Total cost of AAOP Meeting

Total cost of AAOP Meeting

Colleagues--

The issue of hotel cost for the AAOP Scientific Meeting in Miami and the
overwhelming response it has generated on the Web got me to thinking about the
total cost of this meeting for and individual practitioner.

As I said before, the Academy is for the INDIVIDUAL ABC certifee, Right? A
large number of them are recent certifee's, new college grads with college
loans and expenses to pay off, possibly newly married and/or beginning
families, wanting to buy a home, and wanting to become active in their
profession...
Y'all remember when, don't you?

Think about this--
$300.00 + Academy Membership
$360.00 + AAOP Nat'l Meeting
$840.00 + Cheapest room + tax (12%) for five days stay at the Fountainbleu
                                (assumes a Saturday night stay for airfare economy(?) and attendance
at Wednesday workshops)
$125.00 + McDonalds cuisine...
$265.00 - $575.00 Airfare estimate assuming advance reservations & Sat.
                                                        night stay.

$1890.00 to $2200.00 TOTAL

Obviously, unless this is a perk offered by a new certifee's employer, he or
she will probably not be in attendance at the national...! Now, what is the
cost per CEU in this case?

Total CEU's---This is interesting. The program brochure lists a possible
27.75 Credits possible for the meeting. However, I don't believe any single
individual is able to earn this amount due to the concurrent sessions. Plus,
7 credits are listed for Tuesday when most of us are not in attendance. So,
conservatively, I put an individual's maximum CEU potential for this
meeting--assuming workshops--at about 20. Thus, an individual's cost per CEU
would be about $94.50 to $110.00 per CEU. How does that stack up to the
Academy's claim per CEU?

Now, I think the national is a good thing--as much for the networking and
sharing of ideas NOT presented as well as those presented. But, I think it
could be done in a less expensive venue so our younger colleagues who are not
supported by their employer can take advantage of the opportunity. (and we all
know there is less and less available for this kind of thing due to cost
cutting, etc., etc...). The Academy is for the INDIVIDUAL they say. We ought
to make it affordable for the INDIVIDUAL. I know I'd rather spend this much
on a REAL vacation rather than one I had to sit around watching slides all
day...!

Well, that's my soapbox epistle for the year. Maybe we can do something about
it with our votes...

JTA