This article is Part 2 of a 3-Part series of my review of the Diversity in Dermatology Conference. In Part 1, I reviewed my experience attending the 2023 DID Conference to include, meeting Dermatologist and TV personality, Dr. Meena Singh; learning about Medical Science Liaisons, the importance of developing a relationship with pharmaceutical representatives, networking potential, diversity in dermatology, visiting Disney World, and attending the Achieve Program reception. In Part 2, I share a strategy you can use or modify when you attend your first or next dermatology conference based on my personal experience.
7 minute read
The Business of Relationships
Many of the challenges we face as front-line clinicians are often related to our lack of understanding and/or involvement in the business side of healthcare. So much of our training is centered around the patient, caregivers, interdisciplinary team members, the public, and as of late, self-care. However, our relationship with healthcare remains ever-present and yet, void at the same time. Understanding the cost of care, resources, and insurance (private vs public); truly appreciating the training of our colleagues; and having a strong grasp of our placement in the global healthcare structure is not part of standard curriculum, it’s not required for licensure, board certification, or continuing education.
We invest so much of our energy into learning the specifications for our clinical track, that we don’t have the time to learn the others. Once we began our clinical practice, time is even more limited. Therefore, the business of relationships is often lost on a clinical audience, unless that audience is full of entrepreneurs. However, the truth is you must understand the business of relationships if you want to have control over your career, your quality of life, and your professional satisfaction. Conferences are a great place to begin developing those relationships.
Why You Need a Strategy
I would not have even considered the need for a strategy had I not been listening to business owners and entrepreneurs. A common theme is the importance of just being in the room. They would all agree that once you are in the room, you need to know how to work it.
At church, you’ll often hear someone pray in hopes that we leave the service better than we arrived. I think this can apply to networking. Here is a list of goals or objectives to base your strategy around for your next conference:
- Receive or extend an invitation for a speaking engagement
- Schedule a meeting in-person or virtually to discuss potential collaboration or troubleshoot problems in your business/practice
- Identify a mentor or find someone to mentor
- Find someone who can help you improve your negotiation tactics for your next contract
- Learn who’s hiring or the event you’re most likely to get a job offer
- Gain access to more frequent networking opportunities in or outside of your specialty and healthcare
- A list of questions to incorporate into your clinical practice to improve your diagnostic accuracy for some of your most challenging presentations
- Obtain recommendations for investments with successful track records and trust worthy financial advisors
- Ask what digital tools or human resources people use to create and manage their social media platforms
What will you walk away with from your next dermatology conference?
The Strategy
Meet as Many People as Possible
This goal is more doable when you attend a conference with a moderately sized crowd like Diversity in Dermatology versus the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) or even Maui Derm. Once you meet people, be prepared to share your contact information. Decide if you will pass out traditional business cards, buy practical merchandise like ink pens or USB chargers with your brand/name/logo, or use a digital card (my current preference). Find out how people learned about the conference, what other conferences they plan on attending, identify some things you might have in common, what they’ve been doing for the last 5 years and what they plan on doing for the next 5 years.
Stand Out
If you want to be memorable, think of a way you cannot just attract attention, but keep it. Perhaps it’s your shoe wear, a unique color or style of dress, an interesting accessory to stimulate conversations, or perhaps it’s the way you introduce yourself that’s reminiscent of an elevator pitch “to get to know you better.” Shout out to Dr. Jamie Cedric Rutland for this tip. He posted a video on what to do at your next medical conference. Make sure you check it out and tell him I sent you! One of my favorites is to share my social media links/handles, and then engage in conversation once we’ve connected. LinkedIn makes this super easy and convenient because you can simply read someone’s profile and what they choose to highlight on their page to find out what you have in common or an area of interest to begin the conversation.
If you’re attending the Diversity in Dermatology conference, take advantage of the Whova App by actively participating in forums, sharing articles, your favorite audiobooks or podcasts, recommend local restaurants in San Antonio, or see if anyone wants to visit Sea World with you. If you are part of a niche community (gamer or avid hiker), share that on the app and see who follows! If you have a large social media following, see if you can get a derm-favorite brand to offer an affiliate link for the attendees! Really think outside of the box!
