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History of the Illinois Society of Medical
Assistant (ISMA)
Discussion started in
1951 with the Adams County Medical Secretaries and Assistants of Quincy,
Illinois with the encouragement of their physician employers. But it
wasn’t until 1955 when a group met after attending a Professional
Management Course that it was decided to meet regularly to exchange ideas
and discuss the possibility of establishing a State and National
organization of medical assistants.
During a meeting held in
Springfield, Illinois in 1955 it was learned that a national meeting was
scheduled for October 1956 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Many Illinois medical
assistants attended this meeting and from it representation, Illinois
became a charter society of the American Association of Medical Assistants
(AAMA).
At the inception of the
AAMA, the physician employers were very involved with their own medical
societies and encouraged the formation of the AAMA; therefore the AAMA
established a prerequisite that approval from a county or state medical
society was necessary to form a local or state medical assistant chapter.
In 1956, the first
chapter society was formed – Chicago Medical Assistants Association.
Note: This chapter formed prior to the formation of the state society.
In 1958, the Illinois
Society Medical Society formally approved the establishment of the
“Illinois State Medical Secretaries and Assistants Association”. A short
time later, the name was changed to the Illinois State Association.
The annual dues were $15.00, which included State and National dues,
plus $2.00 for chapter dues.
Over the last 50 years
there have been many changes for the ISMA and the AAMA, but the one
constant remains the same. The organization was designed to help
dedicated professionals reach higher goals both professionally and
personally though commitment, care and the credentialing standards.
As the organization
continues to meet the educational and professional challenges before us,
the ISMA, with the AAMA, and your local chapters ask you to join us to
help bring recognition to the Certified Medical Assistant as a vital member
of the health care team.
A few things you may not
have known about the ISMA.
- The yearly convention used to be a
week long and several of the evening events required the attendees to
dress in ball gowns.
- At the beginning of the ISMA, most
physicians not only were in favor of the organization but were active as
advisors and paid their employees to attend the events.
- At one time had 20+ local chapters.
- Had an ISMA pin patch go into orbit
on the space shuttle Atlantis in 2002, carried by Astronaut Sandra Hall
Magnus, daughter of Rose Hall, BS, RN, CMA-C SIRMA chapter member.
So get involved and be a part of the history
of the
ISMA!!
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