Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Students at the Forum 2009

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do I do if I have special diet request (vegetarian, vegan, etc.)

A: If you have any special diet requests, please note this under “attendee preferences” in your enrollment. To edit your enrollment, select “MY IHI”, View Enrollment History, Select the event, and select “edit attendee preferences.” You’ll see a box where you can enter any special request. When you’re onsite at the Forum, you’ll need to notify an IHI staff member (blue shirts) meal times and they’ll retrieve your special meal.

Q: Are there a cheaper hotel options? Motel or youth hostel?

A: The following options offer competitive rates, and are less than 1 mile away from the conference location.

WorldQuest Resort (.4 miles away)

Sheraton Vistana Resort (.7 miles away)

Holiday Inn SunSpree (.9 miles away)

Regal Sun Resort (.9 miles away)

For additional options visit http://www.kayak.com/hotels.

Q: Are food or drinks allowed in meeting room?

A: Food and drinks are allowed in meeting rooms. We ask that participants clean up after themselves so that we can ensure quick turnover time between sessions. Water tanks will be available throughout the conference space as well.

Q: I was asked to help moderate a session. When can I expect to find out more about my responsibility and role?

A: If you are moderating a session you should have received a confirmation email with instructions and a description of your role. There will be small training sessions at the Forum where you’ll get a better understanding of what is expected of the moderator before, during and after a session.

Q: How can I coordinate with other students to reserve a hotel room together?

A: We suggest that you post your inquiry to either the IHI Open School Google Group or Facebook Group.

Q: How will we be matched with mentors?

A: The point of the matching is to help students get the most value from attending the National Forum while also allowing mentors to help students create linkages between the knowledge they learned throughout the conference and what happens in real-life clinical settings. Each mentor will be assigned between 3-5 health professions students. We are going to do multiple tests since this is our first time doing this in which we will be assigning some mentors with those of the same discipline and other mentors with a variety of students from different disciplines.

Q: When does the conference end on Wednesday?

A: The final keynote with Uwe Reinhardt will end at 2:30 PM. To see a full agenda for each conference day please see: http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/ConferencesAndSeminars/21stAnnualNationalForumonQualityImprovementinHealthCare.htm?TabId=2

Q: How do I obtain the conference materials?

A: In an ongoing effort to be “green,” conference materials will be provided to attendees upon registration via a flash drive. Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops to the Forum so they can follow along with the presentations. IHI will also provide free wireless internet throughout the conference space in addition to recharging stations and printer kiosks for those who would like hard copies.

Q: What types of vendors or exhibitors will be there?

A: For more information about exhibitors at the National Forum, use the exhibitor search function to search for exhibitors by product/service or physical location. Or, view the 2009 National Forum exhibitor list.

Q: Who can we ask about what sessions would be right for us?

A: The student track was developed to help students navigate the sessions that are most applicable to quality improvement beginners. If you enrolled to attend the Student Forum Orientation you will be matched with a mentor who can help you determine sessions that are specific to your areas of interest.