July 3, 2024
With PALTC24 still fresh in your mind, it’s time to submit proposals for education sessions at PALTC25 in Charlotte, NC, in March. This is your opportunity to make a difference in the lives and work of your colleagues, address challenges and issues many are facing, and start productive conversations that result in important connections and innovative actions. Whether you are an experienced presenter or a first-timer with passion and an idea, we want to hear from you.
Aubrey Moore, CMP, DES, AMDA’s senior manager of education and events, looks forward to seeing proposals on a variety of topics. Ms. Moore especially hopes to see sessions on the business of medicine, technology, and leadership and management. “We’ve heard from our members that they want more education around these topics,” she explains. She adds that these issues may also address staffing concerns, another hot topic. As Ms. Moore notes, “Team leaders want more direction on how to keep staff happy and engaged and how they can work smarter and more efficiently.”
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a topic of great interest, and Ms. Moore expects to see proposals related to this. “We’re seeing more discussion about AI, how people can implement it, and what ethical concerns it might raise,” she says. Value-based care is another key issue, as more practitioners engage in new models of care and integrate social determinants of health and risk management into their practices.
If you have more than one idea, feel free to submit as many proposals as you like, even if you’ve never spoken at a conference before. “Our members appreciate out-of-the-box thinking. They’re craving knowledge and new perspectives. We like to keep things fresh and forward-thinking,” Ms. Moore says. “Your session could have a real impact on people. Very often, it gets them talking in the room during discussions, and the conversation often continues after the session ends. People who were strangers before end up chatting and sharing their ideas and individual experiences. Sometimes, they end up going to lunch or for coffee. They can’t stop talking because they’re so inspired.”
Successful proposals share several characteristics. These include opportunities for audience engagement, a detailed description that paints a clear picture of the presentation, and strong objectives that demonstrate what information audience members will get and how they can translate it into practice when they get home. “We don't necessarily want a speaker to get up and deliver a 45-minute didactic presentation. We encourage presenters to engage the audience,” Ms. Moore says. This might include polling during the presentation, discussions about case studies, or some other way to get and keep the audience involved and active in the session. She adds, “Case studies and opportunities to share stories are very important because the learners can put themselves in the situation being discussed, and it gets them thinking and engaged.”
Including an interdisciplinary element in the proposal is another key to success. This is important, says Ms. Moore, because “the audience is likely to include not only physicians but administrators, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, directors of nursing, pharmacists, and other team leaders.” Consider creating an interdisciplinary panel to provide different perspectives and approaches.
Ms. Moore stresses that the conference program won’t depend solely on proposals. The program planners will curate some sessions and invite national experts and experienced speakers to discuss popular topics.
The deadline for submitting a proposal is July 17. Click here for more information or to get started.