unSUMMIT Discontinues Conferences to Focus on eLearning for BCMA Education
Jamie Kelly and Mark Neuenschwander have announced the discontinuation of the unSUMMIT for Bedside Barcoding. In a letter to interested colleagues, they explain that after eight years of holding annual conferences, they will now focus on providing “affordable, year-around online education with the same high-quality exchange of peer-to-peer experience for which our unSUMMIT meetings have been known.” unSUMMIT University, which has offered webinars in recent years, will continue to provide online education with new programming and access to previously recorded sessions. PSQH has been a media sponsor of the unSummit and looks forward to continuing to support Jamie and Mark’s efforts to improve the safety of medication administration.
As I prepared to attend my first unSUMMIT in 2010, the idea of day after day of back-to-back presentations about barcoding seemed daunting. In reality, the time flew by, as it turned out that barcoding—though crucial and not simple to implement—provided Mark and Jamie with a portal for exploring larger concepts central to all patient safety improvement efforts. In addition to providing high-quality education, the unSUMMIT was an opportunity for pharmacists, nurses, and other patient safety enthusiasts—including vendors—to share their successes and challenges. Jamie, Mark, and graphic designer Cinda Peters had fun with thematic materials; I found myself looking forward to each year, wondering how they could do any better than the year before. This all added up to a memorable annual experience that developed a sense of community, which I expect will continue through their future endeavors.
For more information about Mark Neuenschwander, see “Barcoding and Ministry—from Preacher to Barcode Evangelist.” For Jamie Kelly in PSQH, see “Meaningful Use: The Next Stage for BCMA.”