Hello Spring!

By Jacqui Rose, MBA, CRA, FAHRA

Remember the feeling of that first day every year, when you walk outside and stop to appreciate the sun you’ve been missing for months? And that first deep breath of Spring air that creates the feeling of hope and rebirth sweeping over you? For those of us who experience many seasons, it’s Spring!

Spring is known as the season of new beginnings, symbolized by fresh blooms, new leaves, animals awakening and bright sunshine. Spring officially begins with the Spring or vernal equinox. The word Equinox comes from the Latin words for aequus (equal) and nox (night). On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world. The equinox always falls on March 19, 20, or 21 at the same time worldwide. This signals the beginning of spring for the Northern Hemisphere and fall for the Southern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the equator, heading north in the sky. After the equinox, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted more toward the sun, resulting in longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures. This month the equinox is at 5:37 am on Saturday, March 20. However, I had that feeling on March 3 when I left the hospital for home. After last year and the snow this winter, I truly needed that feeling and I stopped for that moment to let it all sink in. You all know what I mean! Spring is an amazing time of year that gives us all the feeling of hope, renewal, rebirth and new energy.

One way to help capture that energy and laser focus on the work we must accomplish in 2021, is to join us for the Spring Virtual Conference being held April 6-8: #AHRAspringvirtual21. Our Spring Design team has developed quite an experience for us all, to help us rejuvenate. Many thanks to Carrie Stiles, our Design Team Chair, and her amazing team for all the time and energy they have spent putting this experience together. We took all your feedback on the Annual virtual meeting in 2020 and incorporated it into this Spring Virtual meeting.

I’m truly excited about our keynote speaker Josh Block who will discuss how leveraging small moments can make a BIG impact. In this session, we will learn how to turn renters into owners, and Josh Block always delivers impactful content and high energy, so don’t miss this one! The meeting will be packed with opportunities to connect with your AHRA family again, in a very convenient virtual format that’s affordable too. Over 3 days, you will have access to informative and thought-provoking sessions for up to 21 CE credits via two tracks: The Aspiring Leaders and the Established Leaders. One will be just right for you! If you attend a meeting LIVE at the original presentation time, you won’t be required to complete the post-test to get your CE credit! I don’t know about you, but those were hard last summer.

This year, we are introducing our Think Tank sessions that will facilitate a deep dive into relevant topics or products of interest with our industry experts. As if that’s not enough, you will have access to all this content for 60 days post-conference. As always, there will be many opportunities to network with Imaging professionals and vendor partners. The platform’s exhibit hall is robust also. You will be able to have real time, private chats with vendors, group discussions in the exhibit booth, drop off virtual business cards with exhibitors and “carry” a virtual tote bag to add your digital resources from the vendor exhibits. Come join us, get inspired and renewed.

Many cultures celebrate the Spring or Vernal Equinox and we want to celebrate with you at our virtual Family reunion #AHRAspringvirtual21!

To learn more, and register at ahra.org/springvirtual21

Jacqui Rose, MBA, CRA, FAHRA, RT (R) is the 2020-2021 President of the AHRA Board of Directors. She is the Director of Medical Imaging, Telecommunications, IT and Lab, UVMC; Medical Imaging, MVHN. She can be reached at jfrose@premierhealth.com