A rewarding experience: Presenting an abstract on neurodiagnostics at the ASET 2015 Annual Conference!

I think that many people are not aware of the benefits of presenting an abstract at the ASET annual conference, and are not sure of how to go about submitting an abstract application.  I am actively seeking abstracts for presentation at the ASET 2015 annual conference in Weston, Florida (suburb of Fort Lauderdale).  Abstracts will be presented on July 30 & July 31.  The deadline for abstract submission is March 15 and you can access the abstract application here: ASET Abstract form and information.

You may download and print an abstract form to fill out, or simply use our on-line abstract application option directly from our website.

We need both platform and poster abstract presentations for our 2015 annual conference program.  So, what is in it for you?

1   *    Free meeting registration for the day on which you present your abstract.  This represents a significant savings on meeting expenses!

2   *    The opportunity to share knowledge that you have with other neurodiagnostic practitioners in a friendly and supportive environment, and to gain confidence in giving a presentation!  Since the podium abstracts slots are 30 minutes long, including time for questions, this is an ideal way to start speaking in public for ASET.  And if you prefer, you can opt to do a poster presentation, that does not require speaking from the podium.  You simply create a visual illustration with appropriate text content to demonstrate your point.

3   *   The opportunity to be a published author!  All abstracts that are presented are published in the December issue of “The Neurodiagnostic Journal”, and subsequently are listed in the PubMed database.

A Poster Abstract Presenter:

FAQs about abstract presentations:

Q: What kind of topics can I present as an abstract? 

A: Almost anything!  We have a history of very diverse subject matter presented as abstracts over the years.  Most people think that this has to be a very scientific research paper.  While that is something we like to include in the abstract program, that is not the only kind of abstract that we accept.  If you are doing a new, cutting edge procedure, you can share that!  If you have a fascinating case history, rare disease case, odd set of artifacts, you can present that!  If you have a successful management technique, you can present that too!  We have had very interesting abstract presentations from technologists who have traveled to third-world countries to volunteer their services!  We have included presentations on veterinary neurodiagnostics!  So, think about what you have done and come up with an abstract for us!

Q: How do I request time or space to present an abstract?
A: There is an abstract application form on the ASET website, please just go to the “meetings” tab + annual conference + abstract and poster presentations + Download 2015 Abstract Application, or print the abstract form, complete it and fax it to me or scan it and e-mail it to me.  In addition to the application form, you must also submit the 100-200 word synopsis of your abstract subject matter.  A Word document is fine.  The abstract you compose will be published in the ASET Journal and printed in the final program for the annual conference.

 Please also note that on our website you can also access tips on how to do prepare a poster or podium abstract presentation.

Q:  When will I find out if my abstract is accepted?
A: I will send out acceptance notices in April.  The ASET Program Committee will review all abstract applications starting on April 1.  Within a month of the deadline I will contact everyone who submitted an abstract.  I will schedule a time for each podium abstract presentation at that time, and will include that in my notice to you.  You do not have to prepare a handout for an abstract, or submit the slides in advance. 

Q:  What happens on the day of the abstract presentation?
A: For poster abstracts, we schedule a time early on Thursday morning of the annual conference for posters presenters to put their posters up in the designated display area of the exhibit hall.  The poster boards are 4 feet high by 6 feet wide and we provide a banner with the poster title and authors.  During poster breaks we request that the authors be present to discuss their topic with attendees.

For platform abstracts, we ask that you bring your PowerPoint file with you on a flash drive and pre-load the file on the ASET laptop in the meeting room prior to your presentation, preferably before the meeting begins, during a break or during lunch  We will introduce you at the beginning of your assigned time slot.  We will let you know when you are within 5 minutes of the end of your time slot, so that you can take questions from the audience.  No handouts are required.

Affordable Neurodiagnostic Continuing Education! Lower prices for ASET webinars for 2015!

Wow!  Where did the time go?  I intended to update my blog sooner but the holidays got in the way this year!  We have a new year and new beginnings!  I am starting to work on the ASET spring seminar in Hartford, CT (April 19 & 19) and the 2015 ASET Annual Conference program, for Weston, FL, July 30-Aug. ^1st.  I will soon be seeking speakers so do not hesitate to contact me if you have a presentation in mind!   Also, abstract applications have a March 15 deadline!

