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Ongoing education is one of the tenants of this organization. Since its inception in 1993, the incredible people that make up ASBMT have pushed for better regulations, more oversight and a clearer profile of what we do. And for extremely important reasons—our research and our continued push for excellence means our patients are receiving the best care possible.

I mention this because in just a few short weeks, we will host our annual Clinical Education Conference (CEC) for NPs, PAs and Fellows in beautiful Nashville, Tenn. Attendees there will have access to the latest in clinical research, fruitful discussions on industry best practices and tips to avoid burnout. For any person starting their journey in the field of blood and marrow transplantation—or those who are trying to stay on top of the latest goings on—these conferences are an invaluable tool.

NPs, PAs and fellows are the backbone of our healthcare system. They are the frontlines for patient care, including preventative medicine and health education. As the boots on the ground working with patients, implementing the latest research in their day-to-day work and helping deliver quality, innovative care to patients, they are an important component of how we deliver patient care. Because of this, the CEC conference is specifically for these professionals in an effort to focus all content and learning objectives on the topics and issues they need to know about.  All of the sessions at CEC cater to these types of professionals, and it is sure to be a great learning opportunity for all attendees.

I can’t stress enough the importance of taking time away for educational opportunities like the CEC conference event. As I wrote about in my message last month, the constantly changing landscape of regulations and research can seem overwhelming to us, but it is imperative that we continue to better ourselves each and every day. Continuing education doesn’t always mean cracking a book in a library somewhere. Some of the best lessons we learn are from connecting with others in our industry, creating mentor/mentee relationships with people we trust and hearing experts in the field talk about their findings that could change the medical community forever. The CEC event—and our other conferences—are meant to inspire this kind of thinking, and to ensure that the young professionals of our group are being molded into the seasoned veterans they will no doubt become.

For those interested in attending, the multi-day conference begins on September 20 in Nashville, Tenn. Attendees can work toward their continuing education credits and accreditation and network with people who are on similar career tracks. These are both so crucial to any medical professional.

I hope you take this opportunity to not only consider attending the conference, but also think about how you are challenging yourself to continue your own education in this field. It could be through attending an event, subscribing to a new industry journal or just reaching out to a colleague at your healthcare organization for insight into their work. Learning comes in all shapes and sizes, and I encourage you to invest in yourself this month and find a new learning opportunity.

Hope to see you all there!