6 ways to maximize your time at NRHA’s clinic, CAH events
Whether you’re planning to attend both conferences or just one, here are some strategies to maximize your time at NRHA’s fastest-growing events and get the most out of your visit to Kansas City. Make sure you leave some room for barbeque, too.
Things to know before you go
1. Time well spent. It’s worth reminding yourself what you’d like to get out of this event. What events or sessions would you like to attend? Who would you like to meet? Strategize in advance and reach out to colleagues you’d like to see there or who have attended in the past.
2. Check your schedule. Scan the conference schedules online or on NRHApp ahead of time and plan around whatever sessions, panels, or events are your top priority. From there, create an itinerary that will act as your own personalized conference schedule. Be sure to leave some time for networking and chatting with your fellow attendees.
3. Give yourself a regulatory refresh. Whether on the plane or in the hotel room, check out recent rural health news. Scroll through your favorite resources for a refresher, or visit NRHA’s weekly newsletter archive. Do a little homework and get up to speed on some of the topics at the event, such as what is going on nationally with legislation or physician compensation models.
4. Peruse the exhibit hall. At the heart of the conference, the exhibit hall is an ideal place to purposefully wander. Even if you don’t have time blocked off on your personalized schedule, take a few laps and strike up a conversation with some of the rural health exhibitors. What do you see most impacting rural health? What challenge keeps you up at night? How are you focused on helping rural facilities? Use this opportunity to stop by the podcast booth to talk about hot topics and industry trends.
5. Connect and follow. If you’re dialed into social media, go ahead and follow NRHA on Twitter and NRHA’s Facebook page. This might prove useful before and during the conferences, especially if there are any last-minute schedule changes or important announcements you won’t want to miss. NRHA’s government affairs team also has their own grassroots advocacy-focused account.
6. Meet the best of 2018. Each year, NRHA names the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) from a larger set of the Top 100 CAHs that is evaluated and produced by the Chartis Center for Rural Health. Take the time to survey the guidelines for how the top 20 are chosen, and don’t miss the award ceremony on the final day of the Critical Access Hospital Conference.
Utilizing these strategies, you’ll be ready to take advantage of the many educational sessions and networking opportunities available at NRHA’s Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conferences. We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City!
NRHA commissioned the above piece from Medhost, a trusted NRHA partner, for publication within the Association’s Rural Health Voices blog