A cheerful colleague at my Thursday breakfast roundtable, a newcomer to AMWA, admitted to having been unsure whether breakfast would be served. Surely there is no harder job in the world than communication, whether it's from scientist to the lay reader or from AMWA headquarters and volunteer leaders to the membership.
Each of AMWA's roundtables is a 75-minute session on a focused topic, which is generally business-oriented rather than the fun topics discussed at the Thursday night coffee and dessert klatches. For example, my table's leader, Deb Gordon, did a great job of talking about CME needs assessments. For the freelancers among us, she said right up front how many hours she usually spends and what she charges. She walked us through samples of two needs assessments she has written and even had the chutzpah to critique her own work. Deb also provided a list of good sources of information for needs assessments, plus a recent journal article that discusses how the approach to planning and assessing CME activities needs to change in light of the newer accreditation requirements.
The best thing to report is that the practical assistance and lively discussion I enjoyed is the rule, not the exception, at AMWA breakfast roundtables. They're a great way to start the day -- and there's no need to get coffee or food before you come.
--Faith Reidenbach
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