Convention planning season, anyone?

If there is something a nursing organization loves it do, it is to plan a convention. I’m a member of the Association of periOperative Nurses (AORN), the North Carolina Nursing Association (NCNA), the Sigma Theta Tau (nursing honor society), a reciprocal member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) through AORN, and the association for nursing professional development (ANPD).

Every single one of these organizations, that I pay and get educational benefits from, has its own national or international convention.

There is only so much money to go to the conventions.

I am a lifetime member of AORN (can’t recommend this enough) this means I paid $950 one time about 10 years ago instead of $150-$200 per year with reimbursement from the hospital. That means I get the benefits of the ANA and AORN for free because I am a lifetime member of AORN. The dues for NCNA usually cost me about $150 because I have a student membership. The dues for Sigma Theta Tau are about $125. I won’t be re-upping ANPD because I don’t have enough time in my life.

I am presenting a poster at AORN and will be traveling to, staying at a hotel for several nights, and attending the conference. We are driving because it is close-ish, just the next state over. I already arranged for our hotel room. The travel and the accommodations will cost money but the conference itself will be $580 with early bird pricing, and $680 after February 1st. I am registered.

Through work, I can get reimbursement of $1,500 on educational opportunities. It isn’t gonna cut it. The $580 I spent on registration will be reimbursed. Leaving $920 to spend on the other organizations and the renewal of my CNOR, which is $380. And the NCNA dues will drop that down to less than $400. I am grateful that there is even that amount for reimbursement.

All the other conferences, I will not be in attendance.

Because I cannot afford to travel to all of the places the conferences are. For example, Sigma Theta Tau’s international conference will be in Singapore. The ANPD conference will be in Chicago. The Magnet conference with ANA will be in New Orleans. The NCNA conference I will consider because it is less than 20 miles away.

Going to conferences is expensive. But the education that you can garner from the conferences is very useful to the bedside nurse.

But the only conference I am planning on this year is the AORN.