ACDIS update: Boot camp instructors love live virtual formats

When the pandemic forced us all to stay home as much as possible, it changed how ACDIS offers in-person, instructor-led training. For years our boot camp instructors—Laurie Prescott, Sharme Brodie, and new addition Dawn Valdez—have flown to different cities around the country, set up camp in a hotel meeting room, and welcomed learners for two-to-five days of intensive education.

Instructors and attendees alike love these classes, where instructors tailor education to the needs of the individual class and attendees share experiences, applying the lessons discussed to real-life situations.

Although the pandemic put a stop to these in-person classes, it forced us to get creative. In one of those happy accidents, we invented a new format for our boot camps that caused us all to ask, “why haven’t we been doing this for years?”

The new format, live virtual boot camps, combine the convenience of virtual education (everyone is safely in their own home with no need for travel) with the joy of real-time instruction. Even though they are teaching through a computer screen, Laurie, Dawn, and Sharme are able to pace the class to the learners, share insightful examples or moments of levity at the appropriate time, and facilitate sharing of experiences so that each class learns together from the instructors and from each other.

“As instructors, we value interaction on these live virtual programs,” says Laurie Prescott, MSN, RN, CCDS, CDIP, CRC, CCDS-O, CDI education director for ACDIS. “We have been excited to see that the virtual format doesn’t limit our engagement. Attendees can unmute and ask questions or share a point of view and they can communicate within the chat pod. As with any course we teach, this interaction is invaluable, and we have consciously worked to continue this positive exchange.”

If you’re interested in learning more about which Boot Camps are offered in live virtual format, click here. And for those who believe there’s no substitute for in-person education, never fear. Our instructors will be back on the road in the spring and teaching in-person. You can find a list of those locations by clicking here.