Call for Proposals

Proposals require the following components and will NOT be reviewed if incomplete.

1. Presentation Title
2. Education Need
3. Session Summary
4. Bibliography/References
5. Category
6. Keywords
7. Learning Objectives
8. Learning Level
9. Format
10. Teaching Methods
11. Target Audience
12. Practice Setting
13. Requested AV and Room Set
14. Audience Engagement
15. Speaker Information to include:
    1. Short Bio and contact information
    2. Financial disclosure & Recording release
    3. Compensation agreement
    4. Discipline and role in presentation

The program is designed for medical directors, attending physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, administrators, practice managers, consultant pharmacists, dieticians, mental health professionals, social workers/case managers, rehabilitation professionals, and other professionals practicing in the PALTC continuum. Medical students, interns, residents and fellows planning a career in geriatrics are also encouraged to attend.

The Society welcomes submissions on all topics pertinent to PALTC medicine and medical direction. Based on the latest educational needs analysis conducted by the Annual Conference Program Planning Subcommittee, your PALTC community identified the following problems and needs. If you find a topic of interest, consider reviewing the Problems in Practice Chart to learn who is involved and strategies that have already been tried. Make a great impact by including those involved in the “problem or issue” for diverse perspectives,” designing your session to address each group’s needs, and providing strategies or ideas that nave not yet been tried.

• Navigating the Healthcare System (effecting change, navigating the hierarchy of the system, role of PALTC in the healthcare system overall)
• Communication (practical strategies, resolving communication gaps at all levels)
• COVID-19 (best practices, patient management and treatment, litigation, medical director/facility liability)
• Dementia (staff training on interacting with residents and managing PBSD behaviors)
• Infection Control (protocols, PPE, testing, preventing future pandemics)
• Leadership Skills (effective leadership, nurse leadership training)
• Medical Director (role and responsibilities, contract negotiations, how to gain administration support)
• Medication Management (deprescribing, opioids, antibiotics stewardship)
• QAPI (meetings, implementation)
• Staffing Issues (retention, competency, recruitment, burnout)
• Telemedicine (implementation, billing & coding, protocols)
• Transitions of Care (readmissions, acute care, data transfer)
• How to apply strategies in other settings (ALF, Home Health, etc.)
• Change culture in facility with staff and patients (bias, racism, building resilience)
• Caring for special populations (medically complex needs, younger residents, LGBTQIA+, patients with prior substance abuse/addiction)

Strong proposals will help participants do the following:

• Analyze available data to improve process and promote quality improvement in PALTC.
• Apply knowledge and skills gained to enhance the effectiveness and quality of medical direction and care in nursing facilities.
• Discuss clinical advances and new research findings relevant to PALTC medicine.
• Enhance skills and abilities to collaborate with and/or lead the PALTC interdisciplinary team.
• Establish a network with active members of the Society and the PALTC community.
• Foster creativity and innovation in PALTC.
• Gain new perspectives on relevant aspects of fiscal issues, health care policy, payment models, risk management and the Society’s policy priorities.
• Implement Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) in the PALTC setting.
• Implement strategies for effective communication with patients, families and care teams.
• Utilize available data, tools, and emerging technologies to inform decisions about clinical care and/or medical direction.

Quality of Proposal

The proposal is your first impression and impacts the credibility and implied skill of the speakers. Write a proposal for a session that YOU would want to attend. If the proposal is disjointed, unclear, and confusing, it may be assumed that the slide deck and the presentation will follow suit. Subcommittee reviewers are looking for submissions that are provocative, innovative, interesting, unique, and fun.

• Submissions should clearly convey the goal of the session and what you expect learners to come away with (e.g. Increased knowledge, ability to change practice, an actual change in practice).
• Submission should be written in the 3rd person. Do not use the pronoun “you.”
• Please proofread to ensure proper grammar and spelling.
• Learning objectives should adhere to these Guidelines for Writing Learning Objectives and be measurable, actionable, and describe a key takeaway.
• Learning objectives should avoid these verbs: learn, become, grow, know, believe, appreciate and understand. They should use this List of Action Verbs instead.
• References of current literature are an important part of the submission. Speakers should incorporate the most relevant research and recent articles on their topic.

