Frequently Asked Questions

AMS Program Overview

What is AMS?
The AMS Sales Training Program is a comprehensive sales education program designed to make healthcare distributor and manufacturer sales personnel more knowledgeable and more successful. This nationally recognized program offers the only courses designed to prepare candidates to earn the Accredited in Medical Sales designation, an elite industry certification earned by more than 1,700 healthcare sales professionals.

How can my company access AMS Sales Training?
AMS is sold as a team license to HIDA and HEF member companies. For more information, please contact Callie Barthel, Director, Associates Program or request a consultation.

How do I earn AMS accreditation?
To become AMS accredited, you must enroll in the Accredited in Medical Sales Certification pathway, complete 12 courses of your choice, and pass each exam. AMS Accreditation requires employment with a company holding an active AMS Sales Training License. For assistance on how to get started, contact AMS Support at support@hida.org.

Can I use AMS to meet my vendor credentialing requirements?
Many vendor credentialing agencies accept AMS courses to meet training requirements. These agencies often require training on topics such as bloodborne pathogens, HIPAA and patient privacy, and sterile technique. The AMS curriculum includes courses on all these topics. Certificates of completion are available for download in the AMS Portal.

Is the AMS program only for distributor field sales reps?
AMS is designed for both healthcare distributors and manufacturers who sell through distribution, making it suitable for field and tele-sales representatives. It's also valuable for customer service representatives, managers, and other employees.

Can we use the AMS course material to build content for our internal training?
Absolutely. As an AMS licensee, you are authorized to re-purpose course content to meet your needs. Note that in order to use this content, you will need to maintain a current AMS license. Please email support@hida.org for assistance.

My company has an AMS license, how do I get myself set up to access the program?
Please email support@hida.org your full name, company name and contact information and a person on our team will set you up and send you your login and the website navigation instructions.

Access And Logins

How do I log in to the new AMS Training Portal?
You will use the same HIDA/AMS login.

What if I forget my password? How do I reset it?
You can reset your password through the HIDA reset link on the login screen or email support@hida.org for assistance.

What browsers are supported? Does it work on my mobile/tablet?
The new training portal can be accessed through the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge; and is fully functional through mobile devices and tablets.

Is there an app I can download?
There is no app, but the training portal is accessible through mobile devices and tablets.

Who should I contact if I have issues with my account?
If you run into any issues with your account, contact the AMS Support Team at support@hida.org.

Getting Started With AMS Accreditation And Selecting Curriculum

Help Center Article: How To Start AMS Accreditation >

How do I choose my 12 courses for AMS Accreditation?
Navigate to the AMS Portal and select Accredited in Medical Sales (AMS) Certification program available in the Learning Catalog. Once enrolled into the certification program, you must choose and complete 12 courses to receive the designation. Enrolled courses will show up under “My Training” and you can start with any course. Get detailed instructions here.

What if I’m not sure if I want to pursue AMS Accreditation?
No problem! Take whichever courses you need out of the learning catalog. If you decide later on that you want to complete the certification program, the completed qualified courses will carry over and you will not need to re-take them again. Archived webinars will not count towards the certification.

What if I don’t see 12 courses I like?
AMS accreditation requires 12 courses. Work with your manager to create a custom curriculum tailored to your needs, incorporating core courses that provide industry insights and essential skills for career advancement.

Do I have to take courses from all 5 categories?
No, that’s just a suggestion. Choose the courses that best fit your needs.

Are there any mandatory courses?
HIDA doesn’t have mandatory courses, but your company may have courses they want you to choose. Check with your manager if you’re not sure.

(March 2025) I notified the HIDA team that I am currently pursuing AMS Accreditation. I need to complete my AMS Accreditation on the new training portal. What do I do next?
You’ve been enrolled in the AMS certification pathway and your 12 core curriculum courses have been transferred over for you. HIDA has completed all the course requirements except the course tests. You’ll need to pass all the corresponding course tests to complete the AMS Accreditation.

• Select My Training on your main landing page
• Under Current you will see all your core curriculum courses
• Select Continue next to each course to proceed to the test - you’ll need to get at 12 out of 15 questions correct to pass and you’ll have three tries

Note: Test questions and material are the same as the old system. There is no test time limit. These tests are not proctored and can be completed at your own pace.

Accreditation Maintenance Guidelines

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, you must earn 5 AMS points each year to keep the AMS designation current. Get more details here.

What courses can I take to earn points for my accreditation renewal?
To earn AMS points, you can take any course on the AMS Sales Training website that you have not already taken. You can also earn points through HIDA webinars and attendance at approved events, including the HIDA Streamlining Healthcare Expo & Business Exchange.

Can I receive credit for non-HIDA training programs?
Yes. HIDA can approve other training programs for credit on a case-by-case basis. AMS Managers can submit requests for their entire team or individuals can submit their own requests. The program content must be relevant to medical products sales. HIDA has the sole authority to determine whether a program qualifies for AMS points. Approved non-HIDA training events earn 1 AMS point per 2 hours of training.

For more details on how to submit external training events for credit, visit How To Earn AMS Points.

