Integrity

Authenticity is one of my three words for this year. For me, it’s really synonymous with the word integrity. It simply means being up front in all you do, being honest and doing things ethically. Sounds simple, right? I often wonder if the concept is so simple why our industry seems to be so challenged with it.

A few things this past weekend have brought this to mind. First, an email from a reader asking about a recent article about medical transcription and overtime pay. In that, the reader shared that they had worked for an employer some time ago where they were told they must do mandatory overtime, but it wouldn’t be paid at an overtime rate, just straight pay. I wish I could say I was surprised that this still happens, but I’m not. I hope that person takes a stand for themselves and contacts the right government offices to see that this is corrected. It’s more that unethical, it’s illegal.

The other thing was a discussion with a friend about the upcoming proposed changed in AHDI. She had attended a meeting where they were told to be “careful” what you read on blogs because the information that’s out there isn’t all true. I have to say so far I haven’t seen that and we sure haven’t had that here. If there is incorrect information, why not work with an author to correct it instead of disparaging someone’s work at a public meeting? It’s about just telling things as they are and being willing to address things in an up front manner. The other question my friend posed is why no one is talking about the downside of the proposed changes. She feels that would allow her to make a more informed decision. I agree. Only with full information can we do that.

Much was written in blogs last week about the professional association for medical transcriptionists, AHDI, having an identity crisis, not really knowing whether they representing the integrity of documentation or the medical transcriptionist. I think that comes from confusing messages and it does create confusion among those who try to figure it out. I also think if we stay focused on our mission, whether it’s an organization or an individual, it makes things so much easier to stay on track.

I believe that operating without authenticity or integrity can lead to eventual derailment. It simply isn’t something that can carry on forever without some consequences. I’ve seen it in both professional and personal lives and it’s always sad to watch.

This week will be a series of articles on the recent survey conducted with medical transcriptionists about the state of the industry. Some of the results may surprise you, some may not. In the end, they will be reported with authenticity and I hope they will lead to some great discussions.

How about you? Have you seen great examples of integrity, or ones where the lack of integrity ended badly?