By K. Richard Douglas
From Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks on the Atlantic coast to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Ashville in the west, the state of North Carolina offers diverse scenery and plenty of outdoor activities.
The state’s biomed association may be as storied as the state itself. The North Carolina Biomedical Association (NCBA) has been a model for other biomed associations in many ways.
“The NCBA was originated in the late 1970s by a group of giants in our industry. Our founding members met and developed our by-laws. While being massaged and updated over the years many other organizations around the country established their by-laws based upon what these founders developed. November 5, 1980 was the first election for the NCBA board of directors,” says NCBA President Mike McAuliffe.
There are several people who made the organization possible.
“We all owe our founding board of director’s a giant dose of gratitude,” McAuliffe says.
Those founders include President Patrick K. Lynch, CBET; Vice President W. Glenn Scales, CBET; Secretary Wes Cormac; Treasurer Eddy G. Whisnant; and Directors Jim Downing; Frank Forrest, CBET; Dave Curry; Dr. J.C. Boone; Clint Crites, CBET; and Bob Strickland, R.H.Ed.
The current NCBA Board of Directors meets once a month.
“Our meetings are not simulcast; however, they are open to all members of the association. We publish our meeting dates, times, and locations on our website (ncbiomedassoc.com),” McAuliffe says.
The association offers multiple scholarships.
“We offer three different scholarships – Eddy Whisnant, Norman Reeves and the W. Glenn Scales. The Eddy and Norman are both for students in North Carolina biomedical programs. They are both a $2,000 scholarship. The Glenn Scales scholarship is for a NCBA member who is pursuing an advanced degree. It is $5,000,” McAuliffe says.
He says that the group works closely with higher education. A few of the board members are on advisory boards for the colleges.
“We offer a drastically reduced rate for students enrolled in area colleges to attend our annual conference,” McAuliffe adds.
Doing a Symposium the Right Way
The group’s annual conference is at a new venue this year.
“Our annual conference will be held in Cherokee, North Carolina, at the Cherokee Resort and Casino this August 19-21st. Registration opened March 1. This is our first of at least two years at Cherokee. The symposium has been held in Pinehurst for several years, however this year Pinehurst is hosting the U.S. Open, and we simply could not afford to have our show there,” McAuliffe says.
He adds that the NCBA had maxed out its vendor booth space in Pinehurst.
“It was hard to tell vendors that we don’t have room for them. Now moving to Cherokee, we have expanded our vendor hall and class space. We can offer a better room rate to our members. This is the first time the NCBA has hosted an event in Western North Carolina,” McAuliffe says.
He says the group hopes to draw some attendance from Eastern Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina and Georgia.
“The NCBA has always drawn attendance from across the country and we expect this year to be no different. It will be nice to have our entire meeting under one roof. There are multiple food and entertainment options available for all ages so once you arrive, there will be little reason to leave,” McAuliffe adds.
He says that the association’s conference last year was its 45th annual symposium.
“We had awesome attendance and the feedback received about our education; [it] was very encouraging. Our vendor hall was filled to capacity with over 80 unique vendor booths. That said, we always want to do better and advance our field. Our 46th annual symposium is shaping up to be our biggest and best show ever. Space for vendors or educational classes should not be an issue. We had excellent door prizes last year; everything from a BBQ smoker to an ultrasound system was given away. The NCBA vendors spare no cost for prizes and opportunities. It’s almost like they one up each other to create excitement. The board of directors loves the enthusiasm this brings to the show,” McAuliffe says.
He adds that the golf tournament is always sold out.
“Of course, its typically at Pinehurst, so there is a mystique about playing there. I myself am not a golfer, however Aaron Watts, our golf coordinator, assures me that Sequoia National in Cherokee is a much nicer course than what we historically play at Pinehurst. So, bring your clubs and register early for golf. Cherokee is also surrounded by several beautiful creeks and streams. People come from all over to trout fish these waters. If you can stay an extra day to fish; I don’t blame you,” McAuliffe says.
He says that highly sought after classes will be a part of the symposium with an emphasis on hands-on training whenever possible.
“The last thing we want is death by PowerPoint or a sales pitch. The NCBA offers multiple tracts of education. We have BMET classes geared towards beginners or basic BMETs. Advanced BMET for those who have been in the business a few years and need more advanced training. Imaging for both seasoned imaging personnel or those advanced BMETs who are looking for a way to advance. IT tract which helps everyone across the board do their job better, from working with MS Office to setting up a PACS network,” McAuliffe says.
He says there are even management classes for managers and advanced technicians.
“We even host a roundtable with area hospital C-suite leaders to discuss pain points and help BMETs work with and understand this group’s needs better. And finally, safety and regulatory; we work with Joint Commission and DNV to understand the ever-changing landscape of regulations,” McAuliffe adds.
With the experiences brought by the pandemic to biomed associations, McAuliffe says that NCBA became a little more cautious about their money spend.
“We were able to negotiate a better deal at Cherokee for both us and the hotel due to COVID. I see this slowly going away. We have always run the NCBA with a razor-thin budget so we weren’t negatively affected to bad. We also keep a couple rainy day CDs to protect the association. Having a few dollars in the bank allows us too keep moving forward. Our show basically pays for itself and our scholarships. We treat every dollar like it’s our own and don’t waste a cent. Last year, we had a company not able to fund one of our scholarships until after the deadline. The NCBA vendors stepped up big time! With donations from $250 to $2,500, we had more than enough money to cover the scholarship in a matter of hours. We plan ahead a little more thoroughly now, but otherwise it’s business as usual for us,” McAuliffe says.
There is little doubt why NCBA, and its 40-plus year history, have been the model for many other biomed associations.
Scholarship information:
https://ncbiomedassoc.com/scholarships-awards
