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American Medical Association

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Lost Mission and Burnout Culture - Anonymous employee American Medical Association Employee Review

1.0
Jun 5, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The colleagues below the Director level are, for the most part, caring, hardworking professionals who genuinely want to do good work. Many still believe in and care deeply about AMA’s mission, despite the challenges created by leadership. The people are the organization’s greatest asset, which makes it even more disappointing to see their dedication and expertise consistently undervalued.

Cons

Do not apply here unless you are truly out of options. Leadership at the Director level and above has created a culture marked by poor communication, disorganization, and a lack of accountability. The current CEO, Whyte, frequently speaks about making AMA one of the best places to work, but many employees have seen little meaningful action to support that goal. Since his arrival, the organization has experienced ongoing layoffs and significant voluntary turnover, including the departure of many strong employees. As a result, morale is low, and many remaining staff members either feel stuck or have been with the organization long enough to accept the status quo. Employees are often reminded how “lucky” they are to have a job, while nearly every issue is treated as an urgent priority, making it difficult to focus on work that truly matters. Most disappointing is the feeling that AMA’s mission has taken a back seat to leadership’s other priorities. The people doing the day-to-day work are often left to manage the consequences of decisions made at the top.

Explore other reviews about American Medical Association

5.0
Jul 6, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Mission-driven organization. Competitive pay. Exceptional PTO. Newly eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness! The new CEO brought a faster pace, increased visibility, and greater opportunity to get your work and ideas in front of senior leaders. It can be tough to find a workplace that's more than a paycheck - one where you feel good about your impact. But it feels good every day to stand up for science, vaccines, and patients.

Cons

We can often move too slowly and too bureaucratically. TBQH, I think a lot of the negative reaction to the new CEO is in response to his efforts to break down silos and have us move faster. Some of these silos make the AMA seem like multiple organizations - not all of them aligned with one mission. It's also a very, very meeting-heavy culture.

3.0
Jun 23, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great pay for a nonprofit/association + great benefits. Beautiful office location in River North. Great sense of community in employee resource groups (ERGs) and on some teams (VERY team-dependent). I, personally, love my team, my manager, and my general department.

Cons

Extremely bureaucratic. The new CEO seems very focused on his external image, rather than the company's image. Also weirdly focused on AI in medicine instead of other, more pressing issues, with our medical system and physician workloads. He has had off-putting reactions to standard questions in employee town halls. He has also hired some senior executives who came straight from the most problematic health insurance companies, which feels pretty gross. AMA policy is set by members and can feel very rigid. As someone who identifies as liberal, the policies (and AMA in general) feel very conservative. Definitely does NOT feel like you're working in public health. AMA tends to play it "safe" in D.C. by trying to be friends with everybody in Congress, which is hard to watch. I feel very uncomfortable with AMA policy decisions based on my own personal politics. Regarding community -- if you're lucky, you'll get a team with a similar mindset, but work experience at AMA depends almost entirely on your manager and your team. The internal culture between teams can be really weird and sometimes toxic. Diversity in senior management is quite low, though middle-management and below are very diverse.

5
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