Back from the AHIMA Convention
I'm back from my little stint in Seattle at the convention and I must say that this traveling around has left me a little run down and with a cold. Unfortunately for me I have my clinical e-mail update due this week as well as my human resources midterm ... aka no time for rest.
As for the convention, it was really exciting and a bit overwhelming at the same time. There were so many vendors that it wouldn't be possible to talk to all of them if you wanted to. However, we did have time to talk to a good number of them and try to get a feel of what is going on in the industry. We also found time to try and win prizes such as iPods, which four of my classmates were able to accomplish, as well as one of my professors, so that is really exciting.
Another exciting event was last Sunday when we went to a bowling event with a vendor called MedPartners. It was mainly for their clients but a lot of students were also invited to the event, which I thought was really nice of them. At the event we were able to network with other students as well. We met students from Southwestern Oklahoma State University as well as St. Scholastica University in Minnesota. I personally spent a while talking to a few students from St. Scholastica and were comparing our schools programs and where we saw ourselves working. I actually became friends with some of them and hope to be able to keep in touch with them in over the years and be able to see where we all end up professionally.
Another fun event was that my class attended my school's alumni reception at the hotel next to the convention. We were able to meet some of the alumni of our program and just chat amongst ourselves at the reception. We also got a chance to see our professors out of the classroom and we all took many group shoots throughout the evening.
As for the rest of my time in Seattle ... it was filled with wonderful sightseeing. We went to the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, and the Underground Tour in the Pioneer Square section of the city. I really liked the Underground Tour because it gave a very colorful depiction of the city's history and if you are ever in Seattle, I would highly recommend it.