Ruminating about research conferences

[RogueDadMD]

For those of you that attend large medical/research conferences (for CME or to present), I am curious on everyone's thoughts on the benefit of them.

I also wrote this after attending a large conference last week:

http://www.roguedadmd.com/2017/05/ruminations/

I do not go to many, and usually when I do it's because I have to present some research abstracts.  I have enjoy the bigger ones I attend (though I hated SAEM the one time I went), however I wonder if some of them may become an anachronism.

[ENT Doc]

Do you honestly want to know our thoughts on going to research conferences, or are you looking for traffic?

[RogueDadMD]

ENT Doc wrote:

Do you honestly want to know our thoughts on going to research conferences, or are you looking for traffic?

Click to expand...

I assume you are accusing me of dissembling.

My forum post only asks about one small part of what I talk about in that post.  I shared a lot of other, unrelated thoughts on that blog post, but people don't want 2000 word forum posts or comments on their sites.

If you don't want to read the blog post, then don't.  If you want to just answer the question I posed here, then that's all you have to do.

If you had a desire to read my thoughts on things way beyond research conferences, you are welcome to go read that and comment or not comment (here or there).

I didn't think most people here would care much about my mid-life existential thoughts, so I didn't bring up the main point of the post.  However writing that post made me think about the general utility of these medical conferences and I am curious how other people view them.

I work in an academic bubble where we're expected to care about them, however I am well aware that the majority of doctors don't care about the type of conference I just attended.  However as that wasn't actually the point of my post, I asked that question here and not on my blog.

[PhysicianOnFIRE]

I really enjoy them, and I go to the educational meetings all day, every day.

I've been in independent and private practice since finishing residency 11 years ago. I'm not surrounded by the latest and greatest in research or technology so it's great to catch up on what I've been missing once or twice a year. The social aspect is good, too, as there are always people I know from residency at the bigger meetings, particularly the ASA annual meeting.

 

[Miss Bonnie MD]

I love going to conferences. I try to attend two a year. I learn a bunch and obviously nice to run into friends. Usually attend the big one in early spring and a smaller/local one. Sometimes I'll go to 3/year. Benefits? Lots of derm therapy is off-label and new treatments/pearls are coming out. I think I'd get really dated if I stopped.

[RogueDadMD]

Miss Bonnie MD wrote:

I love going to conferences. I try to attend two a year. I learn a bunch and obviously nice to run into friends. Usually attend the big one in early spring and a smaller/local one. Sometimes I’ll go to 3/year. Benefits? Lots of derm therapy is off-label and new treatments/pearls are coming out. I think I’d get really dated if I stopped.

Click to expand...

The # of conferences has proliferated for every speciality -- outside of the big name ones for peds, I'm not sure what else I should go to other than ones focused on teaching me something specific.  I can do peds EM cruise conferences etc now if I wanted.

The one I just went to was the biggest peds conference (as far as I know) -- just attending the peds EM stuff would have taken up almost the entire conference without having a chance to go to lectures/workshops from a single other topic.

It's hard for me to travel to more than 2x/year with our kids being so young, but I also want to make sure I am not wasting my time when I do go, so I end up sticking with the big ones I've heard a lot about, though I probably would benefit by going to some more "obscure" (to me) ones instead.

[q-school]

Too expensive.  From where I live, I have to devote two travel days.  I have significant lost income.  I have a tiny CME budget.

I can learn a lot on social media.  i read journals.  I talk to friends.  I know at this point in my career I can't be expert at everything, so I try to be really good at knowing what I know.  Referring to younger colleagues is a blessing I have now.

 

I went to the rogue blog.

I don't know what alt-brown means in the title section.

I don't think 37 is middle age.  I stopped reading, so I don't know what the other two thousand words are.  Apologies if these are covered there.

I felt like I couldn't relate to whatever the kids are talking about these days.

[WallStreetPhysician]

I love seeing the guy with 8 ribbons below his name badge to mock the people who put ribbons below their name badge.

[Miss Bonnie MD]

Rogue Dad, M.D. wrote:

Miss Bonnie MD wrote:

I love going to conferences. I try to attend two a year. I learn a bunch and obviously nice to run into friends. Usually attend the big one in early spring and a smaller/local one. Sometimes I’ll go to 3/year. Benefits? Lots of derm therapy is off-label and new treatments/pearls are coming out. I think I’d get really dated if I stopped.

Click to expand…

The # of conferences has proliferated for every speciality — outside of the big name ones for peds, I’m not sure what else I should go to other than ones focused on teaching me something specific.  I can do peds EM cruise conferences etc now if I wanted.

The one I just went to was the biggest peds conference (as far as I know) — just attending the peds EM stuff would have taken up almost the entire conference without having a chance to go to lectures/workshops from a single other topic.

It’s hard for me to travel to more than 2x/year with our kids being so young, but I also want to make sure I am not wasting my time when I do go, so I end up sticking with the big ones I’ve heard a lot about, though I probably would benefit by going to some more “obscure” (to me) ones instead.

Click to expand...

