Here in the Lone Star State at ENA

[buckeyedoc]

Well, the wife and I are here at the ENA Conference in San Antonio. There are over 4,000 people are attending this session and over 2,200 of them are nurses. First off, we made out like bandits. We have a duffel bag full of cool free stuff. Second, has anyone ever seen 2,200 ER nurses get together. DRUNK FEST. Not totally, but let's just say....they like to "unwind." There are a lot of vendors here with their new products (some not even on the market yet). A lot of cool stuff from Medtronics, Zoll and Phillips. We have been going like gang busters since yesterday. We kicked off the conference with Tim Butcher from New Orleans. His topic was emergency management during Katrina. It was great to hear first hand experiences. Some of you were there and know where he is coming from. If you weren't there, then you didn't get the whole story. His talk was very informative and straight forward. We have one more day of the conference and then the Army vs. Texas A&M game. GO ARMY!!!

For the record, you do not have to be a nurse to join the ENA (Emergency Nurses Association). The conference is pretty expensive ($800 for my wife and I), but it is money well worth spent. It is nice to see it from the nurses perspective. Working in the ER, I get to see that, but most of pre-hospital providers don't.

[Dustdevil]

Good times! ENA conferences are tonnes of fun. Of course, "tonnes of fun" takes on a literal meaning at any conference involving nurses.

I told you that you'd like San Antonio, Bro!

Tell the Philips rep to PLEASE start offering illegal kickbacks to the Army purchasing agents! I am so sick of these worthless Medtronics monstrosities that I am ready to drop them into Lake Habbaniyah from the back of a Chinook! :x

[Ridryder 911]

Yeah, I agree, we usually hire by gross weight ( it's cheaper that way).. I agree most medics party as well, but nurses usually over all have a better conferences with new and more informative information, where EMS just basically repeats itself. Yes, vendors do have better trinkets as well.. I remember my first nursing conference, I was in total awe .. I was so used to EMS conferences.

R/r 911

[buckeyedoc]

This is my second trip to San Anatone. We stayed in Canyon Lake the first 4 days and now we're in downtown. Spent quite a bit of time in New Braunfels. Phillips is coming out with a new MRX model of their monitor/defib. It should hit the market later this year. You'll like the changes.

[Dustdevil]

Sweet! Neither Physio nor Zoll can touch Philips products. Especially the AEDs. Too many idiots in EMS just continue to buy the same brand year after year without ever considering for a minute that there might be something better out there. Same mentality that permeates EMS as a whole. :roll:

New Braunfels is awesome. Did you check out the opportunities in the area? Hayes County is a great service.

You want great goodies, go to a medical conference primarily for physicians! That's where we get the REALLY good stuff!

[UMSTUDENT]

Sweet! Neither Physio nor Zoll can touch Philips products. Especially the AEDs. Too many idiots in EMS just continue to buy the same brand year after year without ever considering for a minute that there might be something better out there. Same mentality that permeates EMS as a whole. :roll:

New Braunfels is awesome. Did you check out the opportunities in the area? Hayes County is a great service.

You want great goodies, go to a medical conference primarily for physicians! That's where we get the REALLY good stuff!

Philips MRX all the way...