Every organization I have been part of has been run by the passion of volunteers. They are always looking for help, as the work is plenty, but the laborers are few. First, be honest with yourself about your availability. Share your specific interests and find out how it aligns with the organization’s mission. Ask for clear expectations and don’t commit to more than you can do. Again, think outside of the box.
Many organizations want to scale and modernize, but don’t have the human resources or simply don’t know the options. Perhaps you help them adopt AI to create and manage their social media. You may be willing to research the requirements to build a merch store, develop the member-survey to find out which items are most popular, and run the store. Maybe you introduce them to engagement tools like the Whova App or tell them how they can save money and time by advertising on free mediums where you have a point-of-contact. You may be the connect they need to establish a new partnership with a university, state board, wellness center, or healthcare entity. You may be interested in using their national recognition to create their podcast with you as the host! Your interests may be in photography, creating Instagram-worthy backdrops, or doing professional style makeup for the headshots.
Public Speaking
A conference is a great place to establish yourself as a Key Opinion Leader. Conferences always need speakers and from what I hear, they are compensated for their time. You can present a challenging or interesting case study, share your doctoral research project, present the latest findings from a clinical trial, or find out from the conference host the most frequently requested topics. Maybe you merge two trending ideas like AI and Dermatology, and really grab everyone’s attention. You’ll receive nationwide exposure during the marketing campaign, when people take pictures and videos during the conference, and through the attendees who will return to their home state telling everyone about your refreshing presentation. Next time they need a speaker, don’t be surprised if you receive an invitation.
Oh Yea, The Lectures
There are lectures and continuing education (CE) credits offered during the conference. It’s not all fun and games. Here too, you want to have a strategy beyond simply asking if the speakers will share their slides. At the 2023 DID Conference, most, if not all, the speakers made their slides available via the Whova App. It’s not a guarantee this will be the case for every conference, so you may want to have a backup plan.
It's nearly impossible to take notes during every lecture as there is a lot of information packed into each hour. It can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to dermatology. Look over the agenda and decide which ones are the most important to take notes, simply pay attention, or create social media content around. I use Microsoft OneNote to create notebooks and then within each notebook, I have pages with different topics. I can’t take the credit; Dr. Sarah Jenik, DNP gave me the idea. When I saw she refers to it in clinical practice, I had to step-up my notes’ organization which previously was a collection of screenshots, Gmail drafts, PowerPoint presentations, and Word documents that were not serving me. OneNote makes it easy to store, find, and attach files and images. I highly recommend it. Yes, it’s available on Mac.
If you want to receive your CEs, pay close attention to your email following the conference as you’re likely to receive an email asking you to complete an evaluation before receiving them.
Hotel Rates
I thought I was saving money by booking my room at a nearby hotel. However, after paying for 2 Uber rides per day and having to wake up even earlier, I realized it’s easier to just book at the conference venue. Book early to take advantage of the group rate. Even if you wait too late and the website doesn’t show the rate anymore, contact conference organizers or the hotel sales manager to see if they will still honor the group rate. I can’t promise anything, but it never hurts to ask. Make your life easier and just book early. You can still save money by inviting your colleagues or social media derm friends to share a room. You can also use the Whova App to find a roommate.
Stay tuned for Part 3 where I will share the details of the upcoming Diversity in Dermatology (DID) 2024 conference.
The DID 2024 Conference
- San Antonio, Texas
- Hyatt Regency Riverwalk
- March 21-24
- 22.5 CEs
-Early bird registration for members only. Receive $100 of when you register today.
Kimberly Madison is a nurse practitioner with a passion for writing, entrepreneurship, education, and mentorship. I created this blog to share my journey as source of motivation and as a blueprint as you embark on your journey. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to increasing access to dermatology education and clinical training for aspiring and practicing nurse practitioners. I invite you to view the mission and vision statement on the homepage to see how we can best partner to make our dreams align.
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
