Conference

As part of our education, the residency program encourages us to attend an anesthesia conference. National meetings allow us to see how other institutional practices differ, network with people outside our program, and meet national leaders. Unsurprisingly, medical conferences aren't as rigorous as medical school. At the meeting I attended, lectures occurred in the early morning and late afternoon, allowing us most of the daytime to do other activities. In the evening, we had workshops on nerve anatomy, regional blocks, and advanced airway devices. The experience was good for several reasons. Much of what was presented as "cutting edge" anesthesia and critical care was stuff I knew well, consistent with practice at Stanford. There was also a good amount that was different than what I knew, but these were reasonable alternatives, hypotheses, and suggestions from ongoing investigation. I came away with an awareness of where things were going as well as confirmation that I was doing the right thing for my patients. It also made me realize that being out of training can make someone rusty fast; many of the attendees were taking copious notes. National meetings and conferences are an important component of ongoing learning for full-fledged physicians, especially in the setting of rapidly changing medical science, technology, guidelines, and studies.