis, Tennessee, was a great success. The convention was
well attended and the four day format seemed to be well
accepted.
Chris Damon reported that AMT continues to grow. Our total
membership exceeds 76,000. We welcome you to notify AMT
if new Allied health schools are opening in your area.
Attendance at Memphis was over 400 registered members. There were between 40 to 60 first
timers. Welcome to them and hope to see you involved in your states and attend national again
next year. The business meeting was also well attended. Board election results were as follows.
Chris Seay, Jeannie Hobson, and Naomi Melvin.
The 2017 convention will be in Kansas City at the Intercontinental Kansas City at the Plaza. Room
rates will be $129.00 per night. Convention for 2018 will be in the Eastern District site to be
determined.
I would like to remind everyone that the Magnolia Treasures Conference will be in October. The
dates are October 28th and 29th in Gulfport, Ms. There will be an e-mail blast coming soon with
forms for conference registration and hotel reservations.
In closing, I would like to congratulate all of the award winners from Central District. We were
well represented at the Awards Banquet. Names of these winners can be found in the June issue
of the AMT Events.
I thank you for all your hard efforts at the state and national level. Looking forward to seeing you
either at the Magnolia Conference or your state meetings.
Respectfully,
Randy Swopes Randy Swopes, MT (AMT)
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Welcome New ARSSAMT Members of 2016 Joined First name Last name Member First name Last name Member Joined
February
Lisa Curtis RMA Tamara Norman RMA
June
April Billings MT Lois Keever RMA
Jaime Cato RMA Leechelle Rollins RMA
Britney Jackson RMA Letreka Gray RMA
Emily Lancaster RMA Tiffany Nash RMA
Taylor Pool RMA Cynthia Jackson RMA
Jamie Shepard RMA Ariel Mason RMA
Maria Rocha RMA Summer Hinojosa RMA
Jason Gremard RMA Amie Ramsfield RMA
Melissa Bonham RMA Angela Tainton MT
July
Cana Bynum RMA Ashley Stanley RMA
March
Hollie Mahoney RMA Tamika Roby RMA
Whitney Farmer RMA Mersadies Means RMA
Brandy Hardnett RMA Rhonda Slate RMA
Lyndsay Fisher RMA Ashley Horn RMA
Kita Thresher RMA Naomi Ashburn RMA
August
Angela Bradford RMA Lisa Hughes RMA
Tanya Mixon RMA Alexis Palmer RMA
Jennifer Christians RMA Andre’Nett Sanders RMA
Chelsey Parker RMA Brittney Jones RMA
April
Cassey Goodnight MLT Kyla Viss RMA
Jayme Allen RMA Christy Perkins RMA
Sharon Stallman RMA Maria Olvera-Roj RMA
Jordan Flores RMA
Melissa Gassaway RMA
GailAnn Slinkard RMA
Katherine Arias RMA
Christopher Bell MT
Jane Pierce RMA
May
Katelyn Ridding RMA
Natalie Smith RMA
Tina Lowe RMA
Tony Clem MT
Devan Bolay RMA
Cindy Potter RMA
Sarah Ramirez RMA
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News Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an uncommon sickness of the nervous system in which a person’s
own immune system damages the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness, and sometimes, paralysis.
Several countries that have experienced Zika outbreaks recently have reported increases in
people who have Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).
Current CDC research suggests that GBS is strongly associated with Zika; however, only a
small proportion of people with recent Zika virus infection get GBS.
CDC is continuing to investigate the link between GBS and Zika to learn more.
Symptoms of GBS
GBS symptoms include weakness of the arms and legs and, in severe cases, can affect the muscles
that control breathing.
These symptoms can last a few weeks or several months. Most people fully recover from GBS, though
some people have permanent damage. Very few people die from GBS.
Causes of GBS
Researchers do not fully understand what causes GBS. Most people with GBS report an infection
before they have GBS symptoms. Rarely, vaccination has also been associated with the onset of GBS
(for example, the 1976 Swine influenza vaccine).
GBS is rare
An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people, or 1-2 cases for every 100,000 people, develop GBS each year in
the US. Most cases of GBS tend to occur for no known reason, and true “clusters” of cases of GBS
are very unusual.
What to do if you are concerned
If you want to know more about the number of GBS cases in a certain area, contact the state or local
health department in the state where the cases happen. CDC collaborates with state and local health
departments to investigate reports of possibly unusually large numbers or “clusters” of GBS cases.
Additional Resources
Vaccine Safety Concerns- Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome and Flu Vaccine: Questions and Answers
Zika and Guillain-Barré Syndrome. (2016, August 09). Retrieved October 30, 2016,
from http://www.cdc.gov/zika/healtheffects/gbs-qa.html
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News
While current U.S. flu activity (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm) is low overall, localized influenza outbreaks
have been reported. Influenza activity often begins to increase in October.
CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm) for everyone 6 months and older.
Now is a good time to get vaccinated. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for protection to set in.
Flu vaccination can reduce flu illnesses and prevent flu-related hospitalizations. Flu vaccines have been updated for
the 2016-2017 season (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2016-2017.htm). More than 120 million
doses of seasonal influenza vaccine have been distributed
(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/vaccinesupply.htm) at this time.
Influenza (Flu). (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2016,
from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
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The Edward Z. Young Memorial Scholarship Award
Sponsored by: Arkansas State Society
American Medical Technologist (ARSSAMT)
HERITAGE COLLEGE STUDENT RECIEVES ARSSAMT SCHOLARSHIP
Arkansas Society of American Medical Technologists is proud to present the third recipient of the Edward Z. Young Memorial Scholarship, Lennesea Amerine. Lennesea Amerine is a student enrolled at Heritage College in Little Rock. This scholarship is awarded based upon a submitted application, college transcript, recommendation letter, and essay. So keep watching for the 2017 application notice to apply for a reward that can help you pursue your educational dreams. We offer our congratulations and best wishes to Lennesea and her success in all future career endeavors.
AMT Student Membership
Student Membership is FREE for all those interested in pursuing AMT certification in one of the allied health
disciplines. Simply complete the application below and start taking advantage of the many benefits student membership
offers:
Online student forum: Network with your peers and gain access to valuable resources and information. Ensure that
you are logged in as a student member in order to gain access. Go to
“americanmedtech.org/Schools/StudentMembership/StudentMemberForum.aspx” to get started.
$5 off online practice exams: One of the most valuable study tools! A full-length RMA practice exam has dynamic questions and assistance with incorrect answers. RMA exam is $30 for two attempts. Other practice exams are available as well. Student members receive a $5 discount, ensure you are logged in as a student member before ordering. Go to “americanmedtech.org/AMTStore.aspx” to get started.
Scholarships and other recognition opportunities: AMT offers several $500 scholarships and sponsors the outstanding student and technical writing awards. Go to “americanmedtech.org/Schools/ScholarshipsAwards.aspx” to get started.
Student lapel pin: Wear it proudly. Go to “americanmedtech.org/AMTStore/” to get started.
Access to Career Connections: Search for a job in your allied health field and in your specified geographic area, as well as post your resume online and conduct job searches through AMT’s Career Connection Go to “americanmedtech.org/MemberServices/CareerConnection.aspx” to get started.
Become a student member today by going to “americanmedtech.org/Schools/StudentMembership/”. If you have any questions, please call AMT: 847-823-5169
ARSSAMT 2016 Scholarship Recipient
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Upcoming Events
79th Annual AMT Educational Program & National Meeting
July 9th-13th, 2017
Arkansas State Society 2017 Educational Meeting
To Be Announced
(501) 551-6288
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