Reinforcing our Commitment

At this year's conference, we will be reviewing and revising our bylaws.  The bylaws below are the most current version, by clicking HERE you will see the proposed revisions.  

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IdSMA Bylaws

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We are very excited to announce the 2023 Bylaws review.  Please click HERE for the new document.

Idaho Society of Medical Assistants (IDSMA)

BYLAWS

Revisions made: 10/93, 08/96, 09/98, 06/99, 11/02, 12/03, 01/05, 01/07, 03/13

MISSION STATEMENT

The purpose of the Idaho Society of Medical Assistants (IDSMA) is to enable medical assisting professionals to enhance and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and professionalism required by employers and patients; protect medical assistants’ right to practice; and promote effective, efficient health care delivery through optional use of multi-skilled Certified Medical Assistants (CMAs).

ARTICLE I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be Idaho Society of Medical Assistants, hereinafter known as ISMA.  ISMA is an affiliate of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

The purpose of the Idaho Society of Medical Assistants is to enable medical assisting professionals to enhance and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and professionalism required by employers and patients; protect medical assistants’ right to practice; and promote effective, efficient health care delivery through optimal use of multi-skilled Certified Medical Assistants [CMA (AAMA)].

ARTICLE III – OBJECTIVES

The objective of IDSMA is to inspire its members to give: honest, loyal and efficient service to the medical profession and to the public which they serve; strive at all times to cooperate with the medical profession; in improving public relations; provide educational service; increase the knowledge and professionalism of its members; stimulate a feeling of fellowship and cooperation among its chapters; encourage and assist all unorganized medical assistants in forming local chapters.

ARTICLE IV – ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY

The IDSMA is hereby declared to be nonprofit.  It is not, nor shall it ever become a trade union or collective bargaining agency.  No person otherwise qualified for membership in this Association will be denied membership.  No person who participates in the activities of organizations whose purpose is to overthrow the government of the United States shall be a member of IDSMA.

Article V – Constituent Societies

Constituent society bylaws must be in strict conformity with the mandated sections of the AAMA bylaws:  Name and affiliation, Purpose, Organizational Policy, Membership, Dues, Reciprocity of Membership, Delegates/Alternates representation to the House of Delegates, Dissolution. It will be the responsibility of the AAMA to notify constituent societies to make the mandated changes with copies of revised bylaws returned to AAMA within 30 days of notification.  Any action taken by state society that is inconsistent with such mandated language shall immediately be null and void and of no effect. (Refer to AAMA Bylaws 2011-2012 Article IV, Section 7, 3rd Paragraph).

Article VI – Component Chapters

Component chapters are those county or district chapters of medical assistants within the geographic limits of the society.  They shall be under the jurisdiction of the society.

Article VII – Membership

SECTION 1. Classes

There shall be eight classes of membership; active, life, sustaining, associate, student, honorary, affiliate, and member at large.

A.        Membership in a constituent society and AAMA shall be required for all classes except honorary.

B.        No other membership or quasi-membership classes shall be permitted by a component chapter or constituent society.

C.        Honorary membership in a constituent society does not transfer to the national level.

SECTION 2. Qualifications

A.        Active – An active member shall be one of the following:

1.         An AAMA-Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) whose CMA (AAMA) credential has not been revoked as provided by the AAMA Certifying Board Disciplinary

Standards and Procedures for CMA (AAMA).

2.         Anyone who was an active member on December 31, 1987 and who maintains continuous active membership. (Continuous active membership shall be defined as having dues postmarked to the Executive Office by December31.)

B.        Life– A life member shall be an active member who has had life membership conferred by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board for outstanding service to the Association.  Only one life membership may be conferred in any year.  Nominations with supporting documentation, submitted to the Executive Board at least sixty (60) days in advance to the Annual Meeting, may be made by the component chapters or by a member of the Executive Board.

C.        Sustaining – Anyone who has been an active or associate member for at least two years who has retired from medical assisting is eligible for sustaining membership.  This membership shall be forfeited if not renewed annually.

D.        Associate – An associate member shall be a medical assistant who is not yet an CMA (AAMA), and who does not fall under any other category.

E.        Student – A student member:

1. Shall be enrolled in a medical assisting program;

2. Shall carry a minimum of six (6) contact hours per week per term;

3. May retain membership for one additional dues year after graduation if active or associate membership is not chosen;

4. Shall be limited to a maximum of three (3) years as a student member;

5. Upon receipt of CMA (AAMA) credential, an individual then becomes an active member and is therefore not student status.

