Are you one of the lucky ones?
In the trailer for Chronicles of EMS, Justin Schorr says “and if you’re one of the lucky ones you can travel cross-country to attend an EMS conference” or something close to that. And it used to be that the lucky ones that went to EMS conferences might share their experience with the members of their service. You have probably seen one of those presentations that starts with “the chief told me to tell you about the conference.”
Lots of People Go To Conferences
Not really. International EMS conferences were and mostly still are for the lucky few that can attend in person. A conference like EMS Today might attract 3,000 to 5,000 total attendees (I am guessing) out of a US EMS population of nearly a million. Thus a small fraction of us are attending. Until just recently most post-conference recaps were the forced reports to the department with a copy of any handouts collected, a tail board re-cap of the pub crawl over the morning cup of coffee, or the journalist coverage in the trade publications weeks or months later.
I Felt Like I was There
I did not go to EMS Today, but I felt like I was there. I have heard stories, seen photos, learned about new products, and met some new people. I had an EMS Today experience without actually attending (definitely good for me and I believe good for EMS Today). From the looks of it EMS Today is:
- Fun
- Friendly
- Informative
- Worthwhile
With the proliferation of social media what happens at EMS conferences no longer stays at EMS conferences. Much of the experience is shared live with Twitter posts, Facebook status updates, Flickr photos, and live video and audio streaming. Then in the immediate hours after a single session, conference day, or on the plane ride home a flurry of blog posts are published by attendees, presenters, and vendors.
Photos are uploaded, tagged, shared, and embedded. Podcasts and videos are edited and uploaded for sharing and commenting.
You Can Still Experience EMS Today 2010
If you couldn’t make it to EMS Today these are just a few of the bloggers that will give you a synopsis and analysis:
FireCritic – EMS Today in Retrospect
Seb and His Musings – Old Friends, New Friends, and Transitions
Prehospital 12 Lead ECG Blog – Friday at EMS Today
The Happy Medic – Have you Met Ted
UK Medic 999 – EMS Today 2010, Baltimore Roundup!
TOTWTYTR – EMS Today AAR
David Konig – My #EMSToday 2010 Experience
Fire Daily – Don’t I Know You
Ambulance Driver – EMS Today After Action Report
Other bloggers please share links to your EMS Today conference recap posts in the comments area. Not a blogger, but went to EMS Today? Tell us about it in the comments area.
Interested in EMS Conferences? Check out these posts about conferencing:
1. Tips for Attending EMS Today
