Page 2

pMeet the GSSAMT Officers and

Board Members

pEditor’s Note

Pages 3

pDelegate Reports: Durham,

Oiler, Searles, Matthews, Guzman

Page 4

pDelegate Report: Gallon

pACA Upheld (Legislative)

Page 5

pDelegate Reports: Geary, Lee,

Jones

pHepatitis Day (Scientific)

Page 6

pNational Convention Pictures

Page 7

pAward Winners

Page 8

pHattie Gallon Biography

Page 9

pDelegate Reports: Adams

pMaria Guzman’s Feature

Page 10

pDelegate Reports: Balauitan,

Newham

pAMT 2013 National Convention

July 8-12, 2013, Pittsburgh, PA

Page 11

pGSSAMT Fall Meeting

Sept 27-29, 2012, Macon, GA

Volume 34 No.2 August 2012 The Official Publication of the Georgia State Society of American Medical Technologists

In This Issue

President’s Message

Peaches & Peanuts is the Official publication of the Georgia State Society of American Medical Technologist andis published two times a year and mailed from Albany, Georgia to the required list of recipients.Articles appear in this publication are the opinion of the author and do not reflect the opinion of the Georgia StateSociety and/or the American Medical Technologists. The Editor reserves the right to edit all articles whennecessary.

Thank you, AMT members and national office staff, for a great National convention. If you

missed it, you missed a great deal of fun, great educational topics, and much fellowship. In this

issue, you will read accounts of the AMT National convention through the eyes of your GSSAMT

delegates. At the convention, it was an honor to hear the following names called to the stage during

the awards ceremony: Cynthia Jones, MT was the recipient of the AMT Pillar award, Maria

Guzman, MT received the 2 place Writing Award, and Chevy Newham, MT received the 3 placend rd

Newsletter Award. Later in the convention it was announced that our own Hattie Gallon, MT was

named the newest Dusty Award recipient. Congratulations to these very deserving professionals.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your GSSAMT President for the last 4 years. It has

been an honor and an experience that I will treasure. During the fall meeting, I will hand the gavel

over to your next GSSAMT President. September 28 and 29 will be your fall meeting and willth th

mark the 60 anniversary of GSSAMT. Since it is an election year, you will want your vote to countth

as we elect new officers. Please make plans now to attend your fall meeting in Macon, GA. Peggy

Oiler, Marvin Matthews and Carletha Durham are working hard to make this a really wonderful

and educational meeting as well as an event to remember—good food, fun and fellowship, and

education all at the same time. This combination is hard to beat. [Continued on Page 5]

Diana Kendrick, RMA (AMT), RN

GSSAMT President

First, I would like to thank the Texas State Society for hosting National Convention this year in

San Antonio. Second, it is always sad to see the end of the week at National Convention and say

good-bye to friends and family, and third, if you were unable to attend this year’s convention-you

missed an awesome meeting. There were some changes to the convention this year by adding an

evening session and one session during lunch. “Breakfast of Champions” is now the “Lunch of

Champions” and was served on Tuesday at lunch. This year’s convention offered 24 hours of

continuing education with wonderful speakers.

Next, I would like to give an update on membership and education. Since March 2012, the

education department has been very active. The registered medical assistant on-line practice exam

went live as of June 7 . The cost is $30.00 for nonmember and $25.00 for student members. Theth

practice exam consists of 220 questions and it can be taken twice. The Education Department has

regrouped the step articles similar to the old CE modules, which will be retired by the end of 2012.

These new packages went live on June 9 . There were 7 on-demand courses from last annual meetingth

that went live in May. The cost for on-demand courses and webinars are $15-$30 depending on the

amount of credits that are offered. Also, there will be a membership survey sent out sometime in

September and by January 1, 2013; there will be on universal application. Also, you check facebook

and youtube about this year’s convention and other social events. [Continued on Page 4]

Shannon H. Newman, BSMT (AMT)

Southern District Councillor

HAPPY 60 ANNIVERSARYTH

GSSAMT!

District Councillor’s Message

Meet Your GSSAMT Officers and Board

PresidentDiana Kendrick, RMA, RN320 Shirley RdBarnesville, GA706-472-3896

Vice PresidentPeggy Oiler, MT268 Pine Valley CircleLawrenceville, GA 30045770-981-3848

Editor/Website AdministratorChevy Newham, MT3812 Honeysuckle DrValdosta, GA 31605229-210-1023

SecretaryJosie Florencio, MT3653 Venetian Place SWAtlanta, GA 30331404-402-8377

TreasurerCarletha Durham, MT140 McDowell AveBrunswick, GA 31525912-265-9172

Co-EditorDonna Simmons, MT115 Harmon RdReynolds, GA 31076478-862-5789

Proctoring ChairLinda Domnanovits, RPT, COLT1218 Cabots LaneAuburn, GA 30011770-307-4853

Board MemberBetty Geary, MT310 S. Mission Ridge DrRossville, GA 30741706-866-4055

Editor’s Note

Board Member Marvin Matthews, MT5565 La Fleur TrailLithonia, GA 30038404-274-0244

Hello Everyone,

This newsletter discusses the National Convention held in San Antonio, Texas. These meetings are a great way to stay current and network

with other healthcare professionals. As the only certification organization for our profession which is lead by their members, it is important that

we participate in the functions of our society. It is also vital for the health of our state society to hear from its members to ensure that we are

addressing your needs. As such, be sure to register to attend the fall meeting. This is an important meeting as we will be electing new officers.

