Events a core ingredient for medical practitioners

Love them or loathe them, industry, or professional events, are a core ingredient to professional growth. In a world of the 9–5 (or 5–9) grind, the opportunity to step away from established routines and come together with like-minded colleagues is beneficial, both personally and professionally.

Creating space for connection and innovation

Events are often the catalyst for major innovations and breakthroughs and can be fruitful ground for discussion, collaboration and discovery.

For medical practitioners, events are a channel for exchanging ideas, insights and experiences that enhance their work practices and patient care. They are key to breaking down borders geographically and workplace to enable connection with peers, leaders and experts in their field. This allows for time and space to stay up-to-date with the latest in the sector and to engage and discuss current and future practices that will shape the future of medicine.

An appetite for lifelong learning

Events are vehicles for research, discovery and knowledge sharing on the latest developments and innovations. Most event programs feature dedicated time for educational and training sessions, workshops and presentations by experts, which offer time to learn from and with peers, deepen understanding and expand knowledge and skill.

For those interested in furthering their career through the development and sharing of research and education, events can also provide an opportunity to deliver presentations and abstracts of research papers.

For medical practitioners, a bonus of attending events is the ability to accrue Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours (in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand). Depending on the event program, some events offer the ability to accrue hours across all three CPD categories: 1, 2 and 3.

Building for the long term

Building professional relationships is a key factor to career growth and development for medical practitioners. The ability to connect in-person with colleagues, leaders and peers cannot be diminished. There are many long-term legacies of attending events for medical professionals.

Building networks

We know that attending events is a great opportunity to network with peers. But what happens when the event concludes? The initial interaction at the event is the doorway to further developing networks and continuing connectivity. Real benefit, and legacy, occurs through staying connected and keeping networks strong. By fostering relationships seeded at events, medical practitioners can build their networks for clinical advice and knowledge sharing, professional development and career growth.

Career development

Attending events are a way to invest in your career growth and development. By taking the time to attend an event, medical practitioners create space for upskilling, knowledge development, broadening and building networks, and potential collaborations, all things that can assist with career development. Imagine that person you sat next to at an event some time ago could be the link to your next career move or step up the career ladder.

Industry trends and advancements

Events are often the first path of delivery for new innovations and advancements. It is where thought leaders seed ideas, findings and developments. It is where they break ground and start industry trends. Through this sharing of knowledge and insights, they provide the background and the ‘where to from here’. This is where attendees will have first-hand understanding of the how-tos and can attend workshops or dedicated networking sessions to deep dive into the future of their field.

Knowledge sharing

While listening to presenters and engaging with their content is the most basic form of knowledge sharing, having an opportunity to discuss with those sitting around you in that event space in the moment is a very real benefit of events. This instils and validates learnings, further deepening knowledge. Beyond the event space, sharing these learnings with colleagues back at ‘home base’ is an excellent form of teamwork and leadership. It also helps share knowledge across the field to better the sector and strengthen outcomes for patients.

Real world patient care

Attending events can offer the opportunity to discuss learnings and knowledge with presenters and experts and the applicability to real time patient care. As many events offer programs that feature demonstrations, practical workshops, or hands-on simulations, this can impact ways of working with new tools, technologies and techniques that can be applied to practice environments. That research presentation you heard at a recent event about the benefits of meditation for patients with high blood pressure might be the one thing that helps a patient who has tried everything when you are out of ways to help their quality of life.

Innovations and breakthroughs

Attending an event can be the seed that sparks a new idea, new passion project, new way of working, or innovation. Whether through a fortuitous meeting of minds that leads to a lifelong collaboration, or an idea that sparked, the legacy of attending events for innovation and breakthrough should not be undervalued.

Remember that attending events is more than just showing up – it's a chance to invest in your own growth. This year, choose an event that aligns with what you want to learn, experience, and take away.