Interdisciplinary Team Approach

• The Society supports the entire interdisciplinary team (IDT) and while we understand not all sessions will appeal to all members of the IDT, the review subcommittee evaluates sessions to determine if an IDT approach should be, and is, represented.
• Use of the term providers as a group, inclusive of nurses, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs).
• Relevance to PALTC practitioners/staff must be clearly demonstrated in the educational need and proposal summary. The program planning subcommittee evaluates the quality of the submission based on the applicability of the session to the PALTC setting.
• If using a single group/facility experience as the foundation of the session, it must be clear how that experience has widespread applicability across PALTC.

Diversity Equity and Inclusion

The PALTC23 planning committee encourages proposals that encompass diversity, equity and inclusion.

Creativity of Instructional Design

• Proposals that are relevant to the learner, are actionable, have clear goals, are engaging, and are designed to close a gap in knowledge, understanding of how to do something/implement a change, and actually make a change in practice will likely score higher.
• Design your education with the learner in mind. Consider the goal of your session: what do you want learners to take away or be able to change upon returning to their practice.
• Consider what formats would best help the education “stick” and achieve your goal: include examples, case studies with polling and expert feedback to facilitate practice and engagement, group discussion or pair, think, share to encourage learners to share experiences and strategies, supplemental materials that can be referenced later.
• Facilitating Adult Learning Resource

Submission Blind Review Process

Submissions will be reviewed and selected by an impartial review committee. The Society conducts a blind review of proposals, which means speaker/author identities and institutions are concealed from the reviewers. Please do not include speaker names in the body of the session description. You can refer to individuals as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc. if needed. Please avoid using names of facilities, practice groups, or academic institutions, but rather use generic terms such as large academic-affiliated nursing facility or a corporate chain of facilities. The selection process of the review committee is confidential, and its decisions are final.

Changes to a proposal after review

If a submission is accepted and changes are made either to the content or to the speakers, it must be reviewed again by the Annual Conference Program Subcommittee and may be subject to cancellation.

Speaker Confirmation of Acceptance and Registration

All speakers will be asked to confirm acceptance of the Annual Conference Program Planning Subcommittee’s invitation to present within two weeks of notification.

Speakers are required to register for and attend the conference in-person, unless providing an on-demand session.

Role of Session Chair

The speaker designated as Session Chair will be the main contact for the session. The Chair will be responsible for submitting the final slide deck and handout files, as well as self-assessment questions and any other information or materials required by the program planning committee.

Speakers in Multiple Sessions

Individuals may participate as a speaker in a maximum of three (3) sessions. If a speaker is attached to more than three (3) accepted proposals, the speaker will be asked to withdraw from a session(s) to comply with the three (3) session maximum policy.

Speaker’s must adhere to the Society’s policy that an individual is not permitted to present at both Industry Sponsored Product Theater and CME session(s) during the Annual Conference.

Speaker Compensation

The Society greatly values the participation of speakers in its annual conference; however, we are unable to support any expenses related to participation. All speakers are expected to register for the meeting, pay the related registration fee and make their own travel and hotel arrangements. In accordance with ACCME and the Society policies, it is inappropriate for presenters to seek funding from alliances with industry in support of expenses to attend the symposium. If the Society receives funding or support for any educational sessions, no additional compensation will be provided and the above policy still applies.

Adherence to ACCME Guidelines

The Society expects that all of its CME programs will adhere to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Specifically, presentations and sessions must adhere to the following standards. The program planning subcommittee may review the presentation/content if concerns are expressed regarding content or potential conflict of interest. Please contact the Society if you do not feel your presentation can meet these standards.

• All recommendations for patient care in accredited continuing education must be based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning, while giving a fair and balanced view of diagnostic and therapeutic options.
• All scientific research referred to, reported, or used in accredited education in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
• Although accredited continuing education is an appropriate place to discuss, debate, and explore new and evolving topics, these areas need to be clearly identified as such within the program and individual presentations. It is the responsibility of accredited providers to facilitate engagement with these topics without advocating for, or promoting, practices that are not, or not yet, adequately based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning.
• Education cannot advocate for unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or if their education promotes recommendations, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients.
• Education must be free of marketing or sales of products or services. Faculty must not actively promote or sell products or services that serve their professional or financial interests during accredited education.

• AMDA Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy
• Inclusive Communication Principles
• Submission Checklist
• Guidelines for Writing Learning Objectives
• List of Action Verbs
• Facilitating Adult Learning Resource

Sample Proposals

• 60-Minute Session
• 90-Minute Session
• 3.5 Hour Workshop