Ask any veteran of an SHM annual meeting, and they’ll tell you that they come for the people.
The unprecedented growth of HM as a specialty means that more hospitalists have chances to connect throughout the year. But the specialty’s relative youth and the demand for hospitalists make networking with peers a key part of the annual meeting experience.
In response to conference attendees, HM11 will have even more networking opportunities built into the schedule than before. Additional time for lunches and breaks are built into the schedule, and the always-popular Special Interest Forums have been moved to the evening of the first day of the regular meeting, May 11.
The forums are specially designed to bring hospitalists with common interests together to informally share their experiences. “Many hospitalists across the country are tackling similar challenges,” says Geri Barnes, senior director of education and meetings at SHM. “The Special Interest Forums are an opportunity to build community around those challenges and the best practices they’ve developed.”
For hospitalists looking for face time with SHM leadership, the SHM Town Hall (2 p.m., May 13) offers a once-a-year preview into the society’s vision and the chance to ask the nation’s HM leaders about the specialty and its impact on hospitalists.—BS