Information on accommodations and registration appear in the back of this newsletter.

Be sure to send me any articles or pictures you may want to see in our future newsletters. They can cover conventions, meetings, legislation,

new developments in our fields, or even human interest stories if it is related to our profession. We also have advertising space available. E-mail

these to me at machevytherese_galanida@yahoo.com .

Chevy Newham, MT(AMT)

Editor/Website Administrator

2

Hattie Gallon with MariaGuzman & Dr Paul Brown afterwinning Dusty Rhodes Award.

It was my pleasure to be a

delegate at the 74th Annual National

Convention, which was held in the Lone

Star state of Texas in the beautiful city of

San Antonio at the Hyatt Regency hotel.

A variety of educational sessions

was given. I accrued 10 hours of

continuing education. I enjoyed David

Plaut’s lectures on two different topics:

Laboratory and Kidney Function and

Laboratory Biomarkers that Diagnose and

Monitor Diabetes; however, my favorite

lecture was about Hematoligic

Malignancies presented by Carlos Joseph

Ledesma from Oklahoma City, OK.

The welcome party had a live band that

played rock and roll music. Each attendee

received a cowboy hat of their color

choice (of course I chose white). The

highlight of the convention for me was the

awards banquet. As usual, the southern

district was the big winner.

Congratulations to our award winners: for

the State Society Publication Award,

Chevy Newham, 3 place newsletter; Therd

Writing Award, Maria Cristina Guzman;

2 place; The Pillar Award to Cynthiand

Jones; last but not least, Georgia was on

the Honor Roll State Society.

AMT is still changing. There was

something for everyone. I even had a book

autographed by Dr. Ace Irvin Anglin,

Saving the Diabetic Foot. Georgia was

well represented with 12 delegates. If you

missed this year please join us next year in

Pittsburgh and meet our new President,

Mary Burden.

Carletha Durham (AMT)

Treasurer, GSSAMT

GSSAMT had four members who

shined at the national convention in San

Antonio. Cindy Jones received the Pillar

Award, Chevy Newham received third

place for our newsletter (Peaches and

Peanuts), Maria Guzman won second place

in the student writing category, and long-

time officer, board member, and

mentor Hattie Gallon received the

John "Dusty" Rhodes L.I.F.E

Award given by the Virginia state

society in memory of one of their

most distinguished members.

When her name was announced,

Hattie received a standing ovation

from the attendees at the annual

business meeting.

Congratulations to all our winners.

-Peggy Oiler,BS,MT (AMT)

Vice President GSSAMT

I was one the twelve delegates to

represent GA at the 74 AMT Educationalth

Program in San Antonio this year. There

were positive changes from previous

national meetings I had attended, such as

with credentialing right outside the major

meeting hall and registering at the main

entrance way. The only suggestions I can

make for further improvement would be to

provide a map of the facilities to aid the

attendees in finding the rooms for the

sessions they are attending and providing

an updated program to everyone so that we

would be aware of any changes which had

been made.

We also elected new National and

AMTIE board members, and I believe that

there were many positive changes to the

process. The “meet the candidates” and

voting sessions were improved and less

time consuming. The delegates were given

the time to ask questions and to receive

answers. The voting process appeared to be

smoother than previous years.

The selected hotel and the services

provided were also wonderful. I’m already

making plans for National Convention

2013.

-Rosa M. Searles

The 74 American Medicalth

Technology Educational Program and

National Meeting was held in San

Antonio, Texas.

The meeting was held at the

wonderful Hyatt Regency Hotel on the

Riverwalk. There was a variety of

subjects presented at this meeting. There

seemed to be something for everyone.

The subjects ranged from the size and

shape of cells in Hematology all he way

through how to save a diabetic foot.

One of the greatest moments of

this conference was to witness one of our

distinguished member of the Georgia State

Society, Mrs Hattie Gallon, win the Dusty

Rhodes Award.

This award was granted for her

many years of hard

work and dedication at

both the State and

National level.

San Antonio

was a wonderful city

and the Hyatt Regency

is located one block

from the famous Alamo

and right on the San

Antonio River This was an ideal

location, I had a great time here.

Please make plane to join us for

our 60 Anniversary of the Georgia Stateth

Society September 28 and 29 in Macon,th th

Georgia. I hope to see you there.

-Marvin Matthews (AMT)

Board Member, GSSAMT

I am so grateful for the

opportunity that I got to attend the AMT

National Meeting held in the Lone Star

State. This was my first meeting, and the

experience was great. It was a fun learning

adventure.

I got the opportunity to enrich

my knowledge of medical technology, to

network, and to meet wonderful people

who made me feel really welcome.

