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American Medical Association

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It Is Unhealthy to Work at the AMA - Anonymous employee American Medical Association Employee Review

2.0
Jan 14, 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The name can be a good resume builder. The compensation and benefits are competitive.

Cons

It is a shame that the headquarters of this organization, with its scope and influence, is so grossly mismanaged. Do not be fooled by the AMA's mission. It is unhealthy to work for the AMA. During my time there both in an entry-level role and as a manager, I witnessed the following on a routine basis: - discrimination on the basis of sex (in the year following a new C-Suite executive's hiring, 15+ women in the department quit, were let go or were demoted and several white men were promoted or hired in the same department); - discrimination on the basis of race (see the makeup of VP and C-Suite executives); - elitism; - bullying; - ignorance; and - cowardice from the top. The AMA membership base of physicians and medical students display the same behaviors. This makeup creates, without question, an adverse work environment for employees who do not accept this conduct. Should you accept a position here, do not stay long and expect an elementary Human Resources department, constant restructuring (I had 7 managers in 3 years), over-promising and back pedaling, and an old boy's club atmosphere. Folks who have been employed for 20+ years here are vilified yet rising stars are offered little opportunity to advance and no support when they do. This unusual combination creates a common, albeit backwards, managerial approach rooted in one's individual ego, not the needs of the organization. The ubiquitous distrust of the VP and C-Suite-level executives and the Board of Trustees existed since my first day. The AMA is a sinking ship, from a membership standpoint and as a premiere non-profit. Examine the job openings to understand where it is going awry: Chief Experience Officer, Talent Management Director, Tax Director... Take your talents to a specialty society or state medical society, not the AMA. Association work offers valuable experience for someone interested in management, business, finance, strategic marketing, and education. If you do work for the AMA, you will also learn to navigate the immoral realities of a desperate business. Expect to be disappointed.

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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