b'|CONFERENCESshe frequented these conferences all over theThis is how you know they are legitimate, pro- an agenda that was poorly written with several world. She gushed at how exciting it was to befessional speaking engagements. misspellings denoting the list of speakers that in these exotic lands talking about nursing andAs I received yet another predatory con- were presenting. My new nursing friend also how she served on their planning committees.ference invite, I decided to test my theory towhispered to me that she had attended a con-She had recently presented in Africa. From herlearn more about how they actually work.ference in London that seemed to be the same. perspective, she certainly made these confer- After countless emails asking me to submitTheres a sort of self-governance that occurs ences sound legit. my information to a conference hosted in Sanwith conference attendees serving on commit-After learning more, the first thing that IDiego, I sent in a poorly written application.tees that help structure the conference, she realized is that the price to speak at these con- Within a day, I received an email stating I hadwhispered.ferences is not cheap. After calculating hotelbeen accepted to present at the conference. AIn total there were 20 people in attendance. and airfare, which is already a hefty pricelink was also sent and I was told to register.This was by far this the smallest conference I tag, you must also include the price of actu- The registration fee was $250.00. I then senthad ever attended as Ive been on conference ally attending the conference which can bean email to the conference administrators andplanning committees in the past where the upwards of $1500! politely let them know that conference pre- attendance is usually anywhere from 100 to Thats right, even though youve been invitedsenters typically do not have to pay to present.1500 people. The small attendance was defi-to present, you still have to pay the conferenceI received a reply stating that they were happynitely a red flag that this operation was not fee. Why? Because these so-called conferencesto waive the conference fee. legit!are for profit. That means that YOU pay toThe day of the conference, I ran into anotherAll of the presenters were nursing professors speak and share your research. These con- nurse who was also attending the meeting. Sheaffiliated with some type of university and as ferences are produced for the sole purpose ofwas a professor at a university in another state.I interviewed various participants, I learned earning money from anyone willing to pay theAs we walked the floor together looking for ourthat they each paid different fees to present at expensive conference fees and costs associatedpeers, we both wondered if we might, in fact,the meeting. Fees ranged from $250 to $1300. with open access publishing. They are com- be at the wrong conference but were quicklyAlmost all of them believed that this confer-pletely predatory and in most cases, nothingredirected to the nursing conference whenence was legitimate, except the nursing profes-more than moderately well-organized eventsshe noted Oh, this is what happens whensor I befriended walking into the conference. It that promise researchers recognition afterthere are several different conferences hap- was as if she wanted to believe this was a legit-they pay their very hefty fee. pening at the same time.As we walked intoimate conference, but part of her knew deep Legitimate organizations like NAPNAP,the correct conference hall, we were greeted bydown that it wasnt.ANA, and Sigma Thea Tau will pay speakers apeople who definitely did not look like nurses.Next, presenters took to the podium for 20 stipend to speak at their conferences and shareMy new friend whispered to me again this isminutes to share research that made abso-their peer-reviewed research. Speakers arehow these things go! They are so unorganizedlutely no sense and after they were done, they given free entry into the conference and someand put on by these non-nursing people. quickly left. There was even a nurse attorney will even pay for travel fees, room, and board.At the door, we were each given a folder withwearing business attire and white sneakers, NeuroMovement Practitioner TrainingJoin the Brain Plasticity Revolution!Leading neuroscientists and experts agree about NeuroMovement. This cutting- edge method delivers breakthrough outcomes for pain relief, anti-aging, enhanced performance, and children with special needs. Become part of our international community of NeuroMovement practitioners. To learn more and receive a free copy of The Nine Essentials for Positive Brain Change go to:AnatBanielMethod.com/discoverContact Enrollment Manager at 702.945.6444 or Breta@AnatBanielMethod.comwww.elitecme.com |2019| HEALTHCARE CAREERS 21'