SIR 2017 - The AVIR Perspective
Hello everyone, this post is from Stefanie Rockwood who is officially the Program Chair for the 2018 AVIR meeting!! SIR is over!! I can’t believe how fast time flew by. It was a whirlwind of an experience filled with great friends, great moments, and unforgettable memories!!
DAY 1
Day one was a double whammy!! Not only did we kick off AVIR, but it also happened to be the birthday of long time AVIR family member Izzy Ramaswamy! After ensuring that we were geared up and ready to go for the rest of the meeting, we had a little time to explore DC and take part in birthday celebrations!! We had a blast celebrating and catching up with members of the organization. We were exhausted by the end of the night, but excited for the following morning!!
DAY 2
Day 2 kicked off our multi-disciplinary nurse and technologist session. As usual, the combined session was a hit providing us with a different perspective. It’s always great to appreciate things from someone else’s point of view. Bowtie swag was in full effect as the man, the myth, the legend, Dr. Fritz Angle himself gave the gold medal lecture: The art of catheterization. It was humbling and insightful to hear Marcus Engel portray what it feels like to be a patient. Although it is easy to lose empathy for those we care for, at the end of the day, we have to remember, it truly is all about the patient. After a long day of talks/lectures, it was nice to loosen up the tie, unbutton our collars, and enjoy some drinks at the Capitol View for the much-anticipated soiree.
DAY 3
We woke up to breakfast with leadership on Day 3. Dr. Bob Dixon emphasized the importance of burnout in the IR suite and how work-life balance is crucial. As usual, Dr. Gary Siskin did not disappoint with his discussion of a Day in the life of an IR. This inspirational talk reminded us about how fortunate we are to do what we do on a daily basis. The discussion then shifted to the tiny humans as Dr. Jack Vo spoke about the Role of IR in children with renal vascular hypertension. Last, but not least, we were able to spend time with some of our Vendors who were able to back up the AVIR this year with funding. Thanks to their support, the meeting was overwhelmingly successful yet again. It’s always a great time when technologists are able to mingle with their product representatives over some drinks.
DAY 4
On our fourth morning in D.C., we woke up to a lesson about the evolution of IR with Dr. Arthur Waltman. He looped us in and took us up and over through the history of IR with his engaging personality (pun intended). Following a great overview on pediatric stroke by Dr. Beverly Aagard Kientz, we proceeded to an informative and crucial session on future changes the ARRT is implementing by our program chair, Kristen Welch. After a lunch break, we proceeded to what was my favorite part of the conference, the session on “the Best case of my career: a sit down with the experts”. We heard lots of “oohs and aahs” as the panel dazzled us with extreme interventions and out-of-the-box creative thinking. This night would be the last night out on the town.
DAY 5
James Black woke us up on the 5th morning of AVIR with a discussion of leadership and career choices in IR over breakfast. His inspirational talk provided guidance to many of the junior members as well as refreshing career alternatives for some of the senior members. Alisha Hawrylack followed with a VI board review session for all those interested in pursuing post-primary certification.
Exhausted, this concluded the AVIR meeting in D.C. We had a great time in a fantastic city with wonderful colleagues. Can’t wait till next year in LA!!!
