Did you know that AAMA presents awards of excellence and distinction to the hard working members of AAMA? Many of these awards are given to state societies for recruiting and retaining members, but there are also some very special awards of distinction that can be earned by individual members from our state.
OSMA has many deserving members that have earned these awards in the past and many more members that are deserving of these awards. So, how do members earn these awards? The first step is to be nominated by someone in your state society. It is now the responsibility of the OSMA Past Presidents Council to submit award applications for these National Awards of Distinction. In order to honor our wonderful members, they must be nominated and there is a lengthy award application that must be completed on the member’s behalf. This article is being written to summarize the three individual National Awards of Distinction and list the qualifications for each award. If you know of any member you feel is deserving of one of these awards, please let the PPC know and we will work on an award application for that member if they are qualified. There is no greater honor than to be the recipient of a National Award of Distinction. These are the National Awards of Distinction:
1. The Spirit of Medical Assisting Award – This is the AAMA award that is given to a member that has gone above and beyond to promote the profession of medical assisting at the local, state and national level. The recipient of this award has demonstrated the true qualities of a certified medical assistant and has promoted that profession to others through their work and volunteerism.
2. The Leadership and Mentoring Award – This award is presented to the member that has worked tirelessly for AAMA and has dedicated many hours of work for AAMA, as well as their local and state societies, as a volunteer and has served as a mentor to his or her fellow medical assistants through volunteer work.
3. The Golden Apple Award – This award is given to the member that has promoted the profession through education. This is given to a medical assisting instructor that has given of himself or herself to the students to provide the best educational experience possible. This person should have also contributed in some way to the publication of a medical assisting textbook.
This summarizes the National Awards of Distinction that are given to AAMA members from across the country. If you think you know of anyone that is deserving of one of these awards, please contact the OSMA PPC and let us know. We will evaluate the candidate’s qualification and submit all qualified candidates to AAMA for consideration for these awards. We don’t want to miss any of our qualified candidates!
Kathy Puckett, CMA (AAMA)
OSMA Immediate Past President
Chair of the Past Presidents Council