CEAI’s annual conference is creating a buzz.
The Clinical Engineering Association of Illinois has almost sold out of booths for the conference, CEAI President Suraj Soudagar said in a telephone interview.
“We have about 50 exhibitors from all over the country,” Soudagar said. “We try to hit 50 or 60 each year.”
The 2014 CEAI Conference is being held Aug. 20-121 at the Oak Brook Marriott in Oak Brook, Ill. It cost $25 to attend ($15 for students) and the cost includes a one-year CEAI membership. Membership includes many benefits. Booths are $995 and include a one-year corporate membership.
The Clinical Engineering Association of Illinois is a regional professional society whose members support healthcare organizations across the state of Illinois and the adjacent region. It was founded in 2006.
Soudagar said that the high turnout for the conference bodes well for the CEAI’s goal to serve its members.
“The goal of the conference is to connect the vendors and the HTM professionals to each other,” Soudagar said. “To make sure the HTM professionals are up to date on the current technology provided by the vendors, the trends that are coming and so they are equipped with the right skill set for their hospital. So that they can be a resource for the hospital rather than be just a wrench driver.”
For the first time, the CEAI will offer two certification tracks at the annual conference.
“The first is by Microscopy USA LLC. They will learn how to maintain microscopes and how to repair microscopes so they can achieve some savings by doing it in house,” Soudagar said.
The second is being presented by Carefusion and is on Alaris Pump maintenance, he said.
The conference also boasts an informative keynote speaker. George Mills will provide an update on The Joint Commission. There will also be a speaker from DNV who will address ISO certification.
Attendees can also learn how to get the most out of the people they work with while at the conference.
“We have a couple of management tracks. One is from Binseng Wang from ARAMARK. He is going to talk about maintenance protocols and new trends in maintenance protocols,” Soudagar said.
Patrick Lynch, the 2014 winner of the AAMI HTM Leader of the Year Award, will also give a presentation.
For additional information about the annual conference, visit the CEAI website.