F.         Honorary – An honorary member shall be one who is not eligible for active membership but has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of medical assisting and/or IDSMA.  Honorary membership is conferred by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board of ISMA.  No more that two honorary memberships may be conferred in any year.  Nominations with supporting documentation, submitted to the Executive Board at least sixty (60) days in advance of the Annual Meeting, may be made by the society and/or component chapters or by a member of the Executive Board.

G.        Affiliate– An affiliate member shall be one who is not eligible for another category of membership but who is interested in the profession of medical assisting.

H.        Member at Large – A member at large is one who meets all the qualifications of active, life, sustaining, associate, student, honorary and affiliate except that a component chapter does not exist in the area of residence.  Such a member shall pay only state and national dues.

SECTION 3. Privileges

1.         Active and life members who are CMA (AAMA) holding current status are eligible to serve as officers.  Any active or life member may serve as a delegate and or alternate and or committee chair. This excludes status of student members.

All Students:

2.         a.  With current AAMA membership shall be allowed to vote.

b. Shall be eligible to serve on a standing committee.

c. Shall not be eligible to hold office or serve as a delegate.

SECTION 4. Revocation

Any member who has had their CMA credential revoked by the Certifying Board as provided by the AAMA Certifying Board Disciplinary Standards and Procedures for the CMA (AAMA) will immediately lose their membership and all privileges attached thereto and shall not be allowed reinstate-ment, unless the revocation of the credential is rescinded by the Certifying Board.  No refunds of any dues amount paid will be made.

Article VIII – DUES

SECTION 1.  Annual dues for all classes of IDSMA members shall be fixed by the Executive Board.  Dues shall become due and payable by November 1st and shall be delinquent if not postmarked by December 31st.

A.        Full dues will be assessed for active, associated, and members-at-large.

B.        Half-dues will be assessed for sustaining members.

C.        Student member’s dues are determined by the AAMA and House of Delegates. The State does not collect any additional dues from the students.

D.        Life and honorary members are not required to pay dues.

SECTION 2.  Dues for a new member joining on or after September 1st shall be credited to the following year.

SECTION 3.  To serve as a delegate or an alternate to the House of Delegates of the AAMA, a member’s dues shall be postmarked to the Executive Office of AAMA by December 31.

SECTION 4. The IDSMA and component chapters shall offer reciprocity to members transferring membership from the constituent society and/or component chapter.  The transferring member shall present proof of current AAMA membership status.

SECTION 5.  Membership belongs to the individual and shall be nontransferable.

Article IX – OFFICERS AND THEIR QUALIFICATIONS

SECTION 1.  The officers or IDSMA shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Immediate Past President of IDSMA.

SECTION 2.  A candidate for office of IDSMA shall:

A.        Be an active member in good standing.

B.        Must be a CMA (AAMA).

C.        Submit qualifications for office and written consent to serve to the Chair of the Nominating Committee.

SECTION 3. Term of Office

A.        Term of office shall be for two years.

B.        An officer shall not be eligible for re-election to that office for more than one consecutive term.

Article X – Duties of Officers

SECTION 1. In addition to the duties set forth in these Bylaws, officers shall perform such duties as are implied by their respective offices and are consistent with standard parliamentary procedure.

SECTION 2. The President shall:

A.        Preside at all meetings of IDSMA Executive Board and will serve as Speaker of the General Assembly at the Annual State Meeting.

B.        Be a member ex-officio of all committees and Boards except the Nominating Committee.

C.        In the event of a vacancy in a committee chairship, the president has the power to appoint a chair from among the members of the committee in which the vacancy occurs.

D.        Appoint, subject to the approval of the Executive Board, committee members to fill vacancies during the year.

E.         Cast a deciding vote in case of a tie in question and/or motion, but not when the vote is by ballot or on an election of officers.

SECTION 3. The Vice-President shall:

A.        Assist the President throughout the year.

B.        Assume the duty of the President in the latter’s absence.

C.        Succeed to the office of President in the event of a vacancy in that office.

D.        Appoint, subject to confirmation of the Executive Board, standing committees for the ensuring term, having secured each individual’s consent to serve.

E.         Automatically succeed to the office of President at the end of the term as Vice-President.

SECTION 4.  The Secretary shall:

A.        Be responsible for the minutes of all meetings of the IDSMA.  Minutes shall be in duplicate, original on file and a copy for the Society President and a copy to the component chapter presidents.

