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Greetings, North Central Members!
Welcome to the June 2015 chapter newsletter. Let us know what you think, and remember, you can always read it on the chapter website. You can find previous newsletters on the website as well. And we always welcome suggestions for newsletter topics!
Happy Hour
Mark your calendar! The next AMWA happy hour will be at Grumpy's in Roseville on August 19th from 5-7pm. Overflow parking is available at the strip mall kitty corner from Grumpy’s after 5 pm.
Spring Happy Hour Attendees
The AMWA Annual Conference and Tips for Attending
By Paul W. Mamula, PhD
Registration is now open for AMWA's 75th Annual Conference, September 30 - October 3, 2015, in San Antonio, TX. Visit the AMWA website to register, view the program, and plan your trip.
If you attend the AMWA Annual Conference, don’t miss these workshops and seminars presented by North Central Chapter members. Look for these names in the registration brochure.
- Karen Bannick and Felicia R. Cochran will present a regulatory workshop “A Primer on the Medical Device Industry for Current and Aspiring Medical Device Writers”.
- Felicia R. Cochran will present a workshop on “Writing Clinical Evaluation Reports for Medical Devices.”
- Mary B. Sebas will lead a round table discussion on “Rational Prescribing of Antibiotics during Influenza Season”
- June Oshiro will present a seminar on “The Art of the Editor’s Query: Effective Strategies for Seeking Clarity”
- Anne Marie Weber-Main will present a workshop on “Basic Grammar II and Usage.”
If you haven’t attended an AMWA Annual Conference but have thought about it, here are some ideas of what to expect and tips on how to maximize your experience.
Deciding to Go
Make your decision to attend early. AMWA offers a discounted rate for early registration, and you are more likely to get into the workshops, roundtables, or other sessions you want. Also, the earlier you make your reservations, the more likely you will be able to get lower hotel rates, usually at the AMWA Conference rate, and to book cheaper airfares. Earlier registration also gives you more time to complete the homework for any workshops you have signed up for (see Earning Certificates below).
Once you’ve made your reservations, completed your workshop assignments, the question becomes: What should I expect when I arrive? If you haven’t been to an Annual Conference before or have only been to a scientific one, you might find the experience different and even a little intimidating. To help you prepare, there are several conference planning tools available on the AMWA website, including an app for your mobile device. To orient you when you arrive, there will be a session on the first day of the conference specifically aimed at first-time attendees, titled “Steps to Success: Annual Conference, AMWA, and Beyond.” Here we offer a few suggestions that we hope will be helpful as you consider whether to attend the conference.
What to Expect
The conference consists of open sessions, workshops, meal roundtables, award dinners and lunches, and a variety of networking events. The central exhibit halls and open areas usually have exhibits, posters, and presentations. Activities run from morning to early evening. Many people plan their conference experience around the workshops they need to complete a certificate, and coordinating other sessions around these can be daunting. With a little preparation, though, it can be an enriching experience. Note that the awards functions and many networking events, some of which are included in the cost of registration, are not scheduled opposite other sessions, so it is possible to participate in many different activities even if you have a full slate of workshops.
In San Antonio this year, AMWA will also be introducing their new certification exam, which will be given for the first time on the first day of the conference (Wednesday, September 30). Please note that you must apply ahead of time to take the exam.
Tip 1: To get the optimum value, attend multiple activities.
Getting Around
One of the first things you will want to do on arriving at the Annual Conference is to orient yourself with the facility layout. AMWA provides maps and instructions in the registration packet, so take some time to look through them. In particular, locate where your workshops are scheduled, and check out where the other events will be held. Doing so will save you from scrambling around later looking for the workshops and meeting rooms.
Tip 2: Locate your workshop meeting room(s) and other venues BEFORE they are scheduled.
Earning Certificates
In general, earning a certificate is worthwhile. Workshops are scheduled in morning and afternoon sessions and are generally of high quality and well taught. All workshops taken for credit require completion of a homework assignment and attendance at the workshop to earn credit. Punctuality is critical. Being more than 10 minutes late to a workshop will cause you to be denied entrance and denied credit. Remember you are paying for these! Even if you do not take a workshop for credit, it is recommended that you complete the homework so that you and your fellow students will get the most out of the session. If you sign up for an advanced workshop, you must complete the homework in order to attend.
If you want to be certain of getting into a particular workshop, register early! Some workshops are offered more than once during a given conference, so one trick to get a spot in a desired one is register for the workshop(s) offered on Friday or Saturday. These workshops fill up more slowly than the early workshops.
Requirements for certificates are listed on the AMWA website, but one has to complete them within a certain time period. AMWA will track your progress toward a certificate, but it will be your responsibility to fulfill the requirements on time. For the Essential Skills certificate, AMWA does offer modules that can be done offsite, but others will require attending the annual conference or local chapter meetings.
