A Look Back at the FHCA 2018 Conference

The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) annual conference was held last week in Ft. Lauderdale. MedBest was pleased to be an exhibitor and we were well represented by Julie Rupenski, President, Katie Piperata, Senior Executive Recruiter, Charlene Hooker, Executive Recruiter, and Christina Johnson, Executive Recruiter.

FHCA offered more than 60 continuing education sessions and a trade show with 275 exhibitors displaying their latest products and services for long-term care.

According to Charlene Hooker:

“The Florida Health Care Association Conference was a series of reunions. Many individuals commented on how the team has helped them to take great new steps in their careers or how we’ve helped them find individuals that have had positive impacts on their organizations.

In some of the conversations we were gaining insight on some of the industry trends and regulatory challenges these professional are facing.  Katie and Christina attended the sessions and will share additional information that will help us be better prepared to meet client needs.

For me, the conference provided a fantastic opportunity to visit with candidates that I had only talked with on the phone.”

Christina Johnson added:

“It was great to see so many familiar faces of the colleagues and friends that I’ve known for so many years. This is a professional group of people with great intelligence, dedication and heart for the industry we serve.

It was obvious, however, that many of us have spent 20-30 years or more in this industry.  Where are the younger, up-and-coming professionals?  I saw very few new Administrators. Either they’re not out there or their companies aren’t paying to send them to the annual conference. Either way, I think it’s an area that all need to focus on collaboratively.

The annual conference has always been a place to network, connect and develop relationships with key people in the industry. I believe that new Administrators have much to learn from attendance at this conference and those new Administrators may eventually become Regionals who will need those connections and relationships throughout their careers.

Personally, I feel very fortunate to have so many people that I can call on at any time to offer insights, information, and help.  You can’t put a price on the value of those things!”

See you next year at the Hyatt Regency, Orlando, August 4-8, 2019!