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Dear colleagues,
I very much appreciate the honour of being asked to write a few lines for the Newsletter of the 2nd Virtual Congress of General Practice and Family Medicine (2 nd VCGPFM). I hope that you can feel my contagious enthusiasm and great expectations on this event.
Previous Newsletters, have focused on interesting aspects related to e-learning in general, and especially on the innovative aspects that stem from this kind of knowledge sharing in the field of medicine.
With the passage of time, we are seeing how postgraduate training is fundamental to keeping in touch in the area of medicine, and particularly in General Practice/Family Medicine. This speciality, which is centred on the patient in his/her bio-psycho-social context, requires keeping abreast of an area that is even more extensive, and includes relational skills. As medicine has been developing so swiftly, it has become clear that we all feel in our bones that the training process should not be “a package” that is the same for everyone, but, rather, a “spring” where each individual drinks according to her/his needs. Indeed, I believe that each of us would gain more in terms of postgraduate training if it were properly planned, individually, to define the short-, medium- and long-term goals. We shouldn’t feel as if we were sitting in a flimsy canoe on the high seas and… on a stormy day!
This is why I think that this format for the 2nd VCGPFM is perfect for our training and updating. It involves a variety of topics of high technical-scientific value, and these will be available online so that they can be accessed at any time, at the convenience of the user. A session can be halted and resumed at any time, and you can even download the topics you are most interested in.
The webpage is modern, extremely functional, and intuitive.
Dear colleagues, register now, if you have not already done so, and you’ll be surprised!
Tell your colleagues and friends about this initiative, and they’ll be really pleased and grateful! Take the plunge and respond to the challenge issued by the organisation to submit your papers. You can submit up to 6 abstracts. The final deadline for submission has been extended until the 31st of March 2009.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to suggest that you plan your lives so as to keep at least one hour a day free to visit the site of the 2nd VCGPFM between 21 September and 20 December 2009. You won’t regret it!
Enjoy yourselves!
Have a great 2nd Virtual Congress of General Practice and Family Medicine!
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Maria Lourdes Fernandes
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Dr. Lourdes Fernandes
Organizing Committee
Portugal
lourdes.fernandes@
virtualcongressgpfm.com
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The Importance of Online Medical Conferences
Many people wonder why the 2nd Virtual Congress of Family Medicine will be offered online instead of face-2-face. Here are my thoughts on why online conferences are useful for the medical community.
First, Reduced Cost to the Environment – Air travel is a major contributor to gasoline consumption and carbon pollution; factor in hotel laundry, disposable food containers etc. and online conferencing reduces our impact on the environment.
Second, Reduced Individual and Institutional Cost – Attending international conferences can run into several thousand dollars, while this conference is free of direct costs.
Third, Reduced Individual Travel Time – Traditional conferences account for several days away from the office, whereas online conferences are measured in hours.
Fourth, Increased Connection – In online conferences, you connect with people from different countries, different ages, different genders, whom you might not have the opportunity to meet because of social and cultural barriers that exist when meeting face to face.
Finally, Decreased Passive Learning – Traditionally, you sit and listen for 45 minutes, have 10 minutes for questions, then off to the next speaker. Online conferences allow you time to reflect on and respond to presentations through the use of discussion forums, so the level of learning increases.
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Deirdre Bonnycastle
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Deirdre Bonnycastle
International Advisory
Board
Canada
deirdre.bonnycastle@
virtualcongressgpfm.com
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