Joe Zenel, MD, FAAP

The AAP 2009 National Conference of Exhibition (NCE) achieved the highest attendance ever in its history. Overall, attendees were pleased with the daily plenaries, the variety of workshops and seminars, the exhibit hall, the section meetings, the social events and the opportunities for "networking" with colleagues. But was the AAP 2009 NCE a success?

Continuing medical education (CME) is basically defined as a broad spectrum of secondary or post-training activities that help us, as medical practitioners, maintain competence and learn about new and developing areas in our areas of practice. Current medical education literature measures the effectiveness or success of CME by documenting improvement in professional performance. To achieve improvement, CME participants must be committed to change. So, in the words of the staff at AAP ConvergeNCE, I ask you, "At the NCE, what did you learn, what did you retain, what will you do in your practice now that you're back?" CME proponents query, "Are you dedicated to Commitment to Change (CTC)?" After you recorded your CME credits for the events you attended, did you file your 2009 NCE paraphernalia into your memorabilia stash or did you review your notes and handouts and/or discuss what you witnessed with fellow students, nurses, pediatricians and business administrators, and implement change? Or were you understandably sidetracked by the H1N1 second wave upon returning to your practice and subsequently placed all post-NCE related activities on hold? No matter what your answer, this issue of AAP Convergence comes to you intent on reinforcing some highlights, recalling some favorable experiences or perhaps reminding you what you may not know.

H1N1, global neonatal resuscitation, inexpensive measures to eradicate parasitic infections in developing areas of the world, toy-related injuries, obesity, autism, tonsillectomies, anesthesia and pediatricians helping children throughout the world are topics discussed in this issue and should trigger you to reflect on what you do, how effective you are at your job and whether you want to make a change. Similar to you checking on a patient's status a few days after hospital discharge, AAP ConvergeNCE is performing a "CME follow-up."

Today, pediatric residents and fellows must develop competencies in cognitive and behavioral skills. One major competency is "practice-based learning and improvement." Are you modeling the very behavior we expect from our pediatricians-in-training? Did you pursue practice-based learning at the NCE? If the AAP 2009 NCE helped your professional career, then yes the conference was a success. But like our residents, we too seek to improve. The AAP wants to make sure we met your needs and whether there is a way to better provide CME. Please e-mail us at nce@aap.org or weigh in through the new electronic evaluation form.

Freud once said we are here to work and to play. Today's AAP ConvergeNCE also features some of the fun events at the NCE. All of us behind the NCE scenes hope we helped create an entertaining environment conducive to learning. Again, please let us know how we did. We are committed to change and with your input we plan to have an even more successful AAP 2010 NCE in San Francisco.