Additionally, I am so glad we had the time

to visit The Alamo, which is the top

tourist attraction. We also visited the

Cathedral of San Fernando, the oldest

church of the United States, the Botanical

[continued on page 4]

3

Legislative Alert

Affordable Care Act Upheld

by the US Supreme Court

By Chevy Newham

[Continued from Page

3] Garden, and St

Joseph Church, which is

known as the jewel in

the heart of San

Anto

nio. I

had learned that Texas

was known as the

“friendly state,” and

based on my

experience in that state,

I can confirm the

veracity of that

statement.

Finally, I would like to

add that the choice of

the hotel was excellent.

It was perfectly located

and convenient for all

the activities that we had. Please allow me

to thank Eleanor and Grace for their

enjoyable company and their assistance,

and thanks to everyone who made this trip

possible.

Muchas gracias,

-Maria Guzman (MT)

[District Councillor’s message

continued from Page 1] Next year’s

annual meeting will be July 8-12, 2013 in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Omni

William Penn Hotel. The cost is $119.00

plus 14% taxes (rate valid from July 2-15,

2013). The 2014 meeting will be held in

the Great Lakes District.

Next, I would like to congratulate

the following members in the South for

their time and dedication to AMT: Paul

Brown, MT from Alabama received the

Order of the Golden Microscope; Chris

Seay, MT from Tennessee received the

O.C. “Skip” Skinner Armed Services

Award; Kay Fergason, MT from Florida

received the Cuviello Commitment to

Excellence Award; Patricia Poitier-Sands,

RMA from Florida received the Silver

Service Award; Ray Dean, MT from

North Carolina, Cynthia Jones, MT from

Georgia, Naomi Melvin, MT from

Florida, and Georgia Morrison, MT from

South Carolina for receiving the Pillar

Award; J.D. Lookdoo, MT from Florida

received the Distinguished Achievement

Award; and Harry Narine, MT,RPT from

Trinidad received the Exceptional Merit

Award. Writing award winners were:

Gerald P. Boe, PhD, from South Carolina-

1 place technical award and Alicest

Macomber, RN,RMA, AHI, RPT from

Florida- 1 place in the feature writingst

award and Maria Cristina Guzman, MT

from Georgia- 2 place in the featurend

writing award. Publication awards: 1 Placest

Journal Tennessee- Tenn-O-Scope, Kaye

Tschop, editor and 3 place Newsletter-rd

Georgia- Peaches and Peanuts- Chevy

Newham, editor. Most

Improved

Publication- North

Carolina-Tarheel

Tech- Tommie

Williams, editor and a

special thanks to the

honor roll states and

to the 1 timest

attendees to the

National convention

and I hope to see the

1 timers attend nextst

year for their second

convention.

Let’s not forget the week to

recognize and celebrate the medical

assistants. This year the National Medical

Assistants Week is October 15 -19 .th th

Mary Burden, MT was re-elected

to the National Board and Heather Herring

was elected for the RMA position to the

National Board. Our new officers are Mary

Burden, MT as President, Everett

Bloodworth, MT as Vice-President, Jeff

Lavender as Secretary, and Janet Sesser as

Treasurer. Linda Jones was re-elected to

AMTIE, and new member elected was

Taffy Durfee. The new officers of AMTIE

are Linda Jones, MT as President; Art

Contino, AHI,RMA as Vice-President;

Marty Hinkel, MT as Secretary; and David

Yocum as Treasurer.

Make plans now to attend your

state and national meeting. It’s a great way

to attend a family reunion and still get

continuing education at the same time. I

wish each of my states a great year.

Respectfully submitted,

-Shannon H. Newman, BSMT

AMT Southern District Councillor

Regardless of political ideology, it

cannot be denied that the legislation that

will have the greatest effect on our

profession will be the Affordable Care Act

which was recently upheld by the United

States Supreme Court. Many of the effects

of this law have already gone into effect,

but we will be seeing more parts of the law

implemented in 2013 and 2014.

As the Supreme Court noted, a

large part of this law is actually a form of

taxation. While this, of course, would

affect our profession, it would be difficult

to ascertain the extent that it would do so.

As such, I will talk about some of the

other parts of the law instead.

In 2010 through 2012, we saw

incentives for small employers to provide

health insurance to their employees.

Starting in 2014, large employers will

have to provide insurance to their

employees, and individuals will have to

buy insurance or pay a penalty. It is

reasonably expected that this will increase

the number of people seeking healthcare.

As such, we should expect that the

laboratory will be busier than usual. If

things do not change (by rationing or

some other means of controlling access to

deal with the increased demand) many

hospitals will need to increase their

laboratory facilities. Hopefully, we will

fill our ranks to handle the additional

demands.

I attended my first AMT

convention in 1989 in Chicago. Now 24

years later, the 74 Annual Conventionth

was held July 9-13, 2012 at the Hyatt

Regency Hotel on the Riverwalk in San

Antonio, Texas. If you missed it, you

really missed a great meeting. My many

thanks goes to Diane Powell and all those

at Home Office who worked so hard in

organizing an excellent meeting.

