If you’re attending SHM Converge 2024 in San Diego in April, you’ve probably already checked out the jam-packed schedule and may have even started circling the sessions you want to attend. We checked in with some of The Hospitalist’s editorial board members to see which sessions they’re most excited about. You can find the full schedule here.
Dr. Hadley
Andrea Hadley, MD, FAAP, FHM, internal medicine and pediatric hospitalist, division chief, acute care pediatrics at Corewell Health/Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids, Mich.
As a med-peds hospitalist, I try to find the highest yield way to keep up with the massive amount of new information in both fields of practice. This is why I’m excited about so many of the sessions at SHM Converge 24. I always enjoy the Pediatric Update—Top 10 Articles, which this year will be presented by Dr. Jaclyn Vargas and Dr. Merritt ten Hope, at 5:30 p.m. on April 14. I appreciate the impactful literature of the year broken down and analyzed for me in a way that will allow me to apply the evidence to my practice more effectively. As a leader in a children’s hospital dealing with worsening respiratory surges each year in the setting of the overall decreasing number of pediatric beds around the country, I am also particularly interested in No Beds at the Inn—the Pediatric Surge presented by Dr. Daniel Rauch, at 8:00 a.m. on April 14. I hope to learn from how other children’s hospitals are navigating and problem-solving for this issue.
Among many other sessions of interest, you’ll find me at San DieGO TO THE BEDSIDE: How Adult Medical Providers Can Incorporate Patient and Family Centered Rounds Into Their Practice, presented by Dr. Katherine Krause, Dr. Kathryn Westphal, Dr. Vignesh Doraiswamy, and Dr. Emily Levoy, on April 15 at 10:15 a.m. This rounding model, which has been shown
to improve communication, quality/safety, and patient experience, is the standard of care in our pediatric spaces but it seems more challenging to accomplish in the adult spaces and I am ready to learn how! In a world where spending so much time behind computer screens and on the phone leads to burnout, it is prudent to be reminded of how much more fulfilling it is to be at the bedside!
Dr. Gundareddy
Venkat P. Gundareddy, MBBS, MPH, SFHM, assistant professor and associate director division of hospital medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in Baltimore
This year I look forward to Dr. Flora Kisuule’s president-elect address on April 13 at 8:05 a.m. Dr. Kisuule is my mentor and a leader par excellence, super excited to see her take on the mantle as the SHM president.
The Converge Shark Tank (April 13 at 11 a.m.) has always been a favorite and I will be there to hear about innovations in the field of hospital medicine. This year the speakers are Dr. Jennifer Myers, Dr. Luci Leykum, Dr. Hardeep Singh, and Dr. Thomas Barrett.
Another talk that will be a delight that I am looking forward to is The Art and Science of Hospitalists Workloads: Designing and Implementing Evidence-informed Strategies for Optimal Patient, Workforce and Organizational Outcomes, on April 13, at 2:40 p.m. Who else to learn this from other than the OG Dr. John Nelson and new age thought leader Dr. Marisha Burden?
One other talk that caught my attention and am looking forward to is 2,000 Years of Patient Stories in Hospitals: How That Helps You Become a Better Hospitalist Today and in the Future, presented by Dr. Jordon Messler, on April 13, at 4:40 p.m. One of the workshops I am looking forward to includes Put Me in Coach! The Essentials of Physician Coaching in Healthcare presented by Dr. Christopher Russo, Dr. Alyssa Stephany, Dr. Justin Boer, and Dr. Leah Jones, on April 15 at 10:15 a.m.
Dr. Mehta
Arunab Mehta, MD, MEd, medical director and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati
MED-TED Teaching Competition, presented by Dr. Christopher Whinney, Dr. Joseph Sweigart, Dr. Annie Massart, and Dr. Daniel Steinbergon, on April 13, at 2:40 p.m. Being a clinician educator myself, I am looking forward to watching and learning new teaching styles from early career physicians and watching them compete for the best one. My inner nerd will be excited to see who wins this one.
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot: Negotiations for Hospitalists, presented by Dr. Joanna Bonsall, Dr. Alyssa Stephany, and Dr. Carrie Herzke, on April 14 at 8 a.m. I’m hoping to wake up on time to make this workshop. No one really tells you what you need to do and can negotiate when you leave residency, and this is a hard skill to pick up. I hope my employers don’t know I’m attending this one.
Building a Successful Hospitalist Medicine Procedure Service is More than Just Doing Procedures, presented by Dr. Jeremy Gentile, on April 15 at 10:30 a.m. I know many hospitals would love to have a procedure service, but no hospitalist wants to maintain these skills because there is never enough time on busy wards to perform procedures when you have discharges, new admits, and AMAs breathing down your neck. Most places would likely benefit from a dedicated procedure service, so this would be an interesting session to learn how to start such a service.
