The American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA) Conference is this April 25th through April 28th, and CHECK IT OUT, it's in SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA!!!!!
This happens to be my hometown, which means I am definitely going to it. :)
The keynote speaker this year will be Aron Ralston, who wrote "Betwen a Rock and a Hard Place" - remember the movie 127 Hours? His Story. Ouch.
If you aren't a member and still want to go to conference, you can save 15% on membership and 30% on registration by signing up for both.
I love AOTA conference because it gives everyone a boost of confidence and inspiration that we are in a great field with a great message surrounded by amazing and awe-inspiring people. I love all the OT energy you can find all in one small area. It's amazing the Convention Center doesn't go into ORBIT with all that energy. Pretty sure I just mangled some analogies (or metaphors, or something) there, but let's go with it...cough, moving on...
Right now I'm sitting down with the conference booklet (or you can look on www.aota.org in their conference section), figuring out what courses I want to go to and what posters I want to look at specifically! What dates and times.
And Expo Hall is my favoritest thing in the world. Well besides sloths. Expo is where there are tons of booths that give away free stuff, let you learn about places you might want to work (or do work), and sell stuff you've maybe never seen, or have seen and want to buy easily. I looove wandering around Expo.
I'm going to be working my company's booth, School Steps Inc., some of the time, and I don't know their booth number but if you come to Expo, come say hi and tell me you're a blog reader. :) Or that you want a job with us at schoolstepsinc.com ...!!
I also know that on SATURDAY, April April 27th, I am part of Short Course (SC) 328, sponsored by AOTA: "What's New in Digital and Social Media for Occupational Therapy?" The five of us presenting are the same as those of us that presented last year: Anita Hamilton of Australia (Whoah nelly lol), Cheryl Morris (OT Notes), Me (Miss Awesomeness/Days of Our OT Lives), Erik Johnson (OT Army Guy), and Christopher Alterio (ABC Therapeutics).
In an very appropriate and fitting nod to technology, within our presentation, Anita of Australia will be presenting from Australia this year since she can't get to CA, and Cheryl will be presenting from Maryland since she will be about to have a BABY!!!!! Woot woot! I'm pretty sure she's naming it Karen, don't quote me on that....Actually quote me. Again, cough. Literally (I can't get rid of it) and figuratively (since there's no way).
(I like parentheses)
AOTA would like if I posted seriously about how awesome AOTA conference is and didn't add all this extraneous random crap that entertains solely me. Sorry AOTA. I love you guys and I love conference and I want everyone to go and nobody asked me to write this post, so I get to tell everyone how awesome it is and BEG THEM TO GO PLEASE COME PLEASE COME GUYS PLEASE I WANT TO YOU TO COME AND I WANT YOU TO COME SAY HI AND I WANT TO MEET YOU AND I WANT YOU TO COME LEARN ABOUT STUFF AND GET CONTINUING EDUCATION AND MOST ESPECIALLY COME TO EXPO WHICH IS SO COOL AND COME TO OUR PRESENTATION AND BE A PART OF AOTA.
But also. I want to make myself laugh. Which I accomplished, becase as an easily entertained dork, I can do that with my own writing.
Mission accomplished. Go to conference, it's pretty awesome. http://www.aota.org/conference
7 comments:
I really, really, really wanted to go, but as a student, the overall cost of the conference is way to high! registration, hotel, meals, transportation...it comes to more than $1000 for just 4 days!
Luna....I know, as a student especially, it can be financially prohibitive, especially if it's far away. Because it was in San Diego it won't be so bad this year for me. For example I won't go next year when it's across the country in Maryland. Where do you live? It criss-crosses the country so that each year it's more likely to be manageable for different people. So maybe next year?
You can also look into sharing a room with lots of other people, staying somewhere cheaper, not dealing with transportation (usually transportation isn't so big of a deal...you get a shuttle to the hotel which sometimes can be close to free, and then you don't need any transportation otherwise usually)....
It's still expensive though, no denying that.
Eventually you'll get to go! Hope to meet you one day! You've been a blog reader a long time and seem super cool. :) Good luck with your OT student journey, Luna.
Thanks! I hope I get to go someday and meet you! Maybe we'll find somewhere in the middle!
BTW forgot to tell you, I live in Puerto Rico.
Oh yeah Luna! I knew that, but I had forgotten!! Yes, very expensive trip from that distance huh!
Good luck with your conference! If I live nearer, I would love to come.
I am a student and am so excited about conference! Our school is paying for 4 students to go this year and can't wait for the experience. I will definitely stop by your booth and say hi.
Post a Comment