Credentialing Procedure

The Credentials Committee will handle certification of delegates and shall consist of three to nine members and shall be composed ideally of one member per region as defined in section IXB of the IOP.

The name of the duly selected voting Assembly Delegates and Alternate Assembly Delegates from each state and specialty society should be received by the Director of Resident and Fellow Services of the AMA no later than 35 days (five weeks) prior to the assembly meeting in writing.  On the day of the opening of the assembly meeting, credentialing will take place, where voting members must officially identify themselves to the Credentials Committee as having been duly selected to represent their state, specialty society or branch of the armed services.

Proof of AMA membership (membership card or canceled check) must be made available to the Credentials Committee if a representative attempting to credential as a delegate is listed as a non-member by the AMA Division of Membership. If no proof is available, the representative may have to pay dues at the meeting. If it is discovered afterward that the representative was already a member, the representative's check will be returned or a refund will be issued.

The Credentials Committee will report the list of certified delegates as early as possible on the day of the Assembly Meeting to the Chair.

The following procedures to credential delegates at the AMA-RFS Annual and Interim Assembly Meetings have been adopted in accordance with the AMA Bylaws, Section 7.131:

Constituent Members: A state medical society RFS caucus of residents should be held, when possible, at least four weeks before the meeting in order to select delegates. The right of the state resident organization to determine who is seated when there are more residents than seats shall at all time be preeminent.

Delegates to represent the state should be selected. Their names and addresses should be sent to the AMA-RFS Chair, c/o AMA Department of Resident and Fellow Services.

Direct Members: If no state medical society RFS caucus exists, individual residents who desire voting rights at the AMA-RFS Assembly meeting should notify the AMA-RFS Chair, in writing, at least four weeks prior to the meeting. Residents will be selected as delegates on the basis of the priorities stated below:

• 1st Priority - Residents with evidence of support from their local housestaff
organization.

• 2nd Priority - Residents from housestaffs in order of size from largest to
smallest.

Unfilled Seats: In those instances where there are delegate seats unfilled at the time of the AMA-RFS Assembly meeting, residents from those states may be designated as follows:

1. The state RFS caucus shall designate delegates to be seated from the state.
   
2. When more seats are available than residents in a state, any resident from the state who requests credentialing will be credentialed according to the priorities stated above.

Specialty Society Representation: The AMA-RFS will accept delegates who are serving in an approved training program and shall be certified by the president or secretary of the constituent national medical specialty association to be a member in good standing. The proofs of which shall be: (1) a pre-registration form received by the AMA-RFS Chair, c/o the Department of Resident and Fellow Services; or (2) a letter presented to the Credentials Committee at the time of the meeting, certifying the individual.

Physicians Newly Graduated From Medical School: Medical students who have been accepted into approved residency programs, and have not registered in the Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS), shall be considered residents for the purpose of credentialing and running for positions in leadership. Such individuals who have registered or intend to register in the AMA-MSS at the meeting in question shall be considered ineligible for credentials as an AMA-RFS Delegate, but can be awarded an "official observer" status in the AMA-RFS Assembly.

Alternate Delegates: When a delegate is leaving the floor and wishes to have an alternate take his or her place, both individuals shall approach the Governing Council Secretary or Credentials Committee Chair, who will transfer appropriate delegate credentials.

Only physicians who are AMA members may serve as credentialed delegates.

All inquiries should be directed to the AMA Department of Resident and Fellow Services at (312) 464-4978.