It was a great honor for me to

represent the Georgia State Society as a

delegate. I want to thank the Board and

Members for selecting me. It allowed me

an opportunity to expand my knowledge

in the profession, network, renew

friendships, and meet new friends. I am

so thankful that I was able to attend, and I

acquired 16.5 CEUs.

There were 33 workshops,

Committee Reports, Opening Ceremony

with Prayer, Board of Directors meeting,

daily Registration, coffee breaks, by-laws

changes, Town Hall Session, continental

breakfasts, Award Banquet, Board and

Business Meeting, Armed Service

Committee Meeting with lunch, and The

President’s Reception.

Congratulations to Cindy Jones,

The Pillar Award winner, and Chevy

Newham, the 3 place newsletter awardrd

winner, and all the other National award

winners.

The highlight of the week: When

the Virginia State Society announced that

I was the 2012 Dusty Rhodes award

From Left, Top Row: Cindy Jones, Rosa Searles,Betty Geary, Brenda Adams, Hattie Gallon; From

Left, Bottom Row: Marvin Matthews, MariaGuzman, Eleanor Balauitan., Grace Lee.

4

Dr. McCauley’s RBCMorphology Model

Scientific Article

World Hepatitis Day

By Chevy Newham

winner. I went through many emotions:

denial, surprised, shocked, happy, and

then grateful. I want to thank the Virginia

State Society for selecting me for this

prestigious award.

I hope to see everyone in Pittsburgh

next year. May you have a blessed year.

-Hattie Gallon (MT)

The Seventy-Fourth

American Medical

Technologist Educational

Program and Annual Meeting

were held July 9 - July 13,

2012 at the Hyatt Regency

Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.

The week was filled

with excellent opportunities

to attend seminars, social

activities, meet new friends,

and renew friendships. It was

great to experience some of

San Antonio’s authentic

culture and the beautiful

Riverwalk.

The welcome party on Tuesday

night was a huge success and a lot of fun.

I attended several excellent

seminars. “Leadership and Mentoring”

presented by Joanne Kirschbaum was

interesting. She said mentoring is the

developmental relationship between an

experienced person and a less experienced

person referred to as a protégé, from the

French word for “protected.” The term

“mentor” was inspired by a character in

Homer’s The Odyssey (1178 BC).

Mentor programs strive to create and

promote a positive and healthy work

environment by supporting, teaching, and

encouraging professional and personal

growth. By becoming a mentor, you have

the opportunity to affect the future. You

leave a part of yourself in every one you

mentor: your ideas, ethics, and

professional growth. Mentorship provides

information, guidance, support, advice,

leadership, and assists with knowledge

transfer. The seminar was inspiring.

Congratulations to all award

winners, and best of luck to our new

officers. Thanks to the home office staff

for an excellent job again this year. It was

an honor to serve as a delegate for

GSSAMT.

-Betty Geary, MT

Board Member, GSSAMT

Greetings to AMT members!

San Antonio 2012, this was my

4 year attending the national meeting in ath

row as a delegate. It was a great privilege

for me to enjoy and learn again.

The location of the hotel was in

downtown, yet there was nature all around.

I was able to see ducks, birds, beautiful

flowers, and trees when I went out of the

back door of the hotel. It was a really

relaxing environment. What else could you

want? Despite the relaxing environment, I

still had 23.5 hours Continuing Education

accumulation. I especially

liked the workshop given by Dr.

Georgia McCauley. I taught

myself hematology by reading

books, and the names of

abnormal cells were so

confusing to me. Dr. McCauley

brought Play-Dough for us to

make the different shapes of

cells, and I had a so much fun

learning them. It was not bad

for even adult like me to play

with Play-Dough and learn

something.

Another session I liked

was “Planning and Executing

Validation of a Blood Bank Computer

System.” This was also a workshop, and a

small group activity was given for us.

Some example questions were as follows:

Who enters orders, how are these orders

entered, and how does the blood bank

receive routine and STAT orders? I had

not prepared any validation protocol, and

so I did not know how much we need to

think analytically. This session was a good

experience.

Attending the town hall meeting

and business meeting were very interesting.

People were very well harmonized, and all

decisions were made smoothly.

I am very proud of being a part of

AMT organization. Now I am ready for the

next year’s meeting. How about you?

-Grace Lee (MT)

July 28, 2011 was the first World

Hepatitis Day. It was declared by the

World Health Assembly and President

Barack Obama. While it does not get the

attention that other diseases such as AIDS

and breast cancer get, this disease is a very

real health concern.

Did you know that the leading

cause of liver cancer and cirrhosis in the

world is viral hepatitis? In fact, 1 in 12

people, worldwide, have the disease. This

means 500 million people have this disease.

Hepatitis causes 80% of the world’s liver

cancer. The sad thing is that people can

live for decades with the disease and not

even notice. Of course, there is hope.

