To keep our colleagues, clients, and friends across the country safe, PCC is hosting its very first virtual Users’ Conference in 2020. This year’s arrangements, including courses, sharing, and even its timing is a bit different -- launching in May instead of July and set to continue for several weeks. As we begin our courses and explore this “remote learning” thing the kids are all doing, we learned what it’s really like to attend a virtual conference.
A Truly Customized Experience
Life is busy, which is why a few days at a conference is usually an action-packed experience filled with courses and social events. If you’re the kind of conference-goer that has piles of notes, papers, and handouts to sort through on the plane ride or drive back home, this year’s UC will make it easier than ever to get precisely the experience you want.
Not only can you attend courses while they’re live and join in the conversation, but you can also take notes and visit or revisit course recordings later. Handouts are available online too, saving paper and allowing you to keep everything you learn organized. If you find a course or idea particularly useful, be sure to share it with your colleagues and peers!
Online Traditions Are Still Sweet
Many of PCC’s longtime employees have been working closely with clients for years, and likewise many of our clients are not only familiar partners but old friends, too. Over 37 years of conferences, it’s become commonplace on the first day of the conference to see everyone catch up with one another, swap course schedules, and enjoy the chance to confer with colleagues away from the office.
This year, while UC attendees couldn’t greet each other in person, participants in the UC Chat, an instant messaging platform set up for conversation and questions, were just as busy the first day greeting each other, recalling fond memories of past UCs, and representing states across the U.S, from practices close to PCC’s own Vermont to some early birds tuning in from the West Coast.
Online Chat Might Just Be a Bonus Perk
This year’s UC offers live and recorded content -- you can tune in to live sessions and ask the course instructor questions, or tune in later and watch the recording. One key benefit no matter when you tune in is the UC Chat, the live chat available for attendees to ask questions, join groups based on interests such as practice management or practice size, and chat with PCC employees and their colleagues.
One thing we’ve noticed is that the UC Chat offers the opportunity for an ongoing conversation not only during the Q&A session, but during the course -- allowing the speaker to continue without interruption while participants ask clarifying questions, share their perspectives, and remain engaged throughout the entire session.
The UC Lobby is a great place to share insights, swap notes, and catch up with UC attendees. Highlights from this week include discussions on 2D scanners, updates on parenting with kids home from school, and sharing some impressive LEGO triumphs.
Flexibility Means More UC for Everyone
An online UC means that everyone can have the chance to tune in, and they can do so without compromising working time. Whether you band together over lunch to watch recordings or swap notes after the fact, your entire team can benefit from participating in the UC’s range of practice management, coding and billing, practice culture, public health, and PCC EHR content.
During our in-person events in the past, not all PCC clients could attend and might rotate the physicians and staff who attend the Users’ Conference to keep travel costs low and the learning experiences equal.
Virtual Togetherness
Pictured: Chip Hart live streams the UC2020 kickoff via Youtube.
Longtime Users’ Conference veterans know that the UC is PCC’s biggest engagement event of the year, and it’s one that we all look forward to. In this time of increased remote and virtual community, we hope that this year’s UC is one that will help us learn and connect in ways that make future events even more successful. A traditional Users’ Conference involves things we cannot offer in a virtual way. On behalf of PCC, we miss you, but we’re so excited for you to join us in this new and exciting UC experience. Be sure to visit the UC2020 page for the latest courses, and to access all of our course recordings.