I am pleased to announce that there is a new, lower price for the ASET webinars!  We have reduced the price to $25 for ASET members and $40 for non-members!  This makes an hour-long educational session affordable!

The ASET webinars are an excellent way to obtain CEUs on specific topics of interest to you!  It is also a great resource for learning more about a skill that will help you in your everyday job.  If you find that you are going to be doing a new procedure and you would like a tutorial to help you understand more about the theory and practice involved, you can likely find a webinar on that topic!  We have over 125 recorded webinars to choose from!   To browse through the topics available, click here:  download ASET Distance Education Products order form

In addition, we have a fantastic line up of speakers and presentations in our 2015 live webinar calendar!  We are starting off the new year with one of my all-time favorite speakers, Dr. Nikesh Ardeshna!  Dr. Ardeshna must have his own fan club at our annual conferences, since his presentations always draw the largest crowd!  He has a special way of getting everyone involved in the discussion, and his high regard for technologists shines through whenever he gives a talk.  On January 21, he will present the webinar topic:  “The EEG in Coma”.  Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of this virtual session!  If you can participate in the “live” event, you can ask questions and “chat” with the speaker at the end of the lecture. 

   Our last webinar of 2015 will be an extended webinar, “Continuous EEG in the NICU”.  This session will include a comprehensive overview of important concepts when working with cEEG for the neonate:  best practices for set-up and recording, preventing skin breakdown, typical patterns and their significance, appropriate utilization and case studies, and more!   To view the full list of the ASET 2015 webinar series, please use this link:  ASET 2015 webinar series

Please note that we have a special price for those who subscribe to all seven webinars for the year!

Some facts about the ASET webinars:

1)      When you participate live, you will be awarded ASET CEUs by signing the attendance roster we provide.  There is no need to take a quiz to obtain the CEUs.

2)      If you have paid for the live event, but find that you are unable to dial-in because of your work schedule, you will be given access to the recorded version.  You will then need to take the short quiz as proof of participation after you listen to the recording, in order to get your CEUs.

3)      All recorded CEUs have a matching quiz that can be purchased for CEUs.  The price is $15 for ASET members and $30 for non-members.

4)      Once you have purchased a webinar, you may archive it to your computer for future use.  This is a convenient way to build a library of educational lectures for you and your staff.

What is the average salary for Neurodiagnostic Technologists?

That is a very good question and one that ASET tries to answer by distributing a national salary survey for technologists every three years.  Our last salary survey was published in 2011 and we are currently collecting data for our 2014 salary survey.  Please sign up for the survey soon!  We have a December 15th deadline for this survey.

 

There are many reasons why it is important for us to know what the range of salaries is in this field.

·        It helps us advocate to employers to increase wages to meet current rates nation-wide

·        It helps us recruit prospective students to the field when they can see what kind of earning they can anticipate

·        It helps us demonstrate to Deans who may consider opening a new NDT program that the salary for neurodiagnostic technologists is competitive with other allied health professions

·        It helps you to know what the average salary is for various specialties, so that you may plan for your own career path and anticipate an increase in your income in the future

We currently do not have sufficient responses to the salary survey to provide a statistically accurate representation of what technologists are making with respect to such demographics as years of experience, credentials obtained and regional differences in income.

So please be proactive and complete the salary survey on our website.  You do not have to be a member to participate. We are striving to cover a wide range of job descriptions and levels of experience so we would like to hear from you whether you are on-the-job trained and working in a rural hospital, or if you are in a specialized role in a major medical center.  We can advocate better for those working in the field if we have up-to-date information. 

 It does take a bit of time to complete the survey, and we greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into this endeavor. Please make sure you do not skip section one, which provides us with basic information on which we build the rest of the statistics. 

  You may use this link to the instructions for the survey:

http://www.aset.org/files/public/SalarySurveyInstructions2014.pdf 

You can find the link to the actual survey right on the ASET home page at www.aset.org

Thank you for your support!

After the conference: Ideas from the 2014 ASET annual conference evaluations

So, I spend a couple of weeks after the annual conference tallying the scores that our attendees give for each lecture they attended.  This is very valuable information for me.  It helps me decide who to put on my high priority invitation list, and provides overall insights into what our conference attendees think of their learning experience, and other things about the meeting:  the venue, the food, the social events.  I compose a letter to each faculty member, including their overall average score and a sampling of comments from their audience.  We have great speakers but it takes a lot to get up and talk in front of over 100 people!  Fear of public speaking is sited as second only to fear of death!  So I appreciate it when attendees offer constructive comments and kindness in their remarks.

