What Happens at an Emergency Medicine Conference?

An emergency medicine conference provides health care professionals with the opportunity to network, present research, and participate in emergency medicine continuing education courses. Depending on its focus, this type of conference may be open to anyone who works in the area of emergency medicine, including doctors, nurses, and physician assistants, or it may narrow participation to members of a particular profession. For many individuals, an emergency medicine conference is a great opportunity to meet and reconnect with others in their field and can provide leads for new career opportunities. On the other hand, those who are involved in academic or clinical research may attend these conferences to present their findings and to learn about the work being done by other academics in the field.

Attending an emergency medicine conference can help a medical professional learn about industry innovations as well as their risks and benefits so that the professional can make appropriate changes in his own health care practice. As is typical at professional conferences, attendees may also have the ability to meet with representatives of medical and health care equipment manufacturers so that they can also learn about new emergency medicine equipment. Information provided by vendors, combined with the more formal presentations made by researchers, can greatly enhance the way emergency medicine is practiced.

Many health care professions place significant emphasis on ongoing education, particularly because innovations in health care can make a significant difference in the lives of people who need emergency medicine services. Members of some health care professions are required by licensing boards, employers, or professional associations to receive ongoing continuing education training. A conference can be a good venue for continuing education courses, as these events typically gather professionals, academics, and vendors together, making it easy to schedule continuing education programs. Attendees may be offered the opportunity to earn continuing education credit by attending workshops or presentations. By combining continuing education programs with the emergency medicine conference, conference organizers can make it easier and less expensive for emergency medicine professionals to obtain the ongoing education they need to continue in their profession.

Recent graduates of emergency medicine programs as well as mid- and late-career professionals may also be able to take advantage of the networking opportunities available at the conference to find new employment opportunities. In some cases, emergency medicine departments and practices may collect resumes and curriculum vitae at the conference and may even schedule interviews with possible job candidates. Even if someone does not participate in a formal interview, it is possible for job seekers to meet those who may be hiring so that they can follow up after the conference to see if there is a possible job match.