Beverly Meyer

Dos 771 Clinical Practicum I

April 28, 2017
Professional Service Journal
During the spring semester, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the American Association of
Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) Region V Meeting. It was held in Nashville, Tennessee on April
7-8, 2017 at the Hotel Preston. The AAMD supports and promotes the Medical Dosimetry
profession. The mission statement describes the AAMD as an international society which
provides a forum for professionals to interact, continue education, as well as provide a voice in
the healthcare community.1
As a volunteer, I greeted the attendees at the front desk and provided them with their bracelets
and nametags (Figure 1). Vendors were located through the entryway and dosimetrists could
visit with them as they walked in and continue to speak with them throughout the day during
breaks. The vendors were available to discuss new technology with some hands-on
demonstrations of new products. Corporate partners included Varian Medical Systems,
Oncology Data Systems, Provision Healthcare, Phillips, ProKnow, RaySearch and Revenue
Cycle.
My job as a volunteer consisted of scanning all the participants bracelets by a hand-held
scanner, and I also was asked to introduce one of the speakers. The bracelets had a chip and the
scanner would detect their identification which would be used to download into a computer
(Figure 2). This information would be used to keep track of each members attendance for the
sessions, and then uploaded directly to the AAMD for continuing education credits (CE) on their
meeting transcripts. Every Certified Medical Dosimetrist (CMD) is required to obtain 50 CE
credits every 5 years to maintain their status, and this meeting offered up to 15 credits. The
bracelets and scanner system worked flawlessly and efficiently. I believe the meetings are a
great way to earn the required CE credits, network, and most importantly, learn some new
treatment planning techniques and continue to grow as a CMD.
The regional meeting consisted of a variety of speakers on several topics. Being a new
member of the AAMD and a student, I found the meeting to be very informative and worthwhile.
I found the topics very relevant and my favorite presenter was Dr. Kilian Salerno who discussed
radiation treatment of sarcoma. I hope to be able to travel to the annual meeting this summer in
Indianapolis to enhance my education, as well as meet some of my peers who share in this
journey with me at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Reference
1. Who is the AAMD? The AAMD website. https://medicaldosimetry.org. Accessed April 28,
2017.

Figure 1. Registration table where I greeted attendees

 Figure 2. Chip bracelet and scanner

Figure 3. AAMD regional meeting program

Figure 4. Brittany and I together in Nashville