Do you believe that nurses can and should still go to nursing conferences? If so, why would they attend, and what good can come from spending all that time and money? And beyond that, do conferences even matter anymore?
Making a Statement
Name any discipline within the broad realm of healthcare. That discipline is home to organizations or associations that seek to grow their numbers, educate their members, and create opportunities for those individuals to meet one another, preferably in person, whenever possible. And after the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare professionals are attending conferences in droves.
As a nursing professional, when you attend a conference hosted by a local, state, regional, national, international, or nursing specialty organization, you’re making a clear statement. First and foremost, your attendance at a conference says that you take your career seriously enough that you want to make the most of the opportunity to avail yourself of everything such an event offers.
When you show up at a conference, you’re showing that you value your professionalism and want to grow as a healthcare and nursing professional. Additionally, registering for a nursing conference demonstrates to organizations who orchestrate such events that the demand is there and doing so is still worthwhile. After all, who wants to throw a party that no one wants to come to?
More Than Just Meetings
Professional conferences are more than simply meetings. Many aspects of such events are good to bear in mind.
Learning:
Of course, education and learning are among the first purposes of conferences we can readily identify.
Presenters and speakers at these events are often renowned specialists and experts who have valuable information to bestow. This information may be data- and research-driven, wholly subjective, inspirational, or serve some other purpose to produce a particular outcome for participants.
You may come away from a critical care conference with the latest evidence-based knowledge, which you can then share with your colleagues back home, further expanding the reach of speakers’ expertise to other members of your team and specialty. In essence, you represent many others when you choose to attend a professional event.
Networking:
Meeting other like-minded nurses and healthcare professionals can do wonders in terms of building your network. When attending a conference, you may find lifelong friends, valuable colleagues, mentors, mentees, and industry connections that could lead to all opportunities, including exciting job prospects. Whether at a state nursing association annual meeting or a highly specialized week-long symposium, meeting others can be the true gold of your attendance.
Renewing purpose/inspiration:
Let’s face it — slogging it out month after month and year after year can feel isolating and stagnant, even in the context of what you share with your work colleagues. Your entire team may feel isolated from what’s happening “out there” in the wider world of your chosen area of practice.
You can always read journal articles or take a continuing education course, but meeting others face-to-face who are truly enthused about what they do and what they know can help you achieve a renewed sense of purpose and inspiration. The potential value of such a shot in the arm cannot be overemphasized.
Presenting:
If you have something valuable to share, a great deal of professional growth can come from presenting at a conference, either in the form of a poster or a lecture or as a panel discussion member.
When you publish an article, create a poster representing your research, or put together a PowerPoint or other type of presentation, this is a golden opportunity to build your resume or CV, enhance your reputation, and make a name for yourself within your chosen area of focus. Having credentials and experience as a speaker and presenter can open many career doors.
A Show of Support
When you show up and support your state or regional nursing organization, you’re voting with your feet that that organization matters. When you attend a conference focused on a specific nursing specialty, you tell the group creating that event that their hard work to unite everyone and represent specialty practice holds meaning.
Nursing conferences come in many forms; each time a group of nurses comes together, the profession is strengthened. Dedicated nurses and the meeting of like minds are essential to enhancing the fabric of the profession, and the many nursing conferences, seminars, meetings, and symposia that occur worldwide each year are significantly more significant than the sum of their parts.
Daily Nurse is thrilled to feature Keith Carlson, “Nurse Keith,” a well-known nurse career coach and podcaster of The Nurse Keith Show as a guest columnist. Check back every other Thursday for Keith’s column.
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