By Carrie Boatman, CMT, AHDI-F
President, AHDI-West
Don’t you just love that word?? It’s one of those words that sends chills down my spine. As a kid, I could not believe it took 12 months for Christmas to come again. Not to mention my birthday…well, back in those days I looked forward to birthdays. You want to know what I’m looking forward to now? Austin…the Music Capitol of the South! And the city will be even more special because lots of my friends and colleagues will be there. Some of them …

Carrie Boatman,CMT, AHDI-F
President, AHDI-West
Today, I dragged myself out of bed early to attend a webinar presented by AHDI’s Blueprint for Great Governance Task Force. And boy was I glad I did!
As many of you know, I’ve been around AAMT/AHDI for several years. Before we had state or state/regional associations, before we had a House of Delegates, before we had a credentialing exam….and over the years it’s been so exciting and fun to watch and participate in the growth and development of our association. Well, I’m here to tell you, the …

Wow! What a meeting! We came together in Phoenix and shared information about AHDI’s advocacy experience, new technologies, the Health Story Project, social networking and how to make it work for you, abbreviation expanders, tips and tricks for small business owners…..and lots of laughs, hugs, and fun!
As our world turns more digital and technology oriented, it was great to see so many people show up for a face-to-face meeting. In fact, it was a confirmation that we need to find ways to continue to make these meetings happen. The other …

About 5 months ago I adopted a dog from a rescue group. He’s a Pomeranian/American Eskimo mix. And what a handful! So, I asked the vet to recommend a trainer. She gave me several names and I hired one. Sammy, that’s the dog, and I have now been in training for 4 months. Honestly, it is mostly me in training. Sammy appears to be much smarter than I am!
Over and over Laura, my trainer, tells me, you have to be consistent in what you tell him and how you do …

I was fortunate enough to have been part of the early years of AHDI (AAMT). I was around when we began the transition from volunteers to professional staff. I was around as we began to centralize operations. I was around when we launched our first big marketing project by developing the General Medicine and General Surgery Modules. When we moved the Certification Exam from a pencil and paper to an electronic test in a testing center. When we combined the Journal and the Newsletter into one publication. When we outsourced …

We’ve all been glued to our televisions this past 2 weeks, watching the disaster in Haiti unfold. It’s been incredible to watch the devastation, the rush to help the survivors, the incredible spirit of the Haitian people. I watched one woman who was buried alive and stuck for 36 hours before they got her out. Her husband waited the whole time, believing she was alive and focusing efforts to get her out. And when she was finally evacuated from the building, she sang a song of thankfulness.
Then I watched Anderson …

This past November I lost my dad. It is hard to believe he is gone. He’s just always been here…for almost 84 years. Putting batteries in things for me, killing spiders, taking care of my car, and a thousand other things. I have been fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time with my parents over the years and especially over the last 10 or so. I lived practically across the street from them and would take my little dog, Romeo, to their house for doggie daycare …

I remember as a child thinking it took forever for Christmas to arrive. And now, it’s almost here. As I was walking my dog, Sammy, around our neighborhood today I saw some people had their Christmas decorations up already. As I’ve grown older, I notice that Christmas comes a lot faster. It seems like I barely get started with the year and it’s over.
Perception shapes our lives and our association. As AHDI-West comes to the end of its first year, I thought I’d take a little time and share some …