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Professional meetings offer education, networking, fellowship
They add spark to managing your office and help prevent burnout.
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Many of us falsely believe that because we can now access industry information online that the days of the live meeting are gone. The truth is, with the challenges faced by our profession, exchanging information, especially in large-scale meetings, is more important than ever.
There is considerable power in being connected to other people who are active in optometry, but we often leisurely talk ourselves into not committing to an annual professional meeting. With our busy schedules, it is easy to attend the CE given by the local ophthalmology group instead of taking a plane somewhere and having to fork out the registration fees and membership dues.
Taking a few days away from the office to participate in a conference can seem like a waste of money and time. But many realize that these meetings might be just what you need to get out of the rut, become acquainted with new technology and uncover some new means to growing your office.
Here are four good reasons to attend your next large optometry meeting.
Education
If you want to instill a change in your practice, education is the one way to do it. No matter how experienced you are, you will learn something from the experts. Our day-to-day work can be isolating; without exposure to new techniques and procedures and discussion of new medications and varied of points of view, you will miss out on new treatments, ideas and trends. The educational aspect of a conference will expose you to new ways of managing patients and running your office and even help you discover how to be more productive. The larger meetings will have not only hundreds of hours of continuing education lectures over various days but will also showcase different engagement formats, from traditional lectures to workshops, special interest groups and scientific type case and poster presentations where you can engage the author one-on-one.
The education you reap will influence the way you take care of your patients and your office. Your professional mindset, as well as your office, will be affected in a positive manner. There is no better way to improve your knowledge and your office than with high-quality professional education and participating in professional societies.
Networking
The big optometry conferences provide a great platform to network with peers, academics and researchers, creating the opportunity to have various conversations. There is no doubt that you will find valuable resources for comparing patient management and best practices, and it all takes place in an atmosphere conductive to this discussion. The spirit of collaboration is the way to approach networking, and you will find that most people will have a conversation that will uncover ideas and spark inspiration.
Being active in your profession can bring many benefits that will affect your personal views as a professional and have a direct impact on your office culture and results.
Trade show
There is great value in learning at the trade show exhibit hall. Yes, I know you have to navigate the sales people, but these industry suppliers are some of the best resources in the industry.
Discovering new and innovative products and services for your business is fundamental to staying competitive. There is no question in my mind that the drug reps and gadget sales people have an excellent grasp on what is happening inside your competition. Invest some time and get to know some of them. Trust me, they are a great resource to know what is best to grow your business and theirs, too.
Colleagues, fellowship
Being an optometrist is rewarding and fun; we are a brotherhood. The value of meetings comes from the human-to-human connections that occur, and what better place than in a conference all about eyes? Often people like to share the serendipitous “hallway conversations” that they have with other optometrists. For me, this is one of the most valuable parts of attending a meeting.
Lectures are important, but nothing is more rewarding than two or more people discussing topics on a deeper and personal level. This interaction and the takeaways from best practices shared in a collegial atmosphere are the success of the event. Those ideas and memories shared with peers become irreplaceable.
One last suggestion: Never fail to take an extra day at the beginning or end of the meeting; make sure to explore the host city or visit local friends.
Even if these four items do not sway you to commit to a meeting, think about this: It is the opportunity to engage with like-minded clinicians and talk with people of various industry, academic and research backgrounds that gives the best return on investment of your time.
Professional meetings can add an invigorating spark to managing your office and helping with professional burnout while infusing social engagement into your learning.
- For more information:
- Agustin L. Gonzalez, OD, FAAO, ABCMO, practices at Eye and Vision’s North Texas Center for Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disease. He also founded a dry eye clinic in the North Texas area and has a special interest in cornea and external disease. Gonzalez is a member of the Primary Care Optometry News Editorial Board. He can be reached at: gonzalez.agu@gmail.com.
Disclosure: Gonzalez reports no relevant financial disclosures.