Learn about American Medical Association (AMA)

The American Medical Association founded in 1847, and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of providers- both MDs and Dos- and medical students in the US. 

The association’s main goal is “to advance the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.” 

Role of the American Medical Association (AMA)

The role of the American Medical Association (AMA) includes setting standards for medical ethics, education, and practice, acquiring, integrating, and publicizing information about health and medical practice, and being an influence as a whole for the patients and providers.

Significant things to learn about AMA

The following are some of the significant things to learn about AMA.

1.The AMA is one of the oldest, largest, and longest-standing medical associations in the US: The AMA was established in 1847 by Nathan Smith Davis, a provider who was serving in the New York Medical Society and proposed establishing a national medical association. Dr. Davis accepted his Doctor of Medicine degree at the age of 20 from the Medical College of Western New York. All his professional life, Dr. Davis went to 47 of the initial 50 yearly AMA meetings, serving as president from 1864-1865. He was likewise named the first editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1883. Today, the AMA awards the “Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service” recognizing elected officials and government employees committed to contributing to the betterment of public health.

2.Although it is one of the largest associations for U.S. providers, less than one-third of providers are members of the AMA: The AMA’s House of Delegates, the legislative body of the AMA, represents more than 185 outside provider groups. However, according to the AMA, only 30 percent of American providers, or approximately 300,000, are members of the association. 

3.The gap between medical education and meeting the future necessities of healthcare is widening, and AMA is taking the initiative to fix it: The AMA’s Initiative to Transform Medical Education focuses around changing the medical education environment, including requirements for medical school admission and provider re-entry. In 2013, the AMA launched an $11 million competitive grant initiative for medical schools to develop new methods for assessing provider competency, promote exemplary methods to achieve patient safety and provider performance, improve the understanding of the overall healthcare system during training and optimize the learning environment. The five-year initiative hopes to lead to shared best practices and improved medical education to advance clinical excellence for the generations of providers to come.

4.The AMA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the AMA, offering monetary help to advance public health and medical education: Since its creation in 1950, the AMA Foundation has given more than $60 million in grants and more than $40 million in grants to medical students, public health initiatives and organizations. In 1962, the AMA Foundation laid out the Student Loan Guarantee Program, giving low-cost loans to medical students, interns, and residents. Medical education support has, from that point forward, developed to incorporate grants for minorities, academic excellence, need-based students, and a research grant program. In terms of public health, the AMA grants organizations to carry out educational programs and provider-led clinics for underserved, vulnerable populations.