What Is AMS?

The Accredited in Medical Sales (AMS) program is a comprehensive sales education program designed to make healthcare distributor and manufacturer sales reps more knowledgeable and successful. The training program is used by HIDA’s national, regional and local distributor members, and by manufacturers who sell through distribution.

This nationally recognized program offers the only series of courses designed to prepare candidates to earn the AMS designation, an elite industry certification held by more than 1,800 healthcare sales professionals establishing their level of competence as medical products sales professionals. 

Achieving AMS accreditation shows your customers and your company that you have the comprehensive knowledge required in today’s changing healthcare environment.

“The value offered to us from HIDA allows each of our team members to become the ‘trusted advisor’ our customers are looking for.”

Eddie Garro, MHRD, AMS
Associate Manager, Training & Development
Henry Schein

Who It’s For

The AMS Sales Training Program and AMS accreditation will benefit healthcare distributor and manufacturer sales representatives including those who call on:

  • Hospitals and health systems
  • Physician practices
  • Skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, and other extended care providers
  • Healthcare laboratories and other diagnostics providers

In the field or on the phone: The program is designed to be applicable to all salespeople, including both field representatives and inside sales.

Rookies and veterans: The program includes courses that get your rookies off to a great start, but also covers cutting-edge topics that keep your veterans ahead of the latest healthcare trends.

Training resource for other roles: The comprehensive AMS library is also extremely valuable as a training resource for:

  • Sales managers
  • Operations staff and managers
  • Supply chain managers
  • Customer service representatives
  • Anyone else on your team who needs access to training on key healthcare, distribution, and business topics

Development of the AMS Program

History: The AMS Program was introduced with the brand name “ADVANCE Sales Training” in 1988. A committee of industry leaders from distributor and manufacturer companies developed the original core curriculum based on a consensus that successful healthcare sales reps needed a strong foundation in selling skills, account and territory management, customer knowledge, anatomy, and knowledge of the distribution business.

New course development: AMS courses are developed by the HIDA Educational Foundation. Some courses or sections are written by industry experts and others are developed by Foundation staff members. New courses are reviewed by experts from member companies to ensure their accuracy and relevance.

Updates: AMS courses are updated regularly. Curriculum components are added or deleted based on the changing healthcare environment, product innovations, technology advances, and other changes. To ensure that every course stays on the cutting edge of accuracy, input from administrators and users is strongly encouraged. If you find a course, section, test question, or statement in a course that needs correction or updating, please contact the Foundation at support@hida.org.

   

AMS FAQs

How do I earn AMS accreditation?

To become AMS-accredited, you must pass a comprehensive exam based...[more]

How can my company access AMS Sales Training?

AMS is sold as a license to HIDA member companies. To obtain access...[more]

How do I get my team signed up to access the AMS program?

Our team will be happy to provide instructions! Contact us...[more]

What is the format of the exam and what does it cover?

While the exam format is always multiple choice, content is...[more]

How long should it take a rep to earn AMS accreditation?

Each course takes about an hour of reading or studying. The suggested pace of a course every 1-2 weeks..[more]

How do I maintain AMS accreditation?

AMS accreditation is active for at least one year after the date when you pass the AMS exam. After that...[more]

Can we use the AMS course material to build content for our internal training?

Absolutely! As an AMS licensee, you are authorized to repurpose...[more]

To learn more about the AMS Sales Training Program or to purchase an AMS license, contact our education specialist:

Contact HIDA

Rosemarie Bundoc
Senior Manager, Virtual and Continuing Education
bundoc@hida.org 
703-838-6112