The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) met in Salt Lake City, Utah, for its 62nd Annual Conference.
Monica Case, CMA (AAMA), was installed as the 2018–2020 AAMA Vice Speaker of the House.
In this capacity, a resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, represents medical assistants and CMAs (AAMA) across the nation. Medical assisting is one of the nation’s careers growing much faster than the average for all occupations, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Medical assistants work in outpatient health care settings. Employers are seeking and recruiting these allied health professionals because of their uniquely diverse clinical and administrative patient-centered training.
Vice Speaker of the House Case states, “It is truly an honor and privilege to serve this association and the medical assisting profession during a time when innovations in health care are continually evolving. The CMA (AAMA) sets the bar for medical assisting excellence and plays a vital part in delivering quality health care while ensuring patient safety.”
Case brings a great deal of experience to her office. She graduated from the medical assisting program of Chattanooga State Community College in 1987 and is currently serving on the advisory board. Case has been a practicing CMA (AAMA) since 1989. For the past 27 years, she’s been employed by Chattanooga Family Practice working directly for Robert Drake, MD, as section leader.
Case has served in many capacities for the AAMA, including as a member of the Leadership Development Strategy Team; Partnership and Assessment-Based Certificate task forces; and Strategic Issues Planning, Maxine Williams Scholarship, Research and Development, Awards, Nominating, and Constituent Societies committees. Case has also been a delegate to the AAMA Annual Conference and president of the Tennessee Society of Medical Assistants and the Chattanooga Chapter of Medical Assistants.
The Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA)—or CMA (AAMA)—credential represents a medical assistant who has been credentialed through the Certifying Board (CB) of the AAMA. The CB of the AAMA was awarded accreditation by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) under ISO/IEC Standard 17024:2012, the global benchmark for personnel certification bodies, thus ensuring the CMA (AAMA) represents a world-class certification. The CMA (AAMA) Certification Program remains accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)—an accrediting arm of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE).
Consequently, the CB and its CMA (AAMA) Certification Program are the only medical assisting certifying body and certification program (respectively) that hold accreditation under both IAS and the NCCA. A rigorous credential, the CMA (AAMA) is the only certification that requires postsecondary education. Only candidates who graduate from an accredited postsecondary medical assisting program are eligible to sit for the CMA (AAMA) Certification Examination. It is the only medical assisting exam that uses the National Board of Medical Examiners—responsible for many national examinations for physicians—to construct and administer the exam.
As a result, the reliability and validity of the CMA (AAMA) credential are of the highest order. Certification status is a matter of public record and may be released. Every day the AAMA responds to more than 100 employer requests for CMA (AAMA) certification verification—for both current and potential employees. The mission of the American Association of Medical Assistants is to provide the medical assistant professional with education, certification, credential acknowledgment, networking opportunities, scope-of-practice protection, and advocacy for quality patient-centered health care.