The apocryphal stroke patient was right-side deficient, a little aphasic, and had a Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation (RACE) score of 8. A CT scan was ordered, a stent was placed via 3D imaging, and then a state-of-the-art stent retrieval device finished off the emergent procedure.

Joshua Rosenblum, PA-C, who practices at Springfield Hospital in Springfield, Vermont, stood impressed as the demonstration took place Tuesday at ACEP15’s innovatED.

“It’s fascinating technology for those of us who work in small critical-access hospitals,” said Mr. Rosenblum. “We don’t have this. It’s nice to know it’s out there. Staying on the leading edge is important, especially when you’re in a small facility and you need to know what is out there in your referring facilities.”

Seeing what’s out there is a big part of ACEP’s Annual Meeting. What best practices are out there. What cutting-edge therapies are out there. Which leaders are out there to network with. But in between sessions and speakers, a crowd on track to match last year’s record attendance filled the Exhibit Hall, the Wellness Center, Studio ACEP, and College-sponsored gatherings all over Boston.

Karan Gadhok, MD, a third-year resident at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, said the meeting’s noneducational accouterments were an eye-opener.

“I’m kind of sad that I didn’t come before,” he said as he played with an intraosseous infusion device. “I just love…seeing what opportunities are out there. Being in residency, you just get your small, little world. Being out here, you get exposed to all the different types of hospitals, places, people, devices, what’s up and coming. It’s very cool.”

Among the most popular destinations every year is the Wellness Center, where hundreds of ACEP members could get a blood panel, a body-mass index (BMI) measurement, a flu shot, and a burnout survey, among other tests.

Dietrich Jehle, MD, FACEP, who practices mainly at Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York, said he used the wellness center because physicians are often their own worst patients—and the convenience of spending 10 minutes at conference is easier than taking time out of his daily life.

“It was very easy to get through,” he said. “The staff was wonderful. The lady who drew my blood hit it without me even knowing she was going into my vein. The lady who let me know that I was overweigh did it in such a gentle fashion I didn’t even realize she was telling me I was fat.”