Five Must-Attend Healthcare Conferences

Vital Conferences for Healthcare Professionals

• International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH)
• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Annual Conference (HiMSS)
• Agents of Change Summit
• Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Spring Meeting (STFM)
• Public Health Informatics Conference

The field of healthcare is both vast and composed of many different roles or focuses. For individuals studying to become a part of the community or who already fulfill one of these roles in a professional capacity, conferences serve several vital functions. First, they offer networking opportunities for both professionals and students, allowing them to compare experiences and form lifelong relationships with other practitioners. Second, they provide a wide variety of workshops and lectures that enhance or update the knowledge base of active participants in the healthcare community. Lastly, these venues serve as the medium in which new techniques, technologies, products, and approaches to a variety of essential functions are introduced and explained.

IMSH Conference

Simulation of healthcare scenarios is a valuable tool for educators in the discipline. It allows them to acclimate students to procedures, demonstrate the necessity of quick, accurate decisions under pressure, and enables them to explore new applications of technology or treatment in reference to known situations. But it’s also a vital learning tool for individuals who already fulfill a role in the practice community. The International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare brings together both practitioners and those who work with simulation models, permitting them to explore their discipline in an immersive environment. More than 40 percent of attendees from 54 countries are educators. Of the nearly 3000 participants at this yearly meeting, 26 percent work for a university or college, which drives home the value and import of these gatherings.

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

Informatics is one of the most swiftly expanding realms in the broader healthcare universe. It integrates technology, practitioners, and patients in multiple and differentiated ways, from record keeping and transferable data to best practices and continuing education. The topics for next year’s HiMSS conference offer in-depth explorations of clinical informatics, engagement strategies, the rise of Telehealth portals, innovations and investments, population health and management, and developing educational practicums from rising healthcare students. These yearly conferences provide a flexible nexus for professionals and students to meet, learn, network, and create new strategies to meet future need.

Agents of Change

This annual summit occurs early each year and brings together practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines and perspectives. The unifying theme of their research-based approaches is the role of behavioral change within the broader context of positive social change. The conference brings together individuals engaged in science, healthcare, and private entities to create a fertile atmosphere in which the nature of behavioral science, social change and corresponding expectations, and perspective are intimately linked.

The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine

For more than 50 years, the STFM has convened its annual conference. While it grapples with issues specific to a particular type of medical practice, that field is far from inessential. Topics they cover in reference to the education of Family Medicine include emerging technologies, public health and awareness, and health equity. Even the more prosaic topics are addressed and range from creating flexible payment models in a dynamic insurance environment to strategies that promote retention of practitioners in the workforce. Here, educators and practitioners can meet, discuss pertinent subjects, and explore the range of alternative solutions to complex problems they face.

Public Health Informatics

Population health has always been a critical issue among practitioners in many fields in the healthcare realm. Informatics is the use and elaboration of technology to streamline the preservation and transmission of data between mediums to facilitate and improve the quality of experiences, both for professionals and patients. The Public Health Informatics (PHI) conference explores the complex realm and helps individuals stay ahead of the curve in a technologically fast-paced milieu. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is one of the primary sponsors of this critical quest to mitigate or prevent disease spread, improve the quality of life and the experience of healthcare for all, and educate the public about diseases.

Related Resource: The 25 Best Bachelor's in Health Care Administration Online

While there are several ways in which practitioners and professionals can advance their understanding of their fields, conferences are one of the best ways to achieve such goals in a community setting. The discussion of the most pressing needs, current and developing methods, and exploring the products and procedures available to practitioners is one of the most vital resources available to professionals in the healthcare field. Conferences bring together those with a common goal, from fellow healthcare providers to private companies with a vested interest in improving the quality of care and the availability of resources.