Atlantic Canada Clinical Engineering Society 

For Clinical Engineering Professionals

Volume 6 – February 2009

In this Issue

  1. Nominations for the Executive
  2. Logo Contest Winner
  3. Conference Update
  4. Website Photos and Forums
  5. Membership

News Years Wish

2009 is looking to be challenging for our health systems as they are impacted by the financial crunch. The Executive of ACCES recognizes that these times represent opportunities for Clinical Engineering Professionals who are often at the forefront of cost savings initiatives. We wish you the very best for 2009 and every success as leaders of, and partners in, cost saving programs.

Nominations for the Executive

The society will be a year old this summer and the executive, and organizing team before them, have worked hard to build a solid foundation from which we can grow and build on our successes. Please consider joining the executive in 2009 and lend some of your time and expertise to our profession. If you would like to nominate someone to the executive please register at the website (it is free) and click the elections link to nominate @ www.accesociety.org. Nominations close March 18, 2009.

Conference Update

The ACCES site is now online for vendors and is accepting their registrations to participate in the 2009 Halifax conference May 6-8. Vendor registration has been excellent to date.

Within the next two weeks you will receive a link to register as a participant.

Conference Highlights

  • The event will be moving for the first time into a conference Hotel. The Delta Halifax in the core of the downtown will provide one stop conference support to delegates and easy access to entertainment and shopping.
  • A professional program will provide delegates with options to suit their educational and information needs. Day one is a plenary session titled “Data Integration Throughout the Health Care Continuum” which builds on the themes launched in Newfoundland in 2008 surrounding integration and successful joint Clinical Engineering and IT projects.
  • All the Vendors will be hosting a late afternoon wine and cheese reception for delegates to coincide with opening of the Vendor display hall on the first day of the conference.
  • Thursday night will be a Vendor sponsored fun filled event! Join us at the Halifax Feast Dinner Theatre for a look at “what happens in the emergency room when everyone's employment insurance is threatened? Mix in ill-fated love affairs and interns driven to prove they've got what it takes and you have all the great stuff that dinner theatre shows are made of”. http://www.feastdinnertheatre.com/index4.html

Logo Contest Winner

The response to the logo contest was excellent. We would like to recognize the great contributions of Alana Bradbury, Michael Barton, Lisa Sullivan and Robert Arsenault.

And, we have a winner! Rick Stewart won with his art work which is now a permanent fixture in our header, correspondence and on the website. Thanks go once again to our contest sponsor; OLYMPUS.

Website Photos and Forums

www.accesociety.org

To date we have had over 2600 hits on the home page of the web site and more than 45 registered users (registration is Free!). We are looking for more photos to display on the home page in the header animation – your team at work - photo should be in a 1200x400 pixels format. Also, we are setting up a video section on the site for users to publish educational materials and other related items and hope to have this functional in a few weeks!

If anyone has any suggestions for the site go to the contact section for the site and e-mail Steven Lockyer

Membership

The website provides Clinical Engineering Professionals with the opportunity to join the society. For those who signed up during our promotional period ending shortly after the NFLD conference your first membership will be for 2 years. More discussion and update on membership will be held at our first annual general meeting coinciding with the 2009 conference.