SAWC Spotlight: Focus On: Value of Evaluations

Save the Date: SAWC Spring 2015

  The Symposium on Advanced Wound Care/Wound Healing Society meeting (SAWC) will be April 29-May 3, 2015, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX.

  Registration for the event opened Oct. 1. Visit www.sawc.net/spring/registration for more details.

Focus On: Value of Evaluations

  At the completion of each Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), one of the first orders of business for conference staff is to process attendee evaluations. Evaluation forms not only provide proof of attendance, but they also offer insights into the knowledge and presentation skills of the speakers as well as specific observations regarding the goals of each session (ie, learning objectives), overall effectiveness of the activity (eg, Will what you learned change your practice?), conference organization, procedures, and venue. Surveys are carefully read and analyzed to help determine future session topics and, in turn, the future of wound education and care.

  Conference participants must complete the general survey and online evaluation form for each session to be eligible for continuing education credits. Evaluation worksheets, included in the syllabus book, allow attendees to record immediate reactions and thoughts; after sessions, attendees can log onto www.myexpocredits.com/naccme, complete the “paperwork,” and print their certificates at their convenience.

  Although conference planners are confident in their subject and speaker choices, not every presenter or session deserves a “perfect score.” As evidenced by the Q&A following the presentation, many sessions, especially those that aim to explain new and/or controversial approaches, may raise as many questions as they address; hence, not all learning objectives are met (not necessarily a bad situation). Do you plan to use and/or share what you learned when you return to your facility? If not, you might have benefitted from an alternative explanation or a session more suited to your patients. Let us know!

  Attendee opinions are important. The time and money invested in SAWC attendance demands an honest critique and subsequent dispassionate review of conference offerings. Don’t dash through the post-conference survey; it is worthy of your time and consideration.