Hepatitis B is easily preventable

by means of a vaccine. This virus is

particularly common in Asian and African

countries. Hepatitis C, on the other hand,

does not have a vaccine. However, there

are new treatments which were approved

by the FDA in 2011 that reduces treatment

time and increases the number of people

who are able to clear the virus.

If you know someone who may

be infected, recommend they get tested.

Hepatitis can go completely unnoticed

until liver damage has occurred.

[President’s message continued from

Page 1] Finally, thank you all for your

continued work to make your individual

discipline shine. So many professionals

go to work every day and never stop to

think how they actually promote their

discipline. Your professional work ethic,

your care for the safety and treatment of

the patient, and your continued and

consistent use of knowledge and skill

promote your professional discipline. The

patients you serve every day depend,

expect, and deserve this type of

professionalism. Be the change you want

to see; promote professionalism; let it start

with you.

I’ll see you in Macon for the fall meeting.

God bless, and thank you all.

-Diana Kendrick (MT)

President, GSSAMT

WOW, what a conference!!

The trip was made interesting, by

the fact that I drove to San Antonio, TX

this year. It was fun driving there and

"revisiting" the sites along the way, to

include meeting one of the newest great

nephews in the family. Welcome to the

family, Garrett! I used to drive this route

quite a bit. The interesting part was

seeing how much San Antoio had grown

since I was stationed at Fr. Sam Houston,

TX. I was in the U.S. Army and did my

MOS training (92B10- Medical

Laboratory Assistant) at the Academy of

Health Sciences. You see, this was the

beginning of my career as a Medical

Technologist. A lot has changed!!! The

military branches are combining training

sites, BAMC has grown, and the entire

city has grown tremendously. It was like

seeing everything for the first time again!

The hotel was located right on the

[Continued on page

8]

5

6

7

Ms. Hattie Gallon Biography

Dusty Award Winner 2012

By Chevy Newham

[Continued from page 5]

Riverwalk, and so there

was no lack of restaurants

to go to, shops to visit, and

then the Alamo was in front

of the hotel. Great job

picking the location,

Diane! Diane is from the AMT home

office who heads up the committee to do

the site visits for the locations of the

national meetings.

There were many general

sessions as well as break out sessions for

the continuing education opportunities. I

managed to get 15 CEUs, attend the

business meetings for the national AMT

and AMTIW (American Medical

Technologist Institute of Excellence), as

well as meet the candidates wanting to

serve AMT and AMTIE at the national

level and the Southern District meeting.

The conference was well

attended (385 members) with 47 First

Timers attending this year!

A few things that came up during

the business meeting:

1) Future planning is changing

the meeting organization a bit. The next

meeting will be only four days (Monday

through Thursday).

2) Putting an "Institutional pass"

in play for the convention.

3) Dr. Boe stepped down as the

liaison to CASMET, and they honored

him for all that he has done for them.

Chris Seay will be taking on this role.

4) Board of Directors election

results: MT: Mary Burden and Jeff

Lavender (both re-elected) and the RMA:

Heather Herring (first

term)...Congratulations to all!

5) The home office has asked for

topics for next year for all disciplines, so

please go the website and find out how to

submit ideas and possible speakers if you

know of someone. The goal is to have

educational sessions for each discipline at

each meeting. This is your chance to

influence the schedule.

6) It was the 20 year anniversary

of the very first time that the RPT exam

was given, in Atlanta, GA (7-11-92).

7) Everyone was reminded to

keep your email and home address

current. Mailing of newsletters will be

done only at request, otherwise look at

your websites to keep up to date with what

is going on!

8) Discussion took place

concerning the cost of attending the

national conventions.

9) The by laws were amended to

update that written notice may be

transmitted by regular or e-mail systems.

A items from the AMTIE meeting:

1) The primary role for AMTIE

now is the generating of funds by

fundraisers, corporate level and national

level for grants and scholarships. (The

AMT is responsible for the educational

portion now.)

2) A fundraiser done at this

meeting was the "Jail," and it raised

$606.00. There was a 50/50 fundraiser,

and it brought in $420.00.

3) Nichole Weiss was awarded

the 2nd Timer Grant ($500.00). She is

from California.

4) Two Continued Competency

Awards were given to the general

membership who attended the convention

this year, and the following attendees were

each awarded $500.00: Patrician Dare

(Michigan) and Elizabeth Herd (Arizona).

5) Student Awards: Cuviello

Scholarship Awards totaling $4,500.00

were given to 7 students.

6) Linda Jones and Taffy Durfee

are the new AMTIE Board of Trustee

members.

Awards Night:

GSSAMT: Honor Roll

3rd Place Newsletter:Chevy Newham,

Editor

Pillar Award: Cynthia (Cindy) Jones

Dusty Rhodes Award: Hattie Gallon

I would like to thank the

GSSAMT for submitting my name for the

Pillar Award. It is an honor to receive this

award, and I greatly appreciate my state

society for thinking of me in this way.

Hattie was so shocked at surprised

when her name was announced for the

Dusty Rhodes Award! This is an award

given by the Virginia State Society.

It is nice to see that GSSAMT

continues to be placed on the Honor Roll.