Tip 3: Be on time for your workshops.
Attending Open Sessions
These sessions cover a variety of topics and often revolve around a panel of speakers with a question and answer session that follows. They provide good opportunities to get introduced to new areas. One potential problem with attending open sessions is that they overlap with the workshops, so you will need to schedule your workshops carefully if you are interested in a particular open session. However, with all of the interesting topics that are offered, sometimes conflicts are unavoidable.
As mentioned above, the awards dinners, which include talks by the winners of the major awards, do not conflict with workshops or other sessions, and you will have plenty of time to get to all of your scheduled events if you attend them.
Tip 4: Balance attending the open sessions (free) with your workshops (paid).
Exhibits
Be sure to take a break from the meetings. Attending 3 days worth of seminars, workshops, etc. from 9 am to 5 pm can be exhausting. One way to take a break is to spend some time viewing the exhibits. Book publishers often provide discounts on books ordered on site or within a few weeks of the conference, and there is always fun swag to collect. At times, the exhibits are lightly attended, so walking through and talking with some of the exhibitors can be a low-stress experience.
Tip 5: Peruse the exhibits.
Meals and Receptions
The conference also presents a chance to meet others and network. Some meals are included in the registration, and they can provide for both networking opportunities and a way to cut down on expenses. The receptions, particularly the opening and closing ones, are good ways to get light meals. The closing reception usually features the next year’s host city, so it gives a nice preview of what to expect. The National organization has drawings for prizes at the closing reception, with the biggest prize being fully paid registration for the upcoming conference. For those staying for the full conference, attendance is worthwhile.
Tip 6: Receptions, complimentary snacks, and provided meals can save you money and time and provide good opportunities to network.
Other Tips
Don’t hesitate to ask other chapter members who have attended previous conferences. Although I am an introvert, I found most members more than willing to share tips, provide advice, and offer suggestions. A few other tips include:
- Consider seeing some of the cultural amenities of the host city. In some years, AMWA organizes formal tours. This year the conference hotel is near the Alamo and the Riverwalk, a mix of shops and restaurants.
- Try to do something new (the experience may surprise you).
- Network with chapter members and others.
- Ask if your employer will pay for attending the conference.
Final Thoughts
The Annual Conference offers a one-stop shop for networking, professional development, and fun that is well worth the investment. We hope that having a better idea of what to expect will encourage you to attend!
We would like to make this article an annual feature, so if you have additional thoughts or suggestions, please send to Kendra Hyland, the Publications Committee Chair.
Member Profile: Dr. Marie Moeller
By Rachel Brophy
This month we meet one of AMWA’s newest members, Marie Moeller. Marie is an Associate Professor of English at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her teaching load includes four courses per semester, advising 80 students, and leading the professional writing minor. Next year, she will also be working half-time in administration working on outreach.
Marie was recently introduced to AMWA after another member suggested she join. After a little time checking out the website, it was clear that this would be a good move. She explains, “I do many types of writing throughout the day—though I am not an ‘on the job’ medical writer, I teach medical writing in almost all of my courses as a professional writing specialist. I also just completed and submitted my first NIH grant.”
Marie’s focus on technical writing began when she was in college. “I knew when I was in college I wanted to teach English. I got into teaching medical writing because of a course I took on teaching technical communication—I focused my project on medical communication for the course, and my interest in medical writing really bloomed from there.”
As a college student, Marie pursued her Ph.D. in English, specifically in Rhetoric and Technical Communication. “That study provided opportunity for broad-based study in writing, and then I have branched out into medical writing on my own from that study.”
Marie’s experience as an intern for the Psychology/Psychiatry department, MMSI, and Psych Pre-Certification at The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN also played a role in shaping the type of writing she does today. “My interest in how language from institutions and from practitioners shapes people’s understandings of medicine and health really stem from that experience,” she pointed out.
These days having a career that is multifaceted is one that is a good fit for Marie. “I like to be busy, and do many different things throughout one day. As a teacher, administrator, and someone who researches medical rhetoric and writing, I can break my days up in many different ways. I can also make the time to talk with writing practitioners and mentor internships in the community. The flexibility is the best part of my job.”
With a schedule like Marie’s one might ask, “Free time? What’s that?” but she says, “When I am not working and teaching, I like to bake and read (fiction and non-fiction) —I can’t recommend Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie enough!” She also mentions that she enjoys visiting local wineries and breweries to learn about processing and products.
While Marie is not currently participating in an AMWA certificate or professional development program, she says that she hopes to eventually. She points out that she’s already found great benefit to her AMWA membership, “The website and connections have been so helpful in understanding medical writing and rhetoric from a practitioner perspective, and from a larger values perspective. It’s been such a worthwhile membership thus far! I also love all the programming.”
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