Let's travel, through the AMSN Convention.

It’s hard to believe we are already in the month of August! The days of summer are quickly passing and I can look forward to autumn which is my favorite time of the year! So many amazing changes occur – the world becomes so colorful, there is a crisp bite to the mornings, and I begin to think of all those comforting things like fuzzy slippers, a good book and a cup of hot tea in the evenings.

Another favorite thing about autumn for me is the AMSN national convention. I haven’t missed a single one since I attended my first one more than 20 years ago! I love traveling to different cities and exploring the wonderful sites and things they have to offer. Although we are completely virtual this year and won’t be traveling, we have a great opportunity to experience even more wonderful places than we could if we were gathering in Las Vegas, where the convention was slated to be.

I’m inviting you to post pictures of your hometown and share what is special and unique about where you live when our convention app goes live. This will allow us to travel vicariously to so many places and even add new locations to our bucket list that we may not have thought of before!

Can you imagine what an amazing snapshot we could get of places all over the world if everyone participated in this activity! What a fun way to show off an area you call home and share some secrets that only insiders know.

This year’s convention will truly be unique in how we interact with each other – there will still be opportunities for networking, in how we learn, and it’s all from the comfort of your own home or office. There will be poster presentations that will feature videos of the poster presenters and an opportunity to ask questions live.

There will be an exhibit area where you can visit with AMSN sponsors and learn about the newest products and technologies. And yes, there will be prizes!

Perhaps one of the most exciting things about convention this year is that you will have an opportunity to earn 55 contact hours for the same price as a live convention; more than 3 times the number of contact hours for the same price!! And what’s even better is that you will have 2 years to view each presentation and complete the evaluation.

This means that you would have enough contact hours to renew your license and – if you are a CMSRN - more than half of the hours needed to recertify.

I’m still sad that I won’t have the opportunity to visit with you in person but I’m excited about this year’s convention and all that it has to offer. I can’t wait to see your pictures and learn your secrets about your hometown.

I look forward to connecting with you virtually – so be sure to register, stay safe and please take some time to do something special for yourself. You deserve it!