There is a lot of work by the state society's

elected officers and Board of Directors to

qualify for this honor. Thank you for all

the hard work!

I would also like to mention that

Paul Brown, from the Alabama State

Society, was awarded the Order of the

Golden Microscope Award! This is the

highest award that is bestowed by the

AMT, CONGRATULATIONS, Paul!!!

The 75th AMT Educational

Program and National Meeting will be held

in Pittsburgh, PA on July 8-12, 2013 at the

Omni William Penn Hotel Mark your

calendars now!!!

Respectfully submitted,

Cindy Jones, MT

Ms. Hattie Gallon graduated

Valedictorian in 1961 in Heflin, Alabama.

In 1976, she graduated as a Lab

Technician from the Atlanta Medical and

Dental Careers in Atlanta, Georgia. She

received her Associates Degree in 1999

from St. Leo University in Fort Pherson,

Georgia with a major in Religion.

Hattie Gallon received her AMT

certification in 1977. She has been active

in the Georgia State Society for 28 years.

During her time in the GSSAMT, she has

served as Vice President from 1986 to

1988, President from 1988 to 1990, and

Secretary 1990 to 2011. GSSAMT has

rewarded her efforts, and she has been the

recipient of the

Certificate of Merit

for 1987 and 2007,

Technologist of the

Year, 1996,

Appreciation Award

for 2009, and an

Appreciation Award

for 21 years serving

as Secretary in

2011. She has also

served on several

state committees.

She served on the Scientific Committee

from 1987 to 1990, the Membership

Committee from 1988 to 1990, the

Proctoring Committee from 1991 to 1994,

the Legislative Committee from 1992 to

1995 and from 1997 to 2004, and the

Awards Committee for nine years.

In addition to her 28 years of

service at the state level, she has served at

the national level for 23 years. During

that time, she has earned the Distinguished

Achievement Award (1989), Exceptional

Merit Award (2003), Letters of

Commendation (1991 to 1996), the Pillar

Award (2007), and the O.C. “Skip”

Skinner Award (2008). She has served

on several national committees including:

Resolution Committee (1989, 1990, and

2002), Lab Week Coordinator (1988 to

1990), Job Information Chair (1991 to

1997), Nominating Committee (1992),

Proctoring Committee (1999 to 2000),

Uniformed Service Chair (2000 to 2002),

Uniformed Service Committee (1989 to

2012), Speaker/Scientific Committee

(2004), and the Scholarship Committee

(2007 to 2011).

Ms. Hattie Gallon

8

In addition to her many duties

and honors, Ms. Hattie Gallon has written

several articles as a delegate for

GSSAMT. She has also written a couple

of articles for Uniformed Service

Committee.

Ms. Hattie retired in August 2005

after serving 20 years in the Naval

Reserves. She worked in laboratories in

the USA and abroad. While she was

working, her main concern was to tell

active duty sailors about AMT and how

they could become certified and the

consequences if they were not certified by

their discharge date.

At the 2012 National

Convention, Ms. Hattie was honored with

the Dusty Rhodes Award. I don’t think

there could be anyone more deserving.

Location! Location!

Location! The San Antonio Hyatt Regency

Hotel on the Riverwalk, the perfect

location for the 74th Annual Convention

for the American Medical

Technologist. This year, the convention

was very special. Diane Wanks, my co-

workers of five years, came as a first-

timer. I was trilled and thought that my

going back to work talking about all the

fun, the classes, and the speakers was the

contributing factor for her to attend, but

no... it was the LOCATION! San

Antonio, Texas. Great job Texas.

Meeting Mimi Roush, a member

of 59 years, was awesome. She greeted us

in the hotel lobby with a big, warm

smile that set the tone for a

great convention. My congratulations goes

out to our Georgia society for being a

Honor Roll State and to our winners this

year: Hattie Gallon, Chevy

Newham, Cynthia Jones, and Maria

Guzman. See you all in Macon September

28-29, 2012 for our 60th Anniversary.

Diane Adams, MLT (AMT)

My Experience in the USA

I am writing to share my

personal experience as a Medical

Technologist in this country, how

I became certified and how life

has shown me a plethora of

opportunities in this foreign

country. Everything I have

obtained so far is due to my

dedication, responsibility, enthusiasm,

alacrity, and self-assurance.

I graduated from the Bacteriology

department of a prestigious University in

Bogota, Colombia, and I received a diploma

in Blood Bank and Blood Transfusion. One

day, I decided leave the nest and come to the

USA to look for better opportunities and to

continue my education.

In the U.S., I had the opportunity to

attend a workshop in Miami about

revalidation of foreign qualifications. This

workshop was valuable and helped people in

different areas. It was my first step in getting

my certification. In this workshop, I learned

that in most careers, one only needs to

complete a process, evaluate credentials,

perform tests, and obtain a license or

certification. My process started with the

evaluation of my credentials. I obtained a

Bachelor in Science that is equivalent to one

obtained in a U.S. institution. The second

step was to look for institutions where I could

get my Medical Technologist License. I

discovered AMT, and I came across a nice

woman from Puerto Rico who guided me

during the entire process. Many people have

misconceptions about this process. They

think that it is impossible to continue with

their previous experience, or that you have to

pay a lot of money, or they feel afraid just

because of the language barrier. I did not

feel that way. I compiled all the required

paperwork such as: experience, transcripts,

and diplomas. Meanwhile, I was studying

English and preparing for my certification

exam. After I submitted my paperwork, AMT

sent me an acceptance letter in order to take

my exam. Additionally, I bought some great

material and I continued to prepare for the

exam.

