Can you believe it’s already the last day of the 50th Annual Conference and Exposition? The past couple days have been filled with many great memories, opportunities, and new friends and faces. We’re all lucky to have been able to collaborate and learn from one another. Take one last opportunity today to learn something new and challenge yourself. Make yourself uncomfortable and step outside your comfort zone – we’ve been encouraging you to do so the entire conference! We know you’ll be glad you did. 

We can’t thank you enough for being here this year... for being a part of our Golden Anniversary and helping us celebrate 50 years of ASHHRA. 

As the conference comes to a close, join us for a delicious brunch while congratulating your colleagues as they are honored with an ASHHRA award of excellence. The National Mentorship Award, HR Leader Award, and Outstanding Leadership and Service Award will be given to members for their professional accomplishments.

Then be entertained by The Second City, "The world’s premier comedy club/theatre and school of improvisation." From Mike Myers to Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert to Tina Fey—The Second City imprint is felt across every entertainment medium. After extensive research into the world of health care HR, prepare to roar with laughter as the actors provide timely improv on an array of issues familiar to you. Don’t miss this closing ceremony, it will leave you upbeat and laughing all the way home!  

 

During yesterday's motivational breakfast, David B. Nash, MD, MBA, addressed population health and it’s role – or lack thereof – in the U.S. health care system. His insightful and engaging talk captivated attendees. 

 

He emphasized that although we spend the most on health care in the world, we’re number 17 on the list in terms of wellness, mortality, etc. He said that even more than genetics, a person’s zip code in the United States will give the greatest insight to the state of their health. 

And that’s exactly what we’re going to have to focus on – encouraging better outcomes through population health, preventative health care and understanding where we stand in all of it. Dr. Nash said that the connection between population health and health care reform has most to do with understanding and embracing big data, and that if we need to know anything about health care reform it’s that without outcomes, there’s no income. 

 

To begin to move forward, we must focus on keeping people healthy, focus on the health of our employees, and train and create leaders to propel the movement. 

• 6:15 - 7:15  Sunrise Yoga
• 8:00 – 9:30 a.m.  Tuesday Learning Sessions
• 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Registration / Resource Center / Cyber Café
• 9:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Closing Ceremony Brunch: The Second City

This isn’t just any Resource Center, it’s also a full-service information station. It has books by renowned authors in the field of health care HR, tools, resources and survey reports for you to reference. Meet the ASHHRA HR specialist to learn about the HR Concierge program, and learn how you can get the most from your membership.

TUESDAY 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

Monday morning’s session with ASHHRA past presidents proved to be a wonderful exchange of leadership tidbits and insight. The leadership panel consisting of Mary Anne Kelly, Brandon Melton, Irma L. Pye, SPHR, CHHR, Robert Riney and Dan Zuhlke shared their insights on leadership lessons learned and each answered the question, "What do I know for sure?"

 

Here are a couple of the best sound bites from this motivational, informative and insightful session. 

• "You must be a health care executive to be a credible HR executive." – Dan Zuhlke
• "Every day, we have to treat people with courtesy and compassion." – Irma Pye
• "Pick the mentors and colleagues you choose to learn from wisely." – Bob Riney
• "We [HR professionals] have to remove the barriers to exceptional patient care and customer service." – Brandon Melton
•  "You have to develop a sense of authenticity. Be authentic; be vulnerable. That’s how you get engagement." – Bob Riney
•  "Change is an opportunity for improvement – serving people better and providing more value." – Irma Pye
•  "Napoleon said people would die for ribbons; a simple thank you is powerful recognition." – Brandon Melton
•  "What do the largest and most successful health care systems in the United States have in common? An unrelenting, unwavering passion for patient care." – Brandon Melton
•  "Give yourself the gift of self-reflection. Recognize what you do well and what you can do better. Develop a strong sense of self." – Bob Riney

Thank you to Wichai Thodsapornsongchai, Jiruth Sriratanaban, Yuwaree Pichitchok and Kanjanee Opastipakorn (not pictured) for traveling 24 hours – all the way from Thailand! – to attend this year’s conference.

 

We can’t thank them enough for their dedication to ASHHRA and being a part of this year’s event. 

We’ve been trying to get to Chicago since Friday, and we were determined to get here because this is one of the best conferences that I’ve ever attended. We really only have been able to attend today, so I missed yesterday’s sessions. We had some great presenters this morning. I attended a great session today on recruiting. We’ve kind of been in a little box – advertising positions and waiting for them to come to us. What I got out of the session today is the idea of using social media to engage with potential recruits. We can really positively touch a lot of people utilizing social media in the right way. 

 

I’m looking forward to attending "Workplace Bullying: Solutions and Prevention." Recognizing bullying is very important – a lot of times it’s not overt, it’s sometimes passive-aggressive. You have some who will really speak up and take their stand, and you have others who will not say anything. 

 

When I see faces I recognize and the warm welcome. Seeing familiar faces makes it feel like a big family. 

We wanted to extend a sincere thank you to all of our exhibitors this year. It's our hope that you made some new connections, saw some old friends, and took time to visit with and thank our exhibitors for joining us this year. Without their invaluable support, ASHHRA would not be the organization that it is today.