What if I can’t earn all my points by the deadline for renewal?
Short extensions are sometimes granted in special circumstances. To request an extension to the one-year requirement, contact support@hida.org.

Can I get my accreditation back once it lapses?
To regain your AMS accreditation, you must re-select your course curriculum and pass each course test.

For AMS Managers

How do I sign up my team to access the AMS program?
Our team will be happy to provide instructions! Please email support@hida.org.

What is the best way to get my team started with AMS?
A kickoff meeting is a great way to get started. This shows your team that you’re committed to their development and to using the AMS program. A HIDA education specialist will be happy to participate in your kickoff, demonstrate how to use the AMS website, and explain how to earn and maintain their AMS designation.

Can I get periodic reports on my team’s testing activity and accreditation status?
Yes. AMS Managers will be able to pull and export their own reports by users, overall team activity reports and renewal point status. For a full listing of available reports, select “Launch Reports” in your AMS Portal landing page. If you need assistance, contact support@hida.org.

How do I convince my reps to complete the courses?
HIDA can provide lots of ideas, but the companies that have used the AMS program most successfully make it mandatory. They communicate with their reps frequently and track reps’ accreditation status.

How long should it take a rep to earn AMS accreditation?
Each AMS course is 45-60 minutes of studying. HIDA recommends having reps complete one course every 1-2 weeks. This allows time for the rep to not study the course, and start applying the training in the field for several days before moving on to other concepts. At that pace, with 12 courses in a Core Curriculum, it would take a rep 12-20 weeks – about 3 to 5 months – to earn AMS accreditation.

What if I find an error in an AMS course, or my rep points out something that is out-of-date?
Please let us know! If you find a course, section, or fact that needs correction or updating, please contact support@hida.org. AMS courses are updated regularly, but occasionally a user will catch an error, or a point that has become out-of-date. To ensure that every course stays current and accurate, input from administrators and users is strongly encouraged.

Will the new system allow for my company’s Accredited reps to take courses again for AMS points?
Yes. HIDA will automatically assign AMS accredited reps into the AMS Designation Maintenance pathway, and we will not carry over prior course completion history. Therefore, as part of the transition, AMS Accredited reps will be able to retake courses once for AMS points in the new training portal.

What data (user progress, completion records, etc.) will be migrated to the new LMS?
Accredited reps will be automatically enrolled in the “AMS Credential Maintenance” pathway where they’ll be able to track their leaning activities and points needed renewal. The July 1 renewals will be merged into one renewal cycle – February 1, 2026. July 1 renewal reps will be granted additional time to get their 5 AMS points as part of the LMS transition.

What reporting capabilities does the new LMS offer?
AMS Managers will be able to pull and export their own reports such as “Student Progress By Activity” “ Student Progress By Certification Program” and “Current and Completed Learning by group or users”.

Can we track learner progress and performance across different courses?
Yes. The Team Dashboard will show you a listing of all learners under your company group. You can view individual training records, or you can Launch Reports and pull aggregate information.

FAQs For Transitionary Period

March-April 2025

General Questions

Why are we switching to a new AMS training portal?
HIDA is upgrading the AMS technology platform to offer streamlined user experience and new course formats.

What are the benefits of the new training portal?
We're thrilled to announce interactive eLearning versions of our traditional text-based courses soon to be available on our new training portal! These engaging, online courses feature interactive elements, rich audio and visuals, and mobile-friendly access on mobile devices and tablets. The new training portal will also have catalog filtering, search capabilities, progress tracking and other interface enhancements to help you manage your learning and keep your managers informed.

What does interactive eLearning mean?
Interactive eLearning is a flexible, self-paced approach to education that prioritizes active learner engagement. It utilizes rich multimedia, such as audio and visuals, alongside interactive knowledge checks and exercises to foster deeper understanding and retention.

Will all the text courses be converted to eLearning?
Yes, that’s the goal. At least 5 courses will be available in eLearning and podcast formats by Spring 2025. The HIDA team aims to have 20 AMS courses converted to these new formats by end of 2025.

Are there any major changes to the AMS program once we move to the new training portal?
Yes. One important change to the program is the way learners complete the AMS Accreditation. The comprehensive AMS exam is being eliminated. You'll now earn your AMS designation by taking 12 courses and passing the course test for each.

• For AMS Accredited reps, your designation will carry over and any courses/webinars you’ve taken for AMS points since your last renewal date. You will be automatically assigned to the maintenance renewal cycle. Previous course completion history will not carry over.
• For all other users, course history completion records from the past two years will be carried over to the new training portal. If you are actively pursuing the AMS Accreditation, please reference the earlier FAQ above as the AMS Accreditation process is changing.

How long will I have access to the old AMS website/training portal?
The current AMS website will stay open until April 30. For those who would like to download a complete training history, please make sure to download your own records prior to this date.

Will the AMS renewal date change?
AMS Accredited reps with a February 1 renewal date will see no change. Those with a July 1, 2025 renewal date will have their renewal date changed to February 1, 2026 on the new training portal. All Accredited reps will have February 1^st renewal date in the new system.

Will there be training available on how to use the new AMS Training portal?
Yes. HIDA will record short training videos on how to navigate the new system.