B.        Maintain a list of officers, Chairman of standing committees, members and advisors.

C.        Preserve all important records, and documents in duplicate, original on file, and copy for the IDSMA president.

SECTION 5.  The Treasurer shall:

A.        Be custodian of all money, securities, and valuable papers pertaining to finances of the IDSMA.

B.        Keep a detailed record of receipts and disbursements.

C.        Pay all authorized obligations of the IDSMA by check.

D.        Receive dues from AAMA and component chapters.

E.         Give a report at each Executive Board meeting and regular meetings of IDSMA and prepare a written report for the Annual Meeting.

F.         Shall be Bonded.

G.        Books will be audited yearly.

H.        Report of Treasurer report to be included in the minutes.

Article XI – Nomination & Elections

A.        Election of officers shall be by ballot.

B.        The ballot shall be prepared from those names presented by the Nominating Committee.  Any nominations from the floor who have met credentialing requirements will be a write-in.

C.        Those wishing to nominate from the floor must present credentials to the Nominating Committee no later than 9:00 a.m. the day of the General Assembly session.  The candidate eligibility will be verified via AAMA member list or website of dues paid by the 31st of December.

D.        A nominee need not be present if he/she has given his/her written consent to serve if elected to the office for which they are nominated.

E.         One Chief Teller plus two additional tellers shall be appointed by the President at the election meeting. These individuals shall be appointed from the group of registered non members attending convention.

F.         Nominees receiving a majority of the votes cast will be declared elected.  Where a clear majority is not evident, the balloting will be repeated on the two nominees receiving the highest number of votes.

G.         In the event of a tie, one other ballot should be taken to break the tie.  If no decision is made then, the out-going officers shall meet immediately and elect on of the tied members to fill the office.

Article XII – Boards

SECTION 1.  The Executive Board

The Executive Board shall consist of the elected Society officers, component chapter Presidents, appointed officers, the immediate IDSMA Past President, and Chairman of the standing committees.  The Parliamentarian shall be an ex-officio member without a vote.

The Executive Board Shall:

A.        Conduct the business of the IDSMA between regular meetings, seeking the advice of the Advisory Board.

B.        Shall meet prior to AAMA National Conference.  Additional meetings shall be held as necessary to adequately plan and carry out activities of the year.

C.        Shall appoint the Chairman of the Nominating Committee.

D.        A quorum of the Executive Board shall be a majority of the members, one of who must be the President or Vice-President.

E.         No member of the Executive Board shall conduct any quasi-official correspondence on matters unrelated to said member’s office or committee without prior clearance from the President.

F.         In the event that an elected officer can no longer perform the duties of their office, the Executive Board can appoint a replacement to serve in that office for the remainder of the term.  If the vacated office is President, the Vice President/President Elect would assume responsibilities of that office.  The Past President could then fulfill the position of Vice President/President Elect until the next scheduled election.

Articles XIII – Meetings

Meeting shall be held as decided by the Executive Board including the following:

A.        The Annual Meeting shall be held each year at which time the officers shall give annual reports.  In election years the newly elected officers shall be installed.

B.        A quorum at any regular, annual, or special meeting shall consist of a majority of the credentialed members, one of whom must be the President or Vice President. The majority rules.

C.        A special meeting may be called by the President, with the approval of the Executive Board, and with advance notice to the membership.

Articles XIV – Committees

The Committees of the IDSMA shall be standing and special.

SECTION 1.  Bylaws

This committee shall receive all proposed amendments.  It shall advise and make recommendations for amendments.  Following a revision of the Bylaws they shall be updated and a copy will be made available to all members.  The Parliamentarian shall be a member of this committee.

SECTION 2. Credential Committee

This committee shall verify credentials and establish that a quorum is present.

SECTION 3.  Education

This committee has an educational component for students and should include educators from each of the institutions in Idaho.  This committee shall assist the officers to establish and maintain educational programs. The members of this committee should be instrumental in assisting in instilling student interest to continue the growth of the IDSMA and AAMA.

SECTION 4.  Historian

• This historian shall have the responsibility of collecting and maintaining the memorabilia and historical records of the IDSMA.

B.  Records will be given to the IDSMA   

      Vice-President at the State Annual

      Conference of an election year.

