President’s Message

Abstract

Most of the work of health care providers is highly interactive and face-to-face. We depend on facial expressions and body language to help us deliver the best care to patients. Patients often say one thing (“No, I’m not in any pain”), but their faces and vital signs tell a different story. We all know and apply this axiom: watch what they do, not what they say. The person-to-person exchange of critical patient orders between and among providers literally mean life or death.Face-to-face professional networking and informal learning have taken a huge hit over the past 2 years of COVID-19. It has been particularly difficult for those of us working in smaller yet vitally important subspecialties such as vascular access and infusion therapy. Think about how many pearls of wisdom you received during interactions at AVA annual scientific conferences, lunch-and-learns, and local network and chapter dinner discussions in the prepandemic era.The benefits and positive energy we receive from face-to-face hallway conversations simply cannot be replaced by Zoom meetings and webinars, although these virtual options are certainly valuable. But whether you attend the annual AVA Scientific Meeting (AVASM22) or a meeting of your local AVA network, some of the benefits of face-to-face meetings are improved critical thinking skills, strengthening personal relationships with colleagues, building trust, career enhancement, better focus and learning, and improved communication and understanding.I hope you remember and deeply desire to rekindle your need for face-to-face community and shared learning and experiences. AVASM22 will fulfill those needs, provide you with all the benefits mentioned above, and more; it will be held September 30–October 3, 2022, at the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Convention Center. Premeeting workshops will take place September 29. Please continue to check the AVASM22 website for details and announcements.I am sure many of you are equally excited that most of the local AVA networks are holding face-to-face meetings now. Local networks are invaluable to vascular access and infusion providers because they often provide in-depth information on local nuances of state licensure, scopes of practice, and hospital and employer credentialing. AVA is proud to continue to support the 52 networks with the ongoing joint membership campaign of CARES (Competency-Action-Results-Education-Satisfaction) by AVA and many other activities. AVA typically accredits network meeting continuing education (CE) sessions.At AVASM22, attendees can earn up to 20 nursing CE credits and more if they attend a premeeting workshop. Over the past 2 years, AVA has hosted virtual scientific meetings, and it will continue to do so in 2022. This service is vitally important to people who cannot travel because of work and other commitments. AVA’s virtual conference has opened the door of our vital education sessions to dozens of countries outside North America. Virtual attendees can earn up to 11 CE credits and 10 more if they purchase the Premium CE option. AVA is in the process of gaining accreditation for respiratory therapists, infusion nurses, and physicians. Again, please watch the AVA website and social media for upcoming announcements.I am proud to say that AVA’s blinded selection of sessions and workshops is rigorous and competitive. In 2022, only 54% of sessions and workshops submitted were selected. The call for posters is similarly rigorous. All abstracts must include and are evaluated on the items below by subject matter experts: Purpose or goals statement reflect the presentation;Learning objectives are well stated and reflect the presentation;Content description is concise and comprehensive;Topic or subject is of interest to the AVA audience;Statement of risk of commercial bias is included;Overall submission is cohesive.Then the schedule is developed, taking into account the surveys and evaluations from previous meetings. The AVA D-Team ensures high-quality speakers, while also giving opportunities to new presenters, who address the most important and emerging topics in vascular access and infusion therapy.And finally, the AVA Board of Directors will continually review guidelines from the CDC and Minneapolis to ensure AVASM22 is the safest event we can deliver to our attendees, exhibitors, and staff. Our final list of safety precautions will be available no later than June 20, 2022. Because guidelines for events may change, please be sure to check back here for updates. There is a terrific message from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on the many restaurants and activities in this welcoming and safe city.I hope you agree that AVASM and network meetings are vital to the improvement of services and patient safety. Let’s all show up and be counted at face-to-face events this year: it’s the best way to work together.