What are you doing for MARWeek?

We hope this won’t come as a surprise to you, but next week is the third full week in October, which means that it’s Medical Assistants Recognition Week. (MARWeek), with Wednesday (October 17) being the big day: Medical Assistant Recognition Day.

Organized by the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), the objective of MARWeek is to recognize the invaluable contributions your medical assistants make to your practice and to overall healthcare delivery effectiveness.

8 ways to observe MARWeek

Here are some suggestions from the AAMA on how you can observe this week:

1. Present medical assistants with an appropriate gift, using the gift ideas below;
2. Present medical assistants with a letter of thanks detailing their achievements and contributions to the organization. Maintain a copy for personnel records.
3. Have a special event with all office staff to recognize the efforts of the medical assisting team. Have handouts available from the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) and invite an AAMA representative from the local chapter or state society to speak.
4. Hold a special medical assisting training seminar on company time.
5. Dedicate the next issue of your own office newsletter to your medical assisting staff, recognizing exceptional efforts and overall contributions.
6. Implement new policies for medical assisting staff training, educational assistance, benefits, flex time, or other new programs.
7. Display the Medical Assistants Recognition Week poster in a prominent place in your office.
8. Every day of the year, treat medical assistants and CMAs (AAMA) like part of the office team. Solicit input before decisions are made. Give recognition when it is due, and offer praise where it is warranted.

Gifts that contribute to professionalism

According to the AAMA, “any gift that makes a medical assistant’s job more effective can accrue long-term benefits, contributing to greater professionalism and increased productivity.” Here are a few of the association’s gift ideas:

1. Monetary bonus or salary increase ;
2. Day off with pay to use when needed;
3. Tuition reimbursement or fee payment for business-, computer-, or medical-related classes and seminars;
4. Financial assistance to pursue higher education;
5. Gift certificate to a uniform store to assist in maintaining a professional image;
6. Organizer notebook or daily planner;
7. Business cards, name plaque, stationery, or other related items to give visible professional recognition; or
8. Plaque that conveys office recognition and gratitude for yearlong contributions.

Share your stories: What did you do to acknowledge these important members of your team? Send your stories to catherine@plainlanguagemedia.com or share your stories and photos on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/medicalofficemgr/.

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