Navigating the HIMSS11 Educational Opportunities: Tips from a Veteran Conference Attendee

 HIMSS11 marks my 15^th consecutive year of attendance at this nowhere-else-to-be-found event.  Many of you know that I’ve built my career in health IT as an applications development professional while attending HIMSS conferences (and volunteering, too!). 

HIMSS11 is no exception…nowhere in the health IT industry will as much education, networking and collaboration activities occur in such a short amount of time. 

Whether you are a first-time or a veteran attendee, planning is the key to maximizing the hundreds of HIMSS11 educational opportunities available to attendees.  At HIMSS11, two venues for educational content are assigned continuing education credits (CE):

• Pre-conference education (separate fee required); and
• General education (complimentary of general conference registration). 

Pre-conference education includes both symposia (similar to a conference format with half- day or full-day sessions offered) and workshops (opportunities for hands-on work).  General conference education, occurring during various times from Monday – Thursday, includes Keynotes, Views from the Top (similar to a plenary), general sessions, roundtables, eSessions (20-minute multimedia sessions) and poster sessions, all of which are identified through a rigorous peer-review process. 

Also, lots of educational opportunities occur on the exhibit floor, especially with the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase, Career Services Pavilion and through our Exhibitors. 

So, with all these opportunities, how do you plan to get the most out of HIMSS11? 

Start by identifying what’s important to you. 

I get asked many times “What are the top ‘can’t miss’ sessions at HIMSS11?”  But what appeals to me may not appeal to someone else.  So, HIMSS has created a tool called MyHIMSS11 that breaks the CE-based education into audience segments like Nurse/CNO, Military Professional, Project Manager, Emerging Professional and 13 other categories. 

Also, the CE-based content is organized into topic categories like ARRA/Meaningful Use, Clinical Decision Support, Workforce Development, and others.  The Schedule at a Glance helps you also build in networking time (translation: fun!) with learning.  And, the newly launched Mobile Website will help you plan your attendance strategy anywhere, anytime.

And don’t just take my word for this exceptional, credible event: HIMSS11 has many conference collaborators who also support the work that we do to bring education, networking, and exhibition to health IT professionals. 

And for those who are new to the health IT industry, be sure to attend the Emerging Professionals Workshop and Networking Event, where I will deliver the latest updates on all things HIMSS.   

Finally, join me for a Tweet Up at 11 a.m. – noon on Wednesday Feb. 23 at the Social Media Pavilion immediately following the HIT X.0: Beyond the Edge session Second Life© in Health and Education.  Follow me on Twitter at @JoannKlinedinst and follow the hashtag #HIMSS11 to join in the discussion.