Attending a medical conference or convention has always been part of Continuing Medical Education. However, in these tough economic times, you may be faced with cutting back on the number of conventions you go to. Your income may be down, incentives by the sponsors of the conventions are fewer and fewer, and your practice may suffer for the time you are away at a medical conference. Now more than ever it is important to understand how to make the most out of any medical conference you choose to attend.

Despite the enticing brochure or email alert that you just received – the question you need to ask yourself is “why should I go” to any given medical conference. To answer that question you need to do cost- benefit analysis as you would with any other major purchase decision for your practice. Length, topic, and location are the key factors. How far away is the conference? What will it cost to get there and stay there? How long will you need to attend? And, ultimately what will you gain from the subject matter? A local seminar with an attendance fee of $45.00 that lasts an hour on a new protocol specific to your practice may be a no-brainer to attend, your specialty’s annual week-long meeting on the other side of the country – not so much.

In the past when times were different, many practitioners looked upon medical conferences as not only a chance to obtain needed CME credits, but to catch up with old friends and colleagues and enjoy an interesting tourist location. While such social opportunities are certainly still part of the major conventions, today the decision to attend or not attend is far more often driven by the content of the meeting, then the allure of sandy beaches.

Know Your Objectives

If you have made the decision to attend a given conference, according to professional event planners the best way to get the most out of your time there is to plan ahead. Know what you want to achieve at that meeting before you sign up for your badge at the registration table. Prioritize to maximize your time. Understand why it is that you wish to attend, whether that is for specific CME, practice management solutions, or personal development – and plan to attend lectures and seek out vendors and presenters that match your goals – before you arrive. The agendas of almost any medical conference are usually available online long before the convention begins – some are even downloadable “Aps” to your smartphone or PDA.

The medical conference is still a great way for medical professionals to share ideas, communicate best practice solutions, and generally enhance the practice of medicine. However, as with just about everything else in your practice today – you need to streamline your approach to attendance – to get the most bang for the buck.