How to Navigate a Virtual Meeting - Everyone's a Pro!

By now everyone is an expert in how to attend and participate in virtual meetings and conferences. During the pandemic, we all learned how to navigate virtual events and gain the knowledge and instruction that normally would have been learned in person, with your fellow OR leaders sitting right next to you.

Outpatient Surgery Magazine made the decision to present the 13th annual OR Excellence Conference virtually for a second consecutive year to gather the best speakers and topics in a format that would allow the most participation. While we all look forward to the face-to-face live meeting again in 2022, our goal was to provide the best and easiest way to access top topics and speakers during what is still a hectic time for all healthcare professionals. So, no travel or time off from work required — just your participation as a registered attendee!

Here are some great tips to make the most of this year’s virtual meeting:

Save the Date. Perhaps the hardest lesson we’ve learned during the pandemic is that time is extremely difficult to book for those things that are meaningful and would help our careers. So many other pressures — personal and professional — take over your calendar. The only way to get around that is to block the time for the Live Program, Oct. 12 to 14, and let your team know that you will be unavailable for those hours. You owe it to yourself to make the time, enjoy the speakers and gain valuable continuing education credits.

Enjoy the On-Demand Sessions. We’ve pulled together 10 great sessions by expert speakers that will be available 24/7 for 60 days. The best tip we can suggest is to set aside a few hours each week to access this content, so you don’t miss out on these enjoyable and informative sessions.

Find a Quiet Place to Enjoy the Conference. This is the hardest task in your demanding world. You may choose to participate in Virtual OR Excellence in the privacy of your own home, on a day off, or for a few hours in a private office or space. No matter what, try to make it a safe and distraction-free place to listen, learn, connect and grow your knowledge. We’ve planned some extra special sessions that will inspire you to become a better leader and face your challenges. In some, the Outpatient Surgery cover stories come to life with speakers who have appeared in the pages of our magazine – you will not want to miss them and hear their stories live and in their own words.

Make New Connections. It’s important to meet your fellow colleagues virtually whenever possible, so we’ve planned a new Birds-of-a-Feather networking opportunity in a platform that allows for great interactions. It’s all part of the same registration price, so you are encouraged to sign up for these casual conversations that just might make your day through a great conversation and some “aha” moments.

Make Time for You. It’s been a tough year all the way around for everyone. You deserve this educational break from your daily routines. We made the decision to go virtual so that as many surgical leaders as possible can participate in OR Excellence this year. It will require no travel and will be available with special Early Bird pricing for Outpatient Surgery Magazine subscribers and AORN members — so no excuses, you deserve this conference!