After I obtained my AMT

certification, my next step was to look for my

dream job. I volunteered in some hospitals

and in a research laboratory. Those places

were my motivation to keep looking and to

accomplish all my dreams. I learned how to

write an American resume, which is

completely different from how I used to write

in my country. I learned how to handle

interviews. I started to look for a job in many

places, and after hard work I found my

current part- time job. I love what I am

currently doing. I have been learning

many things and have accomplished a

lot.

My dream is to become a full-

time employee in this great company,

where I have learned that quality,

e x c e l l e n c e , a n d c o n t i n u o u s

improvement are my way to get the

work done well. I am so thankful for

this great opportunity and for the quality of

the employees. I think my experience,

knowledge, and eagerness to improve have

taken me to a higher level. Also, it has been

nice to meet people from different countries.

Although we have differences, it is amazing

how I can learn something new every day.

Besides this great opportunity, I have

enjoyed being part of GSSAMT (AMT

Georgia State Society). They have been

helping me to complete my Continuing

Education requirements. I have attended

nice workshops, and now my biggest dream

is to attend the National Convention in San

Antonio, Texas, since the headquarters of

my company are located in the same state,

and because of all the famous facts about

the city such as being the seventh largest in

the United States. It is difficult to think

about this event when you are a student

working part-time.

Finally, this country has changed

my life in all the realms, but mainly in my

career. I have learned that nothing is

impossible and that everything depends on

you. I will never forget the words of the

actor played by Will Smith in The Pursuit

of Happiness. Talking to his son, he said:

“Do not let anybody tell you, even me, that

you cannot do something, if you have a

dream you have to protect it.” I have kept

those words as my inspiration.

Although, I have experienced

culture shock, I have learned that this

country open doors to those who are willing

to work hard. I miss my family and I have

felt homesick. However, I know my family

is happy to see how difficult situations have

helped me to become a stronger person.

After I have been working so hard, it has

paid off with a healthy life, excellent

friends, family, the opportunity to continue

my studies and an excellent job. I think

education never ends. Every day is a

learning process in my life, and I am

committed to being a lifetime learner.

-Maria Guzman, MT (AMT)

WHAT A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE!

The 74 AMT Educational Programth

and Annual Meeting in San Antonio,

Texas last July 9th to 14 , 2012 was theth

best so far I have experienced. This was

only my third time and hopefully not my

last.

I attended all the sessions and

accrued 23.5 continuing education hours.

The best session I attended was “Being

Professional Takes More Than a

Certificate” by E. Hope Ruiz,PhD. She

emphasized that being a professional takes

a lot of hard work. You have to work as

expected and be eager to do more than the

bare minimum, be extremely engaged in

your work, to your co-workers, and to the

growth of your organization.

[Continued on page 10]

Feature Writing

9

Professionals conduct themselves in a

manner that reflects a positive attitude to

their colleagues, the workplace, and their

profession as a whole. A professional

should be pleasant, positive, prepared,

disciplined, and knowledgeable.

I had enjoyed the Awards Banquet

and Convocation that Thursday night July

12, 2012. The food was superb.

Congratulations to our very own Maria

Guzman who won second place for

Writing Awards. Her topic was her

experience in the USA. My best wishes to

Cynthia Jones for receiving the Pillar

Award. And, of course, nonetheless to my

dear friend and mentor Hattie Gallon for

receiving the most coveted Dusty Award

during the AMT Annual Business

Meeting.

My sincere gratitude to our

President Diana Kendrick for giving me

the opportunity to serve as a delegate. My

thanks to Peggy Oiler for being

a good leader, mentor, and

sharing all her good

experiences with the AMT. I

salute you. To Grace Lee and

Maria Guzman for sharing the

joy of friendship and

camaraderie during my stay at

Hyatt Regency Hotel in San

Antonio. Those enjoyable and

precious moments will never be

forgotten.

Respectfully submitted,

Eleanor E. Balauitan, MT, RMA

It was yet another successful,

education-filled American Medical

Technologists 74 Educational Programth

and Annual Meeting. This year, the

convention was held in the nation’s 7 th

largest city, San Antonio, Texas. The

vibrancy of the city

with its proud

history makes San

Antonio the best

place to have a

week-long of

learning, fellowship

and fun.

