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I felt exhausted in my airline seat. I was heading back home and couldn't get a wink of sleep on the plane.
I thought of all the people I met, the pearls I learned, and the fun I had at Midyear. I became overwhelmed with future possibilities. I wrote my future project plans that I will start with my new colleagues. But I stopped myself to write this post. 

I want to encapsulate my reflections on Midyear to offer you what I learned. I hope this makes your next Midyear experience the best you ever had. What follows are the 4 major actions I took to make Midyear an incredible event.

1. Network, Network, Network

The power of networking is one of the most effective professional tools. My network keeps me updated on what's going on. It tells me where are new jobs, what research projects are being conducted, what projects are running that I can contribute to. My network is how I received every job I ever had.

I met great people at Midyear thru PPS (Personal Placement Services), the residency showcase, poster presentations, education seminars and organization gatherings. I met one PGY2 informatics resident during the poster presentation. I'm so glad we met because he's working on creating metrics, programs, and processes for ambulatory care pharmacists. Guess who is signed up to be a test subject is when he creates a new project for Am Care? This guy. 

2. Go to the Poster Sessions

I saw so little people at the poster sessions! Only two people talked to me and three talked to the resident next to me who was from the Mayo Clinic.

I walked the isles and met very interesting residents with passions similar to mine. I made contacts with some. I contacted my new residency friends of 2013 to begin work on projects together.

Future residents (students!), this is your opportunity to meet residents in programs you wish to apply to. Getting your face out there is important for the job market. The better they remember you, the more likely they’ll recommend you for an interview.

3. Attend CE Areas of Your Interest

America's leading experts are at Midyear providing you information that they've gained over years of experience. This is truly the easiest way to learn about your practice.

I had the privilege to meet the creator of the Great eXpections conference. He is an awesome and humble guy. I plan on talking more to him over the months. As we talked, he mentioned that he'd love insight into improving the conference. Wow! He asked me for an evaluation? Not only that, but he said that I could help out next year if I was willing (of course I am). This was a once and a life time opportunity.

4. Use PPS, if You're Looking for a Job

PPS is an amazingly cheap way to quickly interview with multiple companies. PPS costs less than $100 if you're a student or a resident. If you want to interview at 10 different places, your cost is less than $10 per interview.

It costs much more to interview in a normal interview process. When you add gas, food, hotel, airline tickets, the costs become very high.

PPS is another great way to network. I met people from all over the country. I discovered programs and their nuances. I would not have found these details by reading the job descriptions or handouts. Also, I was able to schedule three extra interviews by talking to recruiters and displaying my interest in ambulatory care.

What did you learn while at Midyear? Did Midyear provide a life changing experience?