The Power of Teamwork: the PHPN Symposium

Ten years ago, PHA hosted the first PH Professional Network (PHPN) Symposium.

PHPN was a young group then.  Members were mostly nurses working in the PH field and they wanted to build professionalism in what was then a much smaller field.   They wanted to share their experiences and knowledge and help integrate young medical professionals entering the field more rapidly into a community that could do its best for patients.

So, in 2003 – on very short notice – PHA helped to organize a two day Symposium.  Sixty members attended and were excited about what took place.  Nurses and other medical professionals ran workshops.  I remember a very engaging medical debate in which leading physicians discussed major treatment issues.  And, of course, there was great networking where medical professionals broke down the isolation that still existed then in that smaller field.

The positive reaction led to a second Symposium two years later. Preparations for 2005 had a different feel and reality.  The Symposium moved from an event being done for the medical community to one being created by the medical community.  That made all the difference. A planning committee from PHPN took the reins, listened to their members and implemented.  Attendance grew by 400% to 250.

Each PHPN Symposium since then has continued to grow and add value.  Now the Symposium is a 3 day meeting that opens with an optional training and lobbying activity in Washington, DC.  As members visit Capitol Hill, they not only build their own skills in an area becoming more critical to health care but they are gaining knowledge they can take back home to share with their colleagues and patients.

As PHPN itself has grown to over 1,400 nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, social workers and other non-MD medical professionals working in the PH field, new tracks have been added to create value for the broader group of medical professionals who now attend.

The 2013 PH Professional Network Symposium  (September 26-28 in Arlington, VA) remains a unique opportunity to learn from, and with, PH-treating colleagues.   If you are a non-MD medical professional working in this field, you won’t want to miss this upcoming opportunity!

Here a few of the 2013 Symposium Highlights:

·       28 diverse educational sessions featuring new topics, including exercise right heart catheterization, transitioning pediatric patients to adulthood and patient adherence.

·       Optional session tracks for respiratory therapists, pharmacists, social workers, and pediatric professionals.

·       Opportunity to earn up to 10.25 hours of continuing education credit.

·       Daily networking at meet-ups, receptions and in the Exhibit Hall with other PH-treating healthcare professionals from across the country.

·       Latest research presentations in the Poster Hall.

·       A visit to Capitol Hill to advocate for PH patients.

PHA is offering a discounted registration rate of $100 (a $150 savings!) to the first 250 PH-treating healthcare professionals who register for Symposium*. Don't delay — this special reduced pricing is going quickly!  Register now to take advantage of this special rate.

*In order to receive thereduced registration rate, you must have an active PH Professional Networkmembership.