APA Meeting: worth paying for lectures?

[BobA]

I'm going to be in Philly for the APA meeting in May and registered for the APA conference. I've never been to one of these before - is it worth it to pay for the workshops/lectures? Is there otherwise good free stuff to do during the days?

Thanks!

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[happyoolongtea]

workshops, seminars, and lectures are included in your registration fee (i.e. free) but are first-come, first-serve...schedule can be found here: http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Educa...sych-News-AM-Preliminary-Program.aspx?FT=.pdf . courses are an additional fee, howev. look out for an email with more info if you haven't received it already.

I'm excited for the conference...first time, too! anyone else going?

 

[whopper]

Some of the workshops and lectures aren't that great. The APA is so chock-full of lectures. While several of them are good, some are not. I attended one lecture, for example, on cultural diversity, and the lecture was pretty much a bunch of residents from one program basically mentioning their ethnicity and that thanks to their program, now they can understand what it's like to be of a different culture.

"Hi my name is Ron Jeremy. I'm a Jewish-American. My colleague there, Ginger Lynn, is a Caucasian American woman. My other colleague there, Christy Canyon, an Eastern European American is also a psychiatry resident. Isn't it great that we can both work together at BS University?"

Really, the lecture was really that for about 1 hour except the names were changed.

I sat there for one freaking hour wondering where was the evidenced-based data I was going to learn to help me be a better doctor. I kept on thinking of walking out of that lecture, but I then thought that no one was this idiotic to make such a bad lecture and something had to be coming up that was better than this. I was wrong. (Boy do I really have the urge now to mention which program it was, but if I do, I'm sure going to regret it later on when all their residents start a flame-war in response.)

Some of the lectures are very good. The ones you pay for tend to be the better lectures, though what I would do, just in case, is mention the ones you are thinking of attending that you have to pay for and ask people if they are worth it.

Any convention tends to filter out among their own board members which are the better lectures where they will charge money because they are the better speakers and more interesting topics. Sometimes those lecturers want money for their lecturer, hence that's why there's a charge for it.

I gave a lecture at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences a year ago in Chicago. The AAFS made my lecture a one to pay for, and made it a lunch affair where you got to sit down and make an order while I gave a lecture. Cost each person $75 and the place was packed, no empty spots.

Darned _astards never gave me a cent for my lecture. I didn't even get to attend the convention for free. I had to pay just like everyone else while they likely made off with thousands of dollars! Hurrumph! (Of course if they let me do another fee-lunch-lecture, you'd probably see me hypocritically be jumping for joy because it's such a big honor, but then a few days later see me whine again about how they made me pay to attend the convention).

 

[splik]

Some of the workshops and lectures aren't that great. The APA is so chock-full of lectures. While several of them are good, some are not. I attended one lecture, for example, on cultural diversity, and the lecture was pretty much a bunch of residents from one program basically mentioning their ethnicity and that thanks to their program, now they can understand what it's like to be of a different culture.

"Hi my name is Ron Jeremy. I'm a Jewish-American. My colleague there, Ginger Lynn, is a Caucasian American woman. My other colleague there, Christy Canyon, an Eastern European American is also a psychiatry resident. Isn't it great that we can both work together at BS University?"

Really, the lecture was really that for about 1 hour except the names were changed.

I sat there for one freaking hour wondering where was the evidenced-based data I was going to learn to help me be a better doctor. I kept on thinking of walking out of that lecture, but I then thought that no one was this idiotic to make such a bad lecture and something had to be coming up that was better than this. I was wrong. (Boy do I really have the urge now to mention which program it was, but if I do, I'm sure going to regret it later on when all their residents start a flame-war in response.)

the program can't be too bad if they managed to recruit all those porn stars? 😉

 

[whopper]

porn stars?

Wait, what? Those are porn-star names? What an incredible coincidence! I'm very embarrassed !