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| Colorado Springs- Home of Pikes Peak, Red Rocks Amphitheater, US Airforce Academy and the Annual AFPPA Conference |
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by Bob Blumm, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA - November 22, 2010
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I am no stranger to Colorado or any of the States west of the Mississippi but I have not been to this beautiful country since I brought my kids about fifteen years ago. Like the rest of America, things are changing; more homes and businesses have sprung up, but the majestic beauty that inspired God Bless America, still remains. Last week I was privileged to attend the AFFPA Fall conference and went to the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. This mountain is known for its military significance and was the headquarters of NORAD. Well, the PAs and NPs that gathered for this conference created an explosion of their own as they enthusiastically entered the workshops and conference rooms to learn new information about their profession and its responsibilities and to learn the information that they will surely see again on the boards. We also had the opportunity to do networking and meet new friends from every state in the union. We learned together, had fun together, ate together and walked away having enjoyed another conference. What makes this conference better than some others? Perhaps it is the number of participants, something like the story of the three bears where there are just the right number of people, events and workshops.
The organization of this conference was a joint responsibility of Barb Malat, PA-C, Conference CME Chairperson and her committee, the AFPPA BOD and the best management team of dedicated young professionals led by Chuck Dillehay and Carol Paul. Jessica needed a horse to accomplish all the running about to manage activities, and Jenelle needed both the horse and the buggy. Lynne was at home in the office fielding the calls but was essential to the preparation of the workshops as well as many other activities. This was an accomplishment of teamwork and included a superb AV team that traveled from the Deep South and performed flawlessly and simultaneously chipped in to help presenters with other activities. Like ATLS or any important endeavor, it takes a team. We are fortunate that this team works so well together and it is never satisfied. Already the team has sent out a survey requesting information from the participants so that they may put together an even better conference with new subjects and speakers. This was also an opportunity for NPs to meet PAs, and together we have come to appreciate our individual a professional contributions to medicine. I just received an update from AFPPA staff and this will be the concluding paragraphs. We all hope to see you at the next Spring Conference which will be in Charleston, South Carolina.
AFPPA Fall Conference Draws Hundreds to Colorado
AFPPA welcomed nearly 500 attendees from all 50 states and Canada to the 12th Annual Fall Conference & Exhibition November 11-14 in Colorado Springs. The conference featured a wide array of hands-on workshops providing individual instruction by the best instructors in their respective fields. Attendees were awarded $2,000 in American Express Gift Cards at all breakfast and lunch sessions and had the opportunity to participate in a number of networking events. AFPPA’s annual blood drive, in partnership with the Penrose – St. Francis Blood Bank, allowed conference attendees to give back to the local community and save a life. AFPPA also hosted a silent auction to benefit the student scholarship fund. And conference attendees enjoyed dinner and dancing while networking with old and new friends at the annual AFPPA banquet.
AFPPA also debuted its new and exciting YouTube Channel at the conference. This social network forum serves as a video scrapbook, showcasing the exciting and educational opportunities and featuring attendee comments about the event.
The Conference also covered 30+ medical topics including diabetes, dermatological procedures, osteoarthritis and cancer. Primary care interest tracks in cardiology, emergency medicine, and orthopedics/sports medicine were offered, and 12 hands-on workshops provided individual instruction and practice opportunities in casting & splinting, suturing, interpreting EKG results, reading chest X-rays and much more.
Robert M. Blumm has received national recognition as a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). He is the past president of the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants, and was past-president of the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, past president of the American College of Clinicians and NYSSPA, as well as Chairman of the Surgical Congress of the AAPA. In addition, Bob received the John Kirklin MD Award for Professional Excellence from the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants. Along with his associate, Dr. Acker, Bob was the first recipient of the AAPA PAragon Physician-PA Partnership Award. He has been a contributing author of three textbooks, written 150 plus articles and is a sought out conference speaker throughout the United States.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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