BLOG: The value of educational meetings

Read more blog posts by Corinne Z. Wohl, MHSA, COE.

I’ve just returned from the Hawaiian Eye meeting, an 18-hour door-to-door trek. As I unpack and organize for tomorrow’s return to ordinary work, still bleary, I ask myself, “Was the trip worth it?” For the third year in a row, the answer is, “Yes!”

At Hawaiian Eye, the intimate size (less than a tenth the size of the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting) and proximity of the physician, administrative and allied health lecture halls encourage a blending of attendees that is not present at larger meetings.

So in addition to the excellent educational content, I found myself spontaneously having breakfast with a internationally well-known physician who encouraged my continued writing efforts and later in the same day exchanging tactics with a technician who heard one of my presentations. That’s all on top of the ever-present camaraderie of administrators and advisers from all corners of the country who come to share ideas, challenge and support each other.

I am fortunate that the partners of our practice see the investment value of these meetings, not only for my individual professional development, but for the practice’s general benefit. The goal is to always return with plenty of actionable pearls, which more than cover the financial commitment.

It’s easy to become self-focused and enveloped within your own practice world. Sending your administrator and managers to educational meetings not only helps expand their horizons but improves your practice with the germination of new ideas and the enthusiasm to implement them — no matter how many hours it takes to travel back and forth.

Corinne Z. Wohl, MHSA, COE, focuses her blog “Tuning Up Your Administrator … Tuning Up Your Practice” on ways to help your entire administrative team take their game to the next level as the ophthalmic business environment is becoming more challenging.