The 2017 Charter Oak Conference was another success to mark the 30th edition of this conference. There were over 200 attendees and they enjoyed a wide variety of topics spanning the NCCPA Blueprint. Attendees came from all over the country, including the entire Northeast and New York, in addition to Michigan and Minnesota! As well, we welcomed several of our nurse practitioner colleagues and PA students from around the state.
The first day ended with a celebratory dinner on behalf of the 30th anniversary of the conference and the 50th anniversary of our great profession. The dinner featured a poster presentation by PA students from 4 of the 5 Connecticut PA programs, which led into a fascinating historical perspective by one of the profession’s first PAs, as well as one of the founders and the first President of the AAPA, Mr. William Stanhope. Dinner concluded with a second talk by Mr. Kevin Hickman, Director of PA Services at St. Francis Medical Center, on the importance of PA leadership in helping drive the future of our profession.
The second day featured the exhibit hall with over 30 exhibitors and sponsors in attendance, offering a lot of valuable information on services pertaining to our practices. As well, there were several recruiters and HR departments in attendance to help those that may be searching for new opportunities. The exhibit hall concluded with a raffle that included gifts such as the Amazon Echo, a wine basket, Charter Oak Conference registration, free hotel nights, a Littman stethoscope, gift cards and more!
AAPA President, Josanne Pagel addressed the business luncheon and spoke about the future of the profession and going “Beyond ______.” ConnAPA President, Jason Prevelige, provided an update of the activities of the Academy since last spring including a legislative update and bylaw update. The luncheon concluded with the Connecticut PA Foundation President, Becky Orsulak presenting 10 scholarships to deserving PA students.
The conference featured over 30 hours of CME on a wide array of topics spanning the NCCPA blueprint and including topics such as sepsis, transgender medicine, melanoma, pediatric ingestions, leadership & advocacy. Conference faculty included PAs, physicians, an audiologist, dietician and social worker. The conference was a remarkable success and the committee is already working on next year’s edition. We look forward to seeing you there!
