There are 1000 things that I can say about this conference, but for my readers, I will keep it to a minimum. First of all, we were able to meet so many other PA students and talk about what their student government is like, what they do to get involved with NYSSPA, fundraisers, events etc. There are so many motivated PA students out there, and it is nice to feed off of their energy! We also got to speak with the president of NYSSPA, Jennifer Kelly, hear about her journey of becoming president and what she did to get involved.
Like any conference we were able to attend many amazing lectures and learn new techniques, topics and ideas that are hot in the medical community right now. In addition, we met representatives from different companies, workplaces, and hospitals. (Needless to say, we were given many pens, notepads, trinkets and books).
The first day we attended a few lectures and went to a masquerade party for students. Here we met many other students and got to show off our dancing skills! The second day we went to a few more lectures, had a fabulous lunch and then attended a gala dinner where awards were announced for scholarship winners, PA of the year and physician of the year. The speech from the Physician of the year was wonderfully inspiring. Little did I know, one of the PA's who works with the Physician of the year was at the alumni dinner for AMC and the conference! It was nice to see a familiar face and mingle some with their work colleagues. That night finished off with some dancing and entertainment. Finally, Sunday was the big Jeopardy day! Our team unfortunately did not do as well as we wanted and lost in the first round. However, we know more for next year and have an idea about how to better prepare.
Overall, this conference was well worth the cost and traveling because these experiences could not be replaced. We had a great group of students from our class attend, and I just wish we could get more attendance next year! Schools get awards if 100% of their students join NYSSPA! Maybe we can promote the idea of this award next year to get more membership from our students, because joining NYSSPA as a student does not mean you have to stay in NY as a PA, or even that you are expected to, but it shows that you support the PA profession in your state of education and the forward movement of PA's all over the US.
Like any conference we were able to attend many amazing lectures and learn new techniques, topics and ideas that are hot in the medical community right now. In addition, we met representatives from different companies, workplaces, and hospitals. (Needless to say, we were given many pens, notepads, trinkets and books).
The first day we attended a few lectures and went to a masquerade party for students. Here we met many other students and got to show off our dancing skills! The second day we went to a few more lectures, had a fabulous lunch and then attended a gala dinner where awards were announced for scholarship winners, PA of the year and physician of the year. The speech from the Physician of the year was wonderfully inspiring. Little did I know, one of the PA's who works with the Physician of the year was at the alumni dinner for AMC and the conference! It was nice to see a familiar face and mingle some with their work colleagues. That night finished off with some dancing and entertainment. Finally, Sunday was the big Jeopardy day! Our team unfortunately did not do as well as we wanted and lost in the first round. However, we know more for next year and have an idea about how to better prepare.
Overall, this conference was well worth the cost and traveling because these experiences could not be replaced. We had a great group of students from our class attend, and I just wish we could get more attendance next year! Schools get awards if 100% of their students join NYSSPA! Maybe we can promote the idea of this award next year to get more membership from our students, because joining NYSSPA as a student does not mean you have to stay in NY as a PA, or even that you are expected to, but it shows that you support the PA profession in your state of education and the forward movement of PA's all over the US.