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.
