Final answer:
The statement that AMA supported the first salaried employment of physicians by hospitals is false. The AMA excluded Black physicians, leading to the formation of the NMA, which helped advance Black medical professions separately.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that "The AMA was the first organization to support salaried employment of physicians by hospitals" is FALSE. The American Medical Association (AMA), founded in 1847, was a prestigious organization in the medical profession but faced criticism for its exclusionary practices, particularly against Black physicians. Black physicians, who were often barred from AMA membership and thus from employment in most White hospitals, formed their own professional organizations such as the National Medical Association (NMA) in 1895. Furthermore, professional standards and oversight of medical practices by the AMA were limited in its early years.
The NMA played a crucial role in advancing the Black medical profession by, among other things, creating the National Hospital Association in 1923. This helped to improve training and standards among Black hospitals and physicians, and is evidence of separate, parallel developments in the employment and professionalization of physicians outside of the AMA's influence. Therefore, the AMA itself was not the pioneering force in the salaried employment of physicians by hospitals.