SECTION 5.  Membership

This committee shall have the responsibility of maintaining and increasing the membership and have membership applications available for disbursement to component chapters.

SECTION 6.  Editorial

This committee shall be responsible for the content of the state IDSMA Blog and should be reviewed and approved by the Executive Board. 

SECTION 7.  Public Policy

This committee shall be responsible for monitoring any legislation pertaining to CMA’s (AAMA) and informing the membership.

Serves as liaison for AAMA Public Policy Committee.

SECTION 8. Strategic Committee

This committee shall be responsible in evaluation and monitoring compliance of the Strategic Plan.

SECTION 9. Conference Committee

A designated conference chair and or co-chair will be selected by the IDSMA state officers.  The location of the state conference will be on a rotating schedule.  Each chapter will be responsible to select a representative to be on the IDSMA conference committee.  Door prizes, speaker gifts, or snacks will be provided by each chapter as assigned by the conference chair. 

Article XV – General Assembly

The governing body of IDSMA shall be the General Assembly of members. It shall amend the IDSMA Bylaws, conduct the election of officers, and act upon other business as may come before it.

Article XVI – AAMA House of Delegates

IDSMA Delegates shall attend the House of Delegates at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Medical Assistants.

A.         Delegates and Alternates shall be active or AAMA life members whose membership has not been revoked, as delineated in Article VI, Section 4.

B.        The IDSMA President shall serve as first delegate for the term of office.

C.        The Vice-President shall serve as the 1st alternate.

D.        The second and or subsequential delegates shall be nominated/elected by voting members during the General Assembly.

E.         Candidates not elected to serve as second and or subsequential delegate shall be listed as alternates.

F.         The AAMA shall determine the number of delegates based on membership.

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G.        Delegates and alternates shall be elected to serve for one year from the opening of the House of Delegates that year until the opening of the House of Delegates the following year.

H.        The names of delegates and alternates shall be submitted to the Executive Director, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and the Vice Speaker of the House no later than June 1st  prior to the Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates.

Article XVII – Finances

SECTION 1. Donations and Grants

All monies received as donations and/or grants shall be placed in the general operation fund unless the condition of the donation or grant should stipulate otherwise.

SECTION 2.  Budget

The IDSMA Elected State Officers shall prepare a budget for the ensuing year.  The budget shall be provided to the Executive Board for approval, then General Assembly for approval.

SECTION 3.  Fiscal Year

The fiscal year for the IDSMA shall be from May 1st through April 30th.

SECTION 4.  Annual Audit

The accounts of the IDSMA shall be audited annually following the close of the fiscal year.  A copy of this audit shall be available to members for review.

SECTION 5.  Bonding

It is the recommendation of the Executive Board that the IDSMA Treasurer be bonded by a sufficient fidelity bond in an amount set by the Board, following review of fiscal year.

ARTICLE XVIII – DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution of IDSMA, the Executive Board shall, after payment of all liabilities, distribute any remaining assets to medical or charitable institutions or projects designated by a majority of the delegates at a meeting called for the purpose of dissolution.

The President of the IDSMA shall notify the Executive Offices of the AAMA within ten days of dissolution.

In the event of dissolution of Constituent Societies, a financial accounting of finances shall be due in the AAMA Headquarters no later than ninety (90) days after said Chapter is dissolved.

ARTICLE XIX – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern IDSMA cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws of IDSMA.

Appendix A

Code of Ethics

The Code of Ethics of ISMA shall set forth principles of ethical and moral conduct as they relate to the medical profession and the particular practice of medical assisting.

Members of ISMA are dedicated to the conscientious pursuit of their profession and the respect of the general public which they serve; do pledge themselves to strive always to:

A.   Render service with full respect for the   dignity of humanity.

B.   Respect confidential information   obtained through employment unless legally authorized or required by responsible  performances of duty to divulge such information.

C.   Uphold the honor and high principles of the profession and accepts its disciplines.

D.    Seek to continually improve the knowledge and skills of medical assistants for the benefit of patients and professional colleagues.

E.    Participate in additional service activities aimed toward improving the health and well being of the community.

Creed

I believe in the principles and purpose of the profession of medical assisting, and endeavor to be more effective.

I aspire to render greater service.

I protect the confidence entrusted to me.

I am dedicated to the care and well being of all people.

I am loyal to my employer.

I am true to the ethics of my profession.

I am strengthened by compassion, courage and faith.

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