The Pills That Play Tricks: A Look at Commonly Overprescribed Medications, presented by Dr. Niti Patel and Dr. Thomas Chen, on April 15 at 11:30 a.m. I am always looking forward to
a clinical update. It’s possible that I might be guilty of using some medications more than I should or am reluctant to stop some when their time might be up. This talk seems like it might help me learn better strategies to improve this.
Dr. Kumar
Anika Kumar, MD, FAAP, FHM, staff physician, department of pediatric hospital medicine, Cleveland Clinic Children’s, assistant professor of pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of CWRU, medical director, of Cleveland Clinic Children’s Grand Rounds, and pediatric editor of The Hospitalist
As a pediatric hospitalist, I am always excited to attend the Pediatrics Track content at CONVERGE, especially the Pediatric Update—Top 10 Articles, which this year will be presented by Dr. Jaclyn Vargas and Dr. Merritt ten Hope, at 5:30 p.m. on April 14. Additionally, I am excited to attend the session on No Beds at the Inn—the Pediatric Surge with Dr. Rauch, on April 14 at 8:00 a.m., and Addressing Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, presented by Dr. Vanessa McFadden and Dr. Abbey Masonbrink, on April 14 at 4:30 p.m.
Dr. Green
Amanda Green, MD, FACP, SFHM, HMDC, CPPS, chief medical officer, Paris Regional Health, in Paris, Texas
Once again, as I look at the Converge schedule, I have a hard time choosing which great presentations to attend as there are three or four per hour that directly apply to some aspect of my work. Let’s Get Physical: Exam Maneuvers That Can Improve Your Clinical Judgement, by Dr. Daniel Dressler on April 13 at 4:40 p.m. spoke to me, not only because of my love of Olivia Newton-John, but because as a doctor who has been practicing for 20 years, and has been forced to be more and more efficient, I am interested in the latest teaching of high-value for-the-time exam maneuvers.
Equity combined with reducing readmissions hits two of my work passions. I hope Healthcare Disparities Affecting Readmissions: How Hospitalists Can Make a Difference, by Dr. Tanisha Hamilton on April 15 at 8:30 a.m. will give me some tools I can bring back to my rural, low socio-economic community to help improve readmissions and physician engagement with our patients’ needs.
I’ll limit my many favorites to three, and end with “You Don’t Need to Lecture Me!” and Other High Value Advice in Medical Education, on April 13 at 9:50 a.m. Dr. Lia Logio is one of the presenters and was one of my favorite teachers when I was at Duke 20 years ago. I’m sure she is only better with time, and with our hospital matriculating our first internal medicine residency class this summer, I could brush up on my teaching skills! Last schedule scan addendum: the Dr. Pfeffer brothers are presenting Overcrowded Hospitals—Which Patients are Most at Risk and How Hospitalists Can Help?, on April 13 at 4:40 p.m. I already picked a talk at that time, but this emergency department doc/hospitalist brother team are excellent presenters with practical tips backed with great references. It is going to be a hard choice!
Dr. Kang
Semie Kang, DO, MS, FHM, site director division of hospital medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and assistant professor of internal medicine at Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, in Hempstead, N.Y.
I’m looking forward to Rapid Responses: Approaches to Care for Patients in Need of Urgent/Emergent Situations, presented by Dr. Ethan Molitch-Hou, Dr. Lauren Spaeth, Dr. Noble Maledque, and Dr. Arti Tewari, on April 13 at 9:50 a.m. I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Spaeth, and her contagious energy for rapid-response teams was evident. With a background as a former critical care nurse, Dr. Spaeth brings firsthand experience as both a nurse and a physician to the forefront of leading teams in emergent situations. Her passion lies in fostering excellent teamwork and communication, especially when patients rapidly decline.
Dr. Spaeth will kick off the session by delving into the history of rapid-response teams, an area that many hospitalists may not be familiar with. The discussion will then explore approaches to patient care in rapid-response scenarios, the use of early warning scores, and best practices for effective communication with team members, along with providing verbal and written signouts post-rapid response. The session will cover common clinical scenarios such as acute respiratory distress, altered mental status, tachycardia, and hypotension. Attendees will learn systematic approaches to diagnosing, treating, and triaging acutely decompensating patients.
Dr. Spaeth and Dr. Molitch-Hou, who serve on the SHM Physicians in Training committee, will present this session as part of the Early Career Track. Whether you are a young or an experienced hospitalist, this is a session not to be missed.