PDC Viewpoint: Emerging Professionals

The 2008 PDC Conference in Orlando was a great experience, and not just because the temperature back home in Omaha was about 70 degrees colder while we were there! Every year that I attend, I am amazed by the collection of talent and resources that come together in one location to better the field in which we all practice. Most of the year we compete against one another for new business, new clients, and that next great opportunity to excel at what we do. But the real purpose behind the PDC is to make us all come together to discuss issues that raise the bar for healthcare facilities design and construction. This ultimately benefits the staff and patients served by the facilities we design.

There were a number of opportunities to reconnect with people I consider friends and to learn from the vast array of experiences we all have. There is a great sense of connection among the emerging professionals, who are increasingly being relied upon by their project teams to deliver high quality design and planning expertise within a field of very specialized requirements. Conferences such as the PDC offer valuable opportunities for us to learn from one another, as well as more experienced professionals in the design and construction industry.

During the conference an Emerging Professionals Forum was held that was attended by roughly 20 people, including some “more experienced” (they assured us they were not old) firm leaders who were interested in what emerging professionals were thinking. That was a very encouraging and unexpected circumstance, and I hope they found it worthwhile. A widely discussed topic was the difficulty many young professionals have trying to get support from their management to attend events such as the PDC. Some are expected to cover their own expenses or use vacation time to attend. Although I can understand the position of some companies, it is vital to support the passion of young people in our field of healthcare design. The commitment shown by young people attending these events is inspiring, and it is vital to sustaining the future of this practice. There is a wealth of talented young people who want to be involved. As firm leaders, please make sure that opportunities are not kept from those who really want to make a difference.

The Emerging Professionals Forum was a time for us to get caught up on the progress of our initiatives and to meet a few new faces. We are making progress, although not as quickly as we would like in some cases, but we are moving forward to create opportunities for educating and mentoring our new members in ways they should find exciting.