Residency Rap

Posters and lectures and exhibits, Oh My!  For a while I felt like Alice (or Alex?) in Wonderland at the 2006 ACFAS Science Conference in Las Vegas. Overall I thought the conference was highly worthwhile and very educational. First, I’d like to send my congratulations to all the residents who presented manuscripts and posters. You’re all winners in my book. In my opinion, this is where the real meat and potatoes of the conference is, the true content. I’ll make one request of everyone for the future. Please print out a paper version of your poster! Your topics were fascinating, but I couldn’t spend enough time reading all that info!

I was amazed at the large number of vendors. If you’re concerned podiatry is not a specialty with the potential for monetary profit, I’d direct you to any of the 180 or so vendors that market to us. I’d say we’re THE market. Just look, for instance, at the number of new external fixation devices, bone stimulators, and orthotic companies popping up.

Many of the lecture tracks were both educational and entertaining. A highlight for me was Excuse the Interruption, a debate between many of our top practitioners on a variety of topics, based on the sports show Pardon the Interruption. It was very entertaining to watch our national speakers beat up on each other a bit. Along a similar vein was a debate entitled Cast or Cut. As the name suggests this discussion centered on surgical vs. conservative treatments for a variety of pathologies. Again, a very entertaining lecture.

OK, the book report’s over. Nothing’s perfect, and as interesting and educational as the conference was, I did have some issues. First, and I’ll reiterate my last editorial, these conferences should be free for residents and students. It would also be nice to have some free formal resident workshops. Perhaps the Young Members Association could somehow put on workshops for us so we wouldn’t have to pay to receive the extra education (hint hint for anyone listening!). From an organizational standpoint the conference content was well done, however, the Mandalay Bay organizers put the vendors (and our food) so far away from the lecture halls, they might as well have been in the Luxor down the road! Food has to be close to the lectures folks!

As entertaining as the lectures I mentioned above were, I have one concern. When you have a debate, the point is not to distribute knowledge but to win. As a result the arguments are skewed toward a certain opinion, omitting vital information, which is the opposite of a balanced scientific discussion that will alter practice methods. This thought coalesced during a Cast or Cut debate on clubfoot between Drs Robert Mendicino and Luke Cicchinelli. Dr Mendicino argued persuasively for Ponseti casting while Dr Cicchinelli held that surgical intervention is necessary in third world countries. It wasn’t until after the original argument was complete that the high failure rate of Ponseti casting for neuromuscular disease and arthrogrypotic children was made. In a balanced argument, this point would have been discussed previously. I think both docs would agree that there’s a place for both treatment modalities. However, in a debate it’s about who’s most convincing. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the debates, but due to their nature none of them changed the way I’ll treat my patients or open my eyes to new options. If anything, the debates reinforced my own views on the topics discussed. Hopefully, ACFAS will continue these entertaining debates but keep them to a minimum. I want to learn NEW information and techniques, not rehash what I already know.

Overall, I thought the conference was educational and engaging. ACFAS should be proud of a job well done, and I’m looking forward to the 65th annual conference in Orlando, Florida. For you conference junkies, don’t forget about the APMA conference coming up soon. Write in with your impressions on the conference. Don’t be shy; your opinion counts!

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