ASCLS Region V Annual Meeting
I had the pleasure of attending the ASCLS Region V Annual Meeting this past week in Watertown, South Dakota. What a wonderful experience! I was able to listen to some great talks ranging from healthcare reform, to "providing the face" for the medical laboratory scientist, tuberculosis detection and a few others. The conference provided a lot of new information, although I think my managers and coworkers will be the ones that feel the effects the most... after all I have to ask someone the dozens of questions that I now have!
It really was an eye opening experience, not only in the sense of how the field will be changing in the future, but of how much there is to learn right now! I don't think you can ever stop learning! I have my laundry list of things I need to ask, things I need to look up, things I want to find out more about...
The meeting was about a nine hour drive from my home and I didn't want to go alone, so my family took the opportunity to extend our time out their and check out western South Dakota. We went to Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, the Badlands and a few other fun things. My girls are 7 and 9 and I have to say they were amazing during the entire trip. We thoroughly enjoyed our family vacation and at the end of it, I'm actually ecxited to go back to work! It's still sinking in for me that I have a career that I enjoy! I've never "missed" my job before, I'm honestly looking forward to Monday morning!
If anyone out there is on the fence about attending their local, regional, or even national meetings... I say DO IT! Besided the continuing education credits and networking, it's also a great opportunity to remember what a wonderful field we are part of and how much impact what we do has on health care in general. If it just so happens that you can turn it into a vacation, more power to you!