The
OMSA - HCA celebrating 50 years in 2010

THE FIRST STIRRINGS
When a
handful of medical secretaries met in Kingston in January 1955 to
discuss the merit of the formation of a society of women who work for
doctors, enquiries were sent out to ask if there had been any precedent. At
their request, the Ontario Medical Association wrote to the American Medical
Association, and found such a plan was just beginning to appear in the
United States. It was further learned that a number of the medical
secretaries in Niagara Falls were gathering occasionally as a social body.
Kingston established a formal organization, and in September of 1955
Niagara Falls followed suit. In February 1956 The Public Relations
Committee of the Ontario Medical Association invited Dr. William Amodeo of
Kingston to attend their meeting, to tell what he knew of the activities of
the Kingston group.
Following these exploratory overtures and at the further urging of Mr. A. G.
Ferchat, Public Relations Secretary to the Ontario Medical Association,
groups came into being in Ottawa in October 1956, and Toronto East in
February 1957.
The Ontario Medical Association sent out a questing invitation to medical
secretaries to gather at the Royal York Hotel in May 1957, estimating a
probable attendance of 250. To everyone's delighted
consternation, almost 650 secretaries appeared! With such an expression of
interest, it was inevitable that groups would continue to sprout across the
province.
The O.M.A.
graciously extended sponsorship to a steering committee, whose function was
to prepare the way for the formation of the Ontario Medical Secretaries
Association. The action of this committee came to maturity in May
1959, when the. O. M. S.A. was born. The first slate of officers
was elected, and a Constitution was adopted.
Since
that eventful day, Ontario Medical Secretaries Association has become firmly
entrenched within the practice of medicine in Ontario.
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News and Information
-
OMSA Move: We are pleased to announce that as of April 6, 2009, our head
office will be located at 150 Bloor Street West, Suite 900, Toronto ON, M5S
3C1.
We will be on the 7th floor,
however, there is no public access to that floor. Therefore, our visitors
will need to go to the 9th floor reception to contact the OMSA Head Office.
Our Phone and Fax numbers will
remain the same: Direct Line No.: 416-340-2935 and Fax No.: 416-599-9309.
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Membership Renewals: If you
wish to renew your membership, you still can do so. You may do
it either by cheque or by using Pay Pal which is available on our website. For
further information, please contact Adriana Quiceno (OMSA Administrator) at
information@omsa-hca.org or at
the following phone number: 416.340.2935.
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Personal Information: If your
personal information changes (name, e-mail address, home address, work
place, etc), please notify the OMSA Administrator
at
information@omsa-hca.org
so we can keep in touch with you .
-
E-mail address: If you
forgot to include your e-mail address on your membership application form,
please e-mail us with this information. This will enable us to send you Job
Posting Notifications.
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Broker Information: Our
broker has moved to a new location: MCFBedard Group Inc. at 465
Richmond Street, Suite 200. London, ON N6A 5P4. Furthermore, our new Group
Customer Service Representative would be Andreia Otetea. She can be
contacted at aotetea@mcfbedard.com
or at 519-690-1617.
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Welcome to the OMSA-HCA:
Dear Medical
Office Assistant,
The OMSA – Health Care Associates is currently the Largest Medical Office
Assistants Association In Canada and we want you to be a part of it. If
you are a medical office assistant, or are considering joining the profession,
the OMSA – HCA is the only organization of its kind in Ontario that is
dedicated to serving your interests. Our members include medical secretaries,
medical office managers, educators, transcriptionists, and college students.
Hundreds join annually for the opportunity to
advance career goals, increase respect from employers and co-workers, and to
become a part of the network of dedicated professionals.
Membership
is a wise investment in your future. Consider this:
Statistics show
that the job market for medical secretaries is fair, which means that should
you face a time when you will be required to compete for work, you will
want to have the competitive edge. Here’s proof, according to Job Futures
Ontario …“the increasing use of computerized medical records systems, billing
systems and other office equipment technology means that medical secretaries
with a keen interest in their professional development will have better
employment opportunities.”
So what does this all mean? Here’s the answer: for you to stay on the competitive
edge of the field, you need to…
Grow With
The Association That’s Growing.
How?
Simply join
the association that is interested in your growth in the health care industry.
Register now. Our objective is to support the needs of our members – practice,
professional and personal. That means that all our programs, and member
benefits, are geared toward your needs as a medical office assistant. It
also means that you receive valuable information pertaining to the health
care field that affects you on the job, and in your personal life. Take
a look at what you’ll discover upon registration:
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to read more about
member benefits, they’re all listed in this web site, by visiting our membership
page. Frankly, membership to the association is not for everyone. If you
are at all interested in your professional or personal development, and
I hope you are, then you must agree that membership in your professional
association pays off.
What will be of much, much more value to you is this:
You’ll
acquire all the Skills, Knowledge and Experience you Need to Grow Professionally
and Personally! So what are you waiting for? Respond now…
Fill out and return the Membership
Application Form and your introductory package will be sent to you
immediately. It will include a membership certificate (you can frame this
for your office), a membership card, an information package, and much more.
If you are as
thoroughly pleased about our association as are many of our members, you’ll
agree that $60 is a very small amount for membership dues (it actually
works out to be less than 17 cents a day.) Student members pay only $35
for the first year.
Register
today, while it’s fresh on your mind, and enjoy the benefits immediately.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Adriana Quiceno
Administrator
P.S. Remember,
your membership fee is tax deductible! Your real cost after your tax credit
is approximately $42.