Education that goes beyond the lectern

LAS VEGAS - If one word could sum up the format for the Medtrade Spring education lineup this year, it would be “interaction.”

Based on attendee responses from 2016, the Medtrade Education Advisory Board determined this year's program needed a complete overhaul, so members went back to the drawing board and came up with a format they hope will meet with resounding approval, said Board Chairman Jeff Baird.

“Feedback led the EAB to conclude that attendees value interactive education experiences—attendees want to interact with the instructors and they want to interact with each other,” said Baird, chairman of the Health Care Group at Amarillo, Texas-based law firm Brown & Fortunato. “With few exceptions, all of the programs will have two or more discussion facilitators instead of behind-the-lectern speakers.”

During each session, the chairs will be configured in a semi-circle and the facilitators will stand in the middle of the attendees. The facilitators can use Power Point programs, but they are not required to do so, Baird said.

“If the facilitators do use Power Point, it will not be the focal point of the education session�rather, the focal point will be the interaction among the attendees and facilitators,” he said. “This approach should result in an enjoyable and effective learning experience for the attendees.”

Baird believes that attendees will be more engaged and will come away more satisfied.

“The most effective way to learn something is to discuss it and constructively argue about it with others,” he said. “This engages the creative thought processes of all persons involved.”