October 4, 2024
Posters have always been an important way for practitioners to share their research, case studies, and best practices with their colleagues. The PALTmed poster program has a strong history of bringing practical, scientifically sound, high-quality information to annual conference participants. For PALTC25, the association is taking posters to an innovative, exciting new level that expands their reach and impact.
“We are building a poster theater in the exhibit hall, and accepted poster authors will have an opportunity to make a 10-minute presentation. Additionally, posters will be digital this year. They will be on the PALTC25 website, as well as on a viewing kiosk at the conference,” says Aubrey Moore, CMP, DES, PALTmed senior manager of education and events. The call for posters is now open; the deadline is October 29.
Posters are an important step in the journey for many practitioners. Ms. Moore observes, “It's a great mechanism for students, residents, fellows, and others who haven't ever presented at the conference before to share their experiences, insights, quality improvement projects, and more with their peers from across the country.” It is an especially valuable opportunity for those people who are trying to get their foot in the door of research, teaching, and/or leadership without the pressure of delivering a 60- or 90-minute lecture in front of a large audience.
Increasingly and importantly, posters are interdisciplinary in nature; and this is an exciting development. As Ms. Moore says, “More posters we see involve people partnering with practitioners in other disciplines on a project. These posters developed by a team really stand out. Last year’s top-winning poster had several authors from different backgrounds. They thought out every step of the project and utilized the insights and involvement of the interdisciplinary team.” She urges practitioners to step outside their comfort zone and consider recruiting a varied team to work with them on a poster.
Submitted posters should fit into one of four categories: case studies/report, education, quality improvement, and research. Ms. Moore looks forward to innovative posters in all of these areas. However, she says, “We would like to see submissions on quality improvement. When done well, these convey a clear picture of efforts to improve care and maximize processes and interventions.”
Successful posters share some key characteristics. They are well organized, include enlightening and useful graphics or visuals, focus on important details, use large enough fonts to make text readable, and include color (but judiciously).
The new format for the poster program will not only expose authors to a broader audience but also enable people who can’t travel to the conference to still present a poster. Submitters will upload the final digital version of their poster during the submission process. Posters will primarily be accepted for digital display. However, there are a limited number of presentation slots in the poster theater. The top 3 finalists in each category will be invited to print their posters and hang them on a poster board in the Poster Finalists Area in the Exhibit Hall.
If you have an idea for a poster but are unsure how to proceed, consider reaching out to a colleague who is a veteran poster presenter. If there is something that you are passionate about, a project that has improved quality in some capacity, a problem you’ve solved, or an innovation you’ve implemented successfully, sharing this with others is a valuable contribution to PALTC medicine. Get more information and instructions on how to submit your poster here by the October 29 deadline.