AMCA adopts digital credentials for bigger impact at lower cost
A few years ago, Danielle Sadighi of the American Medical Certification Association (AMCA) saw digital badges as a way for nationally certified allied health professionals to share their achievements with prospective employers in a manner that was visual, verified and accessible. She soon discovered her strategy also generated significant savings for the association.
By adopting digital badges, Sadighi helped AMCA move from two-dimensional paper artifacts to portable, digital credentials that carry detailed information about the achievement and may be readily shared with many of the platforms and technologies that AMCA members already rely upon. Sadighi estimates that by issuing digital credentials in place of paper wall certificates (housed in cardstock portfolios and mailed in oversized envelopes), the association saves $2.39 per issuance. Issuing approximately 400 credentials per month, AMCA reduces costs by nearly $1,000 each month.
A conversation with Sadighi reveals several aspects of the shift from paper to digital that make AMCA a stand-out in their implementation of digital credentials.
Following some in-depth research, Sadighi became convinced of the potential of digital certificates to transform how AMCA certificate-earners communicate their verified achievements to human resource departments and potential employers. In order to realize that potential, she sought to lay the groundwork to help stakeholders understand the value associated with pivoting from paper certificates to digital credentials.
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AMCA works with 241 schools who refer their students to AMCA for the national certification exams. “The schools want to know about the latest trends for their students,” explains Sadighi, “and we provide them with information kits to help students understand that once they pass the exam, they will receive a digital badge along with a wallet card and official transcript for the school. In that way, the schools help us help the students know what to expect.”
To complement its school-facing efforts, AMCA got the word out to prospective employers by presenting at trade association conferences about digital badges. “I’ve been signing up to present at a variety of association meetings throughout the past two years. It’s given us great visibility and hospitals now know what to expect when they see a digital badge from us included in an applicant’s materials.”
Students who pass the national certification exams are empowered to share their badges on professional and social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook, where employers can discover a them. Schools are thankful that their graduates are succeeding, and AMCA is further engaging its stakeholders while saving money. The clear diagnosis? Win-win.
Learn more about the AMCA and its digital badging program.