By Denise Williams | News & Views
If there’s one thing that could tempt John Porcari, PhD, RCEP, FACSM, MAACVPR, out of retirement, it’s the Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Workshop staged each year at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. The popular event, known for its impressive lineup of instructors and sweeping scope of subject matter, has been a linchpin of learning for decades – with Dr. Porcari working behind the scenes for 32 of those years. He bequeathed his planning and organizing duties upon retirement about a year and a half ago, but when staffing changes created an opportunity to put on the event one more time, he couldn’t resist.
Maybe that’s because, as Dr. Porcari explains, “We put out a very good and very consistent product.” For example, all of the speakers – both in the past and for the upcoming workshop – are actively working in the field of cardiopulmonary rehab. They also tend to hold leadership positions in either AACVPR or in their state or local organizations. For the 44th workshop, Dr. Porcari is excited to welcome presenters such as Barbra Fagan, MS, MAACVPR, a past president of AACVPR; Tracey Herrewig, MS, RCEP, MAACVPR, an Award of Excellence winner at the state level who is also highly engaged with the national association; and Mayo Clinic’s esteemed Ray Squires, PhD, MAACVPR, FACSM, FAHA, who received AACVPR’s L. Kent Smith Award in 2022, to name a few. “There’s a lot of state-of-the-art, practical information to get from people who are out on the ‘front lines,’ practicing it on a day-to-day basis,” he says proudly. “The speakers are as good as it gets.”
Rated ‘E,’ For Everyone
That’s a huge draw for attendees, according to Dr. Porcari, adding that most of the professionals who register for the workshop have just 1-5 years of cardiac rehab experience under their belts. So early in their careers, he has observed time and time again that many are still working to nail down the fundamentals. “When the patient walks in the door,” he explains, “they still have questions, like how do I exercise this person? How do I get them to change their behavior?” The broad overview of the theory and practice of cardiac rehab’s three phases – inpatient, outpatient and maintenance – and other aspects of the discipline promises to bring these uncertainties into focus for them.
It’s not just newbies, however, who benefit from this learning mecca, which can yield attendees up to 25 CE units. Dr. Porcari notes that, because the field of cardiac rehab is always evolving, even seasoned professionals walk away with valuable new knowledge. “Look at the example of Barb Fagan,” he proposes. “Her presentation is about hybrid CR – that’s something we weren’t even talking about 3-4 years ago.” Similarly, he points out that all of the instructors update and reconfigure their workshop curricula to reflect the latest evidence related to exercise prescription, program certification, program management and reimbursement.
Dr. Porcari says that, along with all of the knowledge in the room, attendees will appreciate the design of the workshop, which stacks information and delivers it in a natural progression. “We start off talking about exercise physiology and that leads into exercise prescription,” he explains. “Then we get into the different phases of cardiac rehab and how all that information applies to actually exercising people or getting them to change their behaviors. The information kind of builds on itself because some of the groundwork laid in exercise physiology and cardiovascular physiology helps people better understand how medications work, what adverse effects there may be and how they affect people when they exercise. We also get into program certification and setting up individual treatment plans.”
Place in Your Career Not Important … But Your Place on Registration List IS
Dr. Porcari encourages interested professionals not to wait to enroll in the Comprehensive Cardiac Rehab Workshop, taking place April 24-27, 2023. Registration for the event is capped at 60 people, in a purposeful move to maintain the intimacy of the event. This small-group format ensures meaningful interaction between speakers and participants, the workshop director notes.
Click here to secure your spot in the Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Workshop.