Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Guest Poster, Sherry Montileone, Network and Support Manager, Citizens Memorial Hospital



 

My name is Sherry Montileone and I won the 2013 MUSE IEE competition.   I’m writing this article to tell you about the experience and, hopefully, get you interested in doing something “uncomfortable.” I hope you make 2014 the year to step outside your MUSE comfort zone and present, compete, serve on the board, become a peer leader, or maybe just attend the conference for the first time.

Q.  How do I participate in the IEE competition? 

A.   Detailed instructions are on the MUSE website, www.museweb.org.   It is as simple as submitting a presentation with broad appeal and being selected as an IEE finalist. When you submit your abstract, just select the option to compete in the IEE contest. You will attend the International MUSE Conference like any other attendee with the exception that your audience will contain judges (sounds scary – but you won’t know who they are).   The competition winner is announced at the closing ceremony.   If you win, you get an all expenses paid trip to present at the MUSE EU conference.    

Q.   Had you ever presented at MUSE before?  

A.   Yes, a couple of times.   I actually entered the IEE competition in 2012 and withdrew (i.e. chickened out) before the presentation deadline.   I presented that year, but not as an IEE participant. 

Q.  Did you have professional help with your presentation?

A.  No.  I had grand plans about doing so (animation, audience participation tool, etc.) – but I ran out of time and just gave a plain old PowerPoint.     The basis of my presentation was how we use technology to achieve the goals of our healthcare system’s strategic plan.   I think that resonated with people.

Q.  Did you practice your presentation and were you scared when you gave it?

A.  Yes and Yes!   I worked on and tweaked my presentation until I was almost sick.  The more I looked at it, the less I knew.  Giving a presentation is uncomfortable – but it makes you think and research and practice and learn.  

Q.  What was the MUSE EU conference like?  

A.  I loved it.  The EU conference is smaller and more personal.  It lasts two days and has fewer presentations (~ 4 / day). 

Q.  Did you learn anything at the EU conference?

A.   Yes!    And, a highlight was spending the afternoon at Alder Hey Hospital with their FABULOUS staff learning how they use MEDITECH and PACS in the National Health System.  

Q.  Were you uncomfortable traveling abroad / attending alone?  

A.  A little – but that’s part of the fun.    MUSE offered to take care of my travel arrangements – but I made them myself since I was extending my trip.    I flew into Manchester, took the train to Liverpool and attended the conference.   When the conference was over, I took the train to London, picked up my two adult daughters at Heathrow and we spent 3 days in London, Eurostar’d to France and spent 3 days in Paris.   There were plenty of times I was a little uncomfortable navigating the trains, different language, currency, etc. – but, hey, I’m getting comfortable being uncomfortable…