Teaching, Learning, Advocacy

I am currently in San Francisco at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) meeting.  This is a meeting of medical educators, and is a wonderful conference for my personal learning plan.  I have truly enjoyed my time, learning a ton about the field of Continuing Medical Education, catching up with old friends, and meeting many new friends.

I have had the opportunity to be on a panel, hearing Dr. Kendall Ho talk about e-health, what is here now, and what may come in the future.  I also had the great privilege of moderating the Research in Medical Education (RIME) session on Continuing Professional Development, with provocative speakers on a variety of subjects.  I had dinner with the leadership of the Indiana University School of Medicine yesterday, meeting other new medical students who are the future of medicine.

Today, I couldn’t be more excited to give a workshop with my colleagues Dr. Terry Kind from George Washington University, and Dr. Ryan Madanick from the University of North Carolina, on the topic of Social Media for medical educators.

Our message: we need to be in the digital space, to connect and communicate with patients, with learners, and with each other.  To teach, to learn, to advocate.  These are critical components of being a health care provider, and something I am proud to talk about.

To teach, to learn, to advocate.  As today is election day, and many will exercise their right to decide the future leadership of the United States, let us be reminded about the importance of advocacy, teaching and learning.  It is why many of us are here at this meeting, and how we re-energize our bases to go back to our institutions and care for patients to the best of our abilities.