Within REACH -
CONFERENCE EDITION Volume 9│Issue 4 │December 2018
Carilion Medical Center, 1906 Belleview Ave, Roanoke, VA 24014 http://chsweb.carilion.com/nursserv/NursW eb.html nursingresearch@carilionclinic.org (540)266 -6216
The Value of Attending Conferences Mary C. Brewer, RD, RN, MSN, MBA - Carilion Department of Psychiatry
Not everyone learns the same way. In the old days, nurses had thick textbooks and little else for education. Luckily, the world has evolved to offer a myriad of ways we can polish our skills, learn new ones, or keep up with what’s changing in our profession. One of the best ways to do all of these is by participating in professional conferences. They offer opportunities for networking with colleagues who are already using new techniques, as well as those still just considering changes. You can hear from experts and sit in at roundtables to listen to ideas being bounced around. Whatever level of formality you prefer, you can find a conference to suit you. As a Registered Nurse and a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I keep up both licenses and so attend conferences on a variety of subjects. For example, I recently went to a large conference with 30,000 attendees that focused on natural foods, organics, and alternative and complementary health. This focus fit into both of my trajectories perfectly. Patients are asking me more about alternative and complementary healing, plant-based diets and organics, so I can use this information in both of my worlds, particularly as our consumer base becomes more educated. To get the most out of this very large conference, I plotted the main sessions that interested me beforehand, so that I would get as much out of the conference as possible. I also conferred with colleagues who were attending the conference, so that if we were interested in presentations scheduled at the same time, we could develop a plan for each of us to attend one of the sessions and share notes later. Finally, I didn’t worry about taking notes. With cellphones welcome at most conferences, I took photos of the slides and displays I most wanted to remember or refer to later. This is so much easier than scribbling away and missing half the slide, anyway. Webinars are also gaining popularity, and they have the advantage of being available to watch on demand. However you choose to stay up-to-date, remember to share the information you learn with your colleagues. Collaboration is the key to a strong profession.
~ Mary Carilion Clinic Roanoke Campus