The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) is the professional association of medical directors and physicians practicing in the long-term care continuum, dedicated to excellence in patient care by providing education, advocacy, information, and professional development. In addition, its Foundation offers the annual Futures Program, which has already been discussed in a previous issue of this newsletter. And, the American Medical Directors Certification Program provides an added value to physicians who choose the career path of medical direction.
Why Choose to be a Medical Director?
The statistics about our aging population and the rising need for care throughout the long term care continuum are well documented in both medical and public literature. Specialization in geriatric medicine creates a strong background to consider a career as medical director. Medical direction is a challenging and richly rewarding endeavor. And, there is a huge need for physicians who are knowledgeable in the areas of management. As the face of long term care changes with shifts in our senior population and in the demands for various types of care settings, the possibilities are boundless for making a difference in the care of the largest growing social segment of the US. Creative strategies will be needed to move long term care to meet those needs. Assisted living facilities, the steady growth of Programs for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), and the emergence of Continuing Care Retirement Communities and other innovations in approaches to long term care broaden the scope of service and need for consistency in systems and management. The majority of medical directors also serve as the attending physicians for many of the patients in their facilities. Medical directors maintain their clinical practices and relationships to patients and their families in a very meaningful way. You can be a part of the vanguard of professionals who make the difference in the quality of life and in quality care in long term care settings.
Why CMD?
The American Medical Directors Certification Program (AMDCP or Program) was established in 1991 to define the core skills and knowledge necessary to be effective medical directors. The Program recognizes the dual clinical and management roles of medical direction and requires evidence of competencies in both areas of education.
The regulatory environment stemming from OBRA '87 and recent clarification of the role and responsibilities of medical directors through amended F-tag 501 have fortified the need for trained, confident medical directors. Since there is no residency or fellowship training program to prepare for the role of medical director, AMDA has created the Core Curriculum on Medical Direction (Core). Throughout the past several years, increasing numbers of physicians who have completed geriatric fellowships have taken the Core to learn the scope of the job as well as strategies for accomplishing it.
The experience of AMDA CMDs described below, show how the CMD has added value to their experience as medical directors. From directors who work for small nursing home chains:
Our input into corporate decisions is more respected than similar colleagues, in good part because of our CMDs. It is indicative of our interest and passion for quality, the resident's best interest, and our LTC career goals. The CMD credential adds to our credibility in the areas of improving quality on personal, resident, facility or cultural levels. In acknowledgement of the value of the CMD, my facility pays for my attendance to AMDA's Annual Symposium, and looks forward to the information that I bring back. I have received salary increases as my involvement in LTC increases. The CMD by itself is not the goal or the means to an end. Rather it is the work and commitment behind it, the indication of the desire to learn and improve oneself and care of the residents, that makes the CMD valuable.
Relationship with DONs and administrators of the LTC facilities are improved, and I have gained more respect not only from them but from employees of the facilities as well.
If continuing in academia is in your career sights, the CMD can add value there as well:
As director of a geriatric fellowship, I have emphasized the importance of AMDA and CMD certification to my trainees, since they will be nursing home directors in the future. They have come to appreciate AMDA as their vehicle for expression in this area and are in various stages of pursuing certification. Our residency contributes medical directors to two LTCFs, and a home health Medicaid waiver program, using all three sites as teaching opportunities. CMD certification has no doubt given a competitive edge to attain and sustain these directorships.
As you consider your future career path, the position of medical director provides challenges in both clinical and management areas of expertise. It provides opportunities to be innovative and create systems and strategies for improved care. The AMDA CMD credential reinforces the leadership role of the medical director in providing quality care and provides an indicator of professional competence to long term care providers, government and other quality assurance agencies, patients, and the general public.
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