There is a second evaluation form that we ask attendees to fill out; more about what they want from a conference, their thoughts on the meeting space, and the like.  This form also includes demographics about our attendees: their location, type of work, reason for attending.  As I read through the 303 evaluations I received, I saw trends in the comments, some inspiring ideas and some suggestions that I would like to reply to in a general way.

Forty percent of our attendees preferred resort properties for our conference location, followed by urban locations then family destinations.  But many of the same attendees who checked off resort properties commented that the dining options on-site were too expensive, and it was not convenient to get to the downtown area for less expensive dining.  The quandary is that often resorts are more isolated and they are likely to have limited dining options on site.  To achieve an abundance of choices for dining in walking distance, an urban hotel is the best bet.  We try to alternate between each type of meeting venue, to provide variety over time.

Some attendee comments that I would like to address:

“Have a social event or lunch with people grouped by regions so we can meet other technologists from our area”.  This is a great idea!  We already have a special interest section lunch, where people can meet others with a common interest.  So it would be easy to designate regions at tables for another lunch or come up with a way to find colleagues from your region at a social event.

“Include an opportunity for students to meet and greet.”  This is also a great idea.  We had 11 students attending this year.  It could be as simple as helping them find each other with a sign on a table for them too!

“Add IONM hands-on workshops” (One suggesting a needle placement workshop.  Ouch!).  We don’t have medical simulation mannequins and I can’t imagine anyone volunteering to be the subject for this workshop!  Many of the aids we use to monitor cases during surgery are not something that an awake subject would want to experience!  Any ideas for a non-invasive IONM workshop would be welcome!

“Include dinners in the conference program as well as breakfast and lunch”  This one is also very difficult.  While it would provide a convenient meal to attendees on a resort property, the reason we avoid serving an evening meal is because of the expense.  The average hotel meeting continental breakfast (we are talking rolls, juice and coffee) costs about $24 per person.  The coffee at break costs 80 to 90 dollars per gallon.  A sandwich lunch costs $35 per person.   A plated or buffet dinner is easily $60 per person.  We would have to raise the registration fee significantly to cover that cost.  So, we try to keep costs down and limit evening food, and hope that attendees enjoy exploring the local dining scene.

“Offer full day Board Prep Courses for EEG and other topics”.  We try to offer courses and lectures that have broad appeal.  The profile of the average ASET conference attendee is not an entry level person, but a technologist with quite a few years in the field, who has multiple credentials and is seeking CEUs for recertification. These folks are seeking learning challenges and new information.  So we provide lectures with excellent clinical information, of help to both the beginner and the seasoned technologist. We welcome students and new technologists but technologists who are entry level are less likely to have expenses paid by an employer and they also have less income to spare, so cannot always come to the annual conference.  For our Board Prep educational opportunities, we can offer a less expensive option by hosting two-day seminar courses separate from the annual conference.  We can use hospital conference space instead of expensive hotel meeting space and find nearby inexpensive hotel rooms to help our members save money.

Some comment “shorter breaks” and others “longer breaks”  The exhibit hall breaks are one hour long to allow people to explore exhibits and talk with vendors.  We could not put on a conference without the financial support of our vendors.  In return for that support, they appreciate the opportunity to network with potential customers and show you their latest innovations.  We also have our poster abstracts on display during breaks in the exhibit hall.  This qualifies as continuing education so what many attendees don’t know is that they get one CEU for each hour long exhibit hall break.

Chatting with a poster author can be a great learning experience

“Spread conference out over four days”  We had four-day conferences until 2012.  We decided to try the compressed three day program because we heard from members that they had difficulty getting extra time off to be at a conference for four days, challenges covering lab services or just being away from home.  In general, we have received very positive feedback about our three day format.

I appreciate all of the comments I receive.  It helps us create a new and better experience every year.  I just wanted to take some time to explain why some things are done the way they are.  As we plan for next year, we will take all comments to heart and try to bring you a new and exciting event!

See ya in Weston, Florida!