In Their Own Words: Why Managers and Educator’s Attend the Summer Forum

Summer Forum

Last year’s premier AARC Summer Forum manager and educator leadership meeting exceeded expectations on just about every front and the 2018 Forum coming up July 17-19 is poised to do the same thing.

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What is the value that managers and educators – experienced and less experienced – receive year after year by attending Summer Forum? We’ll let a few of them tell you —

Every organization is looking to reduce costs, and unless we as a profession start to concentrate on showing value rather than counting procedures we will be ripe for cuts. The information and contacts I gained help me to develop a strong business case for the additional FTEs. The ROI for attending the Summer Forum for RT managers is of exceptional value.
— Jeffrey Hodges, MBA, RRT, Kingman Regional Medical Center, Kingman, AZ

What’s valuable to me about the Summer Forum is that it doesn’t just repeat information communicated via the Journal or the Management and Education Sections. The information presented is either new — such as how to create a business plan or a solid communication plan, or how to recognize and reward employee behavior — or embellishes other information.
— Garry Kauffman, MPA, RRT, FAARC, Walnut Cove, NC

Many of the educational initiatives that I have implemented for preceptor training, case-based learning, and the use of contract learning and internship programs in clinical education grew from seeds that were planted at various Summer Forum meetings.
— Kathy Rye, EdD, RRT-ACCS, FAARC, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR

As a result of attendance, I have learned how to use the Management Section and specialty sections wisely and intuitively to present and propose department changes and solidify the request for additional FTEs. Without the resources available and the networking gained from the Forum, I would not have had the information and contacts to help move proposals and business plans forward.
— Christy Clark, BS, RRT, Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Tallahassee, FL

I attend the Summer Forum because this meeting is geared to managers and educators. These two groups of respiratory therapists are really the leaders in our profession and the networking is outstanding.
— Lynda T. Goodfellow, EdD, RRT, FAARC, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA