The speaker roster for the 13th PPN Conference is shaping up nicely. If you've checked the Conference page lately for our Current Agenda, you will see that we have gotten some dynamite topics and speakers, each an authority in their field.
However, what is still really deficient this year are Pharmacy Buyer speakers. And there are still slots left to fill the program. Last year we were lucky to get so many good Buyers to share their knowledge and experience, but we haven't had many offers from Buyers to speak yet for this year's event. Peer presentations are as important as the professional ones, as it serves a two-fold purpose of getting real-life, first-hand information from the people who are in the living the issues, not just explaining it second-hand, and furthers our inroads into making the Conference a true meeting of our peers, and not just relying on out-sourcing for education.
Besides the usual hour-long presentation session still available for a Buyer to step forward and suggest a topic they're well versed on that relates to Buyer duties/issues, we'd also like to include another Buyer Best Practices session this year, which would have a 10-15 minute talk for each Buyer presenting, on a Buyer-related topic that can fit into that shorter timeframe.
What are the benefits to speaking? If you are accepted as a speaker for either type, your Registration fee will be comped. And if you are accepted to speak for an hour on your own or with a co-presenter, an additional speaker fee & expense reimbursement can also be negotiated in addition to the comped Registration. And it will look rather nice on your resume!
I would be willing to speak this year on either venue. I do a significant amount of spreadsheet work and am preparing an article to submit. This would also lend itself to a hour presentation going over the spreadsheets. I submit these spreadsheets to my Director who in turn takes them to the VP and they go on up the ladder to the COO & CEO of our hospital. Just another way for Buyers to show what they can do and how they can control the inventories and costs of the Pharmacy and their influence on other aspects in the hospital.
Thanks
Kathy
Name of Facility: St. Francis Health Center
City, State: Topeka, KS
Years as a Buyer: 5+ in Health Care, 25+ in hard goods, retail
