Behind the Scenes
In the last year, SHM has made great strides in improving the user experience at www. hospitalmedicine.org. Now it’s easier than ever to keep up with the latest news from the fastest-growing specialty in the history of modern healthcare. In an effort to bring as much energy as possible to this cutting-edge specialty, SHM strives to expand our online tools by offering our members the latest resources in education, events and publications over the newest mediums available. Like hospital medicine, Web 2.0 is a trend on the rise. From blogs to podcasts to our new RSS feeds, you will notice many new applications throughout SHM’s site.
hospitalmedicine.org: New and Improved
The first step in setting this new approach into motion was a complete overhaul of SHM’s Web site. This major renovation set the stage for a variety of new features, including seven resource rooms focused on Quality Improvement and supplemental clinical tools, as well as the introduction of online discussion forums and the SHM Career Center.
New Event Sites
Following our Web site expansion, we introduced several specialty sites for our most popular products, including SHM’s “2007-2008 State of the Hospital Medicine Movement” survey, as well as SHM’s Leadership Academy, Annual Meeting, and (coming soon) SHM’s One Day University.
These sites offer inside information about product news, meeting topics, curricula, and exclusive member offers. This year’s Hospital Medicine 2009 (HM09) site features more than 40 presentations from Hospital Medicine 2008 (HM08) for users to view such topics as quality improvement, operations, and clinical. With year-round access to resources, information from past meetings isn’t lost. It can be retrieved daily for practicing hospitalists.
Blogs
SHM first introduced blogs to our members in 2007 with the launch of “Wachter’s World” (www.wachtersworld.org), as well as the HM07 blog, which featured an inside look at the goings-on at the annual meeting. Blogs create an interactive forum to discuss relevant issues on a daily basis and introduce readers to the perspectives of some of the most reputable hospitalists in the specialty today.
This year, we expanded our blogs to reflect on past events, offering participants a chance to share highlights and feedback from our annual meetings. Not only does this help our members keep current on hospital medicine news, but it also provides an outlet to voice opinions and help influence the direction of the society.
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Podcasts
For those of you who enjoy auditory learning, you will find podcasts attached to event pages and CME listings. Our podcast library features guests, such as featured keynote speakers, industry specialists, SHM board members, and event attendees. Be on the lookout for SHM team members at upcoming events, as you may have the opportunity for a podcast interview of your own!