I look for general med derm confs vs cosmetic/surgical focused. It's well known which are the "good" ones so I don't waste my time going to a "bad" one.

Although I did attend one earlier this year that I wasn't that pleased with, but I sorta knew that going in, but went away since it was in Hawaii .

I practice general dermatology and hospital based dermatology so I attend the nerdy med derm talks mainly.

 

 

[Hank]

WallStreetPhysician wrote:

I love seeing the guy with 8 ribbons below his name badge to mock the people who put ribbons below their name badge.

Click to expand...

I regularly attend dental conferences with my wife.  She occasionally goes to estate planning and tax conferences with me.  (Odd hobbies, I'm sure, but it helps that we both enjoy developments in the other's career field.  Plus there are free drinks and appetizers.)

Back in March we went to a conference that we've attended in years past.  For whatever reason we didn't get the "past participant", "presenter", "VIP member" ribbons that we should have based on past participation and standing in the organization.  Not a big deal, but you chat with colleagues who have the same bling and went to last year's meeting and see that the ribbons can be a crapshoot.

Anyone have link to where I can get some of those conference ribbons custom made?  I'm thinking a half dozen with titles like "Found this One on the Floor", "33 and a Third Degree Grand Poobah", "Fight Club", and "Extra Free Drinks" might be kind of useful for the next national conference.  Gaudy colors like chartreuse, hot pink, and orange would be all the better.  Perhaps something with plaid and gold leaf...

[CM]

Hank wrote:

WallStreetPhysician wrote:

I love seeing the guy with 8 ribbons below his name badge to mock the people who put ribbons below their name badge.

Click to expand…

I regularly attend dental conferences with my wife.  She occasionally goes to estate planning and tax conferences with me.  (Odd hobbies, I’m sure, but it helps that we both enjoy developments in the other’s career field.  Plus there are free drinks and appetizers.)

Back in March we went to a conference that we’ve attended in years past.  For whatever reason we didn’t get the “past participant”, “presenter”, “VIP member” ribbons that we should have based on past participation and standing in the organization.  Not a big deal, but you chat with colleagues who have the same bling and went to last year’s meeting and see that the ribbons can be a crapshoot.

Anyone have link to where I can get some of those conference ribbons custom made?  I’m thinking a half dozen with titles like “Found this One on the Floor”, “33 and a Third Degree Grand Poobah”, “Fight Club”, and “Extra Free Drinks” might be kind of useful for the next national conference.  Gaudy colors like chartreuse, hot pink, and orange would be all the better.  Perhaps something with plaid and gold leaf…

Click to expand...

Who knew so many high-income professionals are funny? Also see q-school's icon.

[WallStreetPhysician]

Hank wrote:

WallStreetPhysician wrote:

I love seeing the guy with 8 ribbons below his name badge to mock the people who put ribbons below their name badge.

Click to expand…

I regularly attend dental conferences with my wife.  She occasionally goes to estate planning and tax conferences with me.  (Odd hobbies, I’m sure, but it helps that we both enjoy developments in the other’s career field.  Plus there are free drinks and appetizers.)

Back in March we went to a conference that we’ve attended in years past.  For whatever reason we didn’t get the “past participant”, “presenter”, “VIP member” ribbons that we should have based on past participation and standing in the organization.  Not a big deal, but you chat with colleagues who have the same bling and went to last year’s meeting and see that the ribbons can be a crapshoot.

Anyone have link to where I can get some of those conference ribbons custom made?  I’m thinking a half dozen with titles like “Found this One on the Floor”, “33 and a Third Degree Grand Poobah”, “Fight Club”, and “Extra Free Drinks” might be kind of useful for the next national conference.  Gaudy colors like chartreuse, hot pink, and orange would be all the better.  Perhaps something with plaid and gold leaf…

Click to expand...

Never tried to buy my own ribbons, but it seems like you can get them made for cheap:

http://www.pcnametag.com/product/2332/badge-ribbon-custom

-WSP

[G]

The ribbons do make me laugh.  Since I refuse to wear them, it feels like when I take my kid to an entitled-child event and pull up in my beater car amongst all the fancy Porsche, Benz and BMW SUV's (driven by very well dressed/groomed people while I'm in my tattered (redneck?) garb) and I get that look like, "Oh, poor thing...it's so nice to have economically disadvantaged folks come and add diversity to our gathering!"  I probably instigate it to a degree because I revel in that "Big hat, no cattle" paradigm....

[IntGrade]

I thing big conferences are not beneficial. In my subspecialty practice, there are 7 of us. Only the 70 yo plus partner goes to the national 4 day meeting.

We have at least 5 tumor boards a week and very active clinical trial program. We are in community based practice.

We get tons of CME.

Can't justify taking that much time off for a travel meeting

National meetings are best for academics and senior attendings whose lifestyle traditionally favored the annual gatherings. There are numerous avenues in modern day to keep up with knowledge.

I even question whether being a member of the major societies is worth it anymore.

[CM]

IntGrade wrote:

There are numerous avenues in modern day to keep up with knowledge. I even question whether being a member of the major societies is worth it anymore.

Click to expand...

.