A total of

385 attendees were

present and the

convention offered close to 60 hours of

continuing education. In one of the

workshops entitled, “Anemia and RBC

Morphology: Signs of the Kinds!,”

speaker Georgia McCauley did a good job

in presenting the lecture wherein attendees

had fun re-creating the different RBC

morphologies using Play-Doh models. In

another session entitled, “The Laboratory

and Kidney Function,” the ever comical

but very thorough speaker David Plaut,

discussed the current methods to assess

kidney function. Mr. Plaut stressed that

when measuring GFR, the test cystatin-C

was diagnostically superior than

creatinine because it is independent of

non-renal factors such as sex, age and

body weight.

The convention is not without

fun and relaxation. Attendees were

treated to an awesome Welcome Party

and an Awards banquet complete with

good food, lots of prizes and good

company. Being able to attend an AMT

National convention is like attending a

huge family reunion each year. AMT

prides itself in being the premier

certification and membership

organization for allied health

professionals. I would encourage

everyone to attend next year’s convention

in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. See you all

there!

Chevy Newham, MT (AMT)

Editor, GSSAMT

If you haven’t gotten a Georgia

State pin yet, it’s not too late! You can

get your very own pin at the 60 th

Anniversary GSSAMT Meeting

September 27-29, 2012 for only $5! This

is too good of a deal to pass up!

Welcome Party (R to L): Betty Geary,Carletha Durham, and Chevy Newham

10

Georgia State Society American Medical Technologists

GSSAMT 60 Anniversary - Fall Meetingth

Holiday Inn North3953 River Place Drive, Macon, GA 31210; Phone (478)803-8200

Thursday, September 27, 2012

08:00 PM - 10:00 PM GSSAMT Board of Directors Meting

Friday, September, 28, 2012

07:30 AM - 08:00 AM Meeting Registration

08:00 AM - 09:30 PM Welcome - Diana Kendrick, RMA(AMT) 09-001-12

Keynote Address: AMT Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

09:30 AM - 09:45 AM Break

09:45 AM - 11:00 AM Neglected Infections of Poverty; Roxann Clifton, MT (AMT) 09-002-12

11:00 AM - 12:00 Noon Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia: Conundrums, Controversies, 09-003-12

And Answers; Dr. Anne M. Winkler

12:00 Noon - 01:30 PM Lunch (included)

01:30 PM - 02:30 PM PPE, Use; MLT Students: Miller-Motte College 09-004-12

02:30 PM - 02:45 PM Break

02:45 PM - 04:00 PM CMLA Scope of Practice; Barbara Ware, MT (AMT) 09-005-12

04:15 PM - 05:45 PM GSSAMT Business Meeting

07:00 PM - 10:00 PM GSSAMT 60 Anniversary Partyth

Saturday, September 29, 2012

07:30 AM - 08:00 AM Meeting Registration

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM My Bucket Has a Hole in IT; Barbar Ware, MT(AMT) 09-006-12

09:00 AM - 10:00 AM The Correct Specimen - Why Specimen Integrity is Important; Dr. Thomas E. Burgess 09-007-12

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM Break

10:15 AM - 11:30 AM Medical Ethics-Ethical Issues in the Medical Field; Angela Jackson 09-008-12

11:30 AM - 01:00 PM Lunch (included)

01:00 PM - 02:30 PM Bariatric Surgery; Janet Yandow, RN 09-009-12

02:30 PM - 02:45 PM Break

02:45 PM - 04:30 PM Laboratory Diagnosis of Hemoglobinopathies; Dr. Thomas E. Burgess 09-010-12

04:30 PM - 05:30 PM Lab Rats No More: Interacting with Others in the Healthcare Field; Connie Ennis, MT 09-011-12

Note: Program subject to change without notice.

HOLIDAY INN NORTH; 3953 RIVER PLACE DRIVE, MACON, GA 31210

Tel. No. (478) 803-8200 Mention GSSAMT for special room rate. Room rate is $89 + tax (Single/Double) or $109+ tax (Suite) per night at

time of check-in. All rooms have coffee maker, refrigerator, and microwave. Complimentary breakfast served for all hotel guest. Reservation

deadline: September 13, 2012. Directions: I75 Exit 169 (Arkwright Rd), Go east to first street on right (River PL Dr), Hotel on Left.

Registration Rates before September 14, 2012: Full Package - $30 ($10 for Students). One Day $20 (5 for Students).

Registration Rates after September 13, 2012: Full Package - $40 ($15 for Students). One Day $25 (10 for Students).

No refunds after September 13, 2012. Make checks payable to GSSAMT. Mail checks or money order with information below to GSSAMT

Treasurer, Carletha Durham, MT, 140 McDowell Ave, Brunswick, GA 31525

Circle Discipline(s): RMA RPT CMAS RDA MT MLT COLT AHI Other __________________________

Name: _________________________________________________________ AMT ID Number: _______________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________ State: ___________________________ Zip Code: ________________________

Email Address: ________________________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________

13

Georgia State Society

Chevy NewhamGSSAMT Editor3812 Honeysuckle DriveValdosta, GA 31605

Scenes from Georgia

Be sure to frequent the beauty that isGeorgia. See the lovely ProvidenceCanyon state park in Lumpkin, GA. Enjoyhiking, camping, or stargazing at thisunique state park. Photo courtesy ofgastateparks.org.