Highlights from the 2014 National Kidney Foundation Clinical Meetings.
I ALWAYS LOOK forward to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Clinical Meetings. It is such a fun and productive event. I always walk away feeling both exhausted and refreshed at the same time. This was true of this year’s event in Las Vegas, NV. Yes, I will be sharing what happened in Vegas! The week started with record breaking attendance at the preconference sessions ‘‘Foundations of Nutrition Practice for Kidney Disease (Strategies I)’’ and ‘‘Advanced Practice in Renal Nutrition: Update 2014 (Strategies II)’’. There were 40 attendees at Strategies I and 60 attendees at Strategies II. This is a testament of the strength of the sessions that our Chairpersons Louise Clement and Kathy Shiro Harvey put together. The executive committee (EC) also met during the preconference days. We focused on ways to improve communication between the EC and the local councils and assessing the profession needs of the nephrology dietitian. Members can expect more announcements coming from their region representatives and other members of the EC, in addition to a needs assessment survey this fall. The EC recognizes the fact that the role of the nephrology dietitian has changed since the implementation of the Conditions for Coverage and the ‘‘bundling’’. We also recognize that the new Standards of Practice/Standards of Professional Performance (SOP/SOPP) create unique educational and support opportunities. We want to be your source for professional growth, and the only way to do this is to understand what you need. During the ECmeeting, we also recognized the successes of previous years’ work. In addition to the joint collaboration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Renal Practice Group on the development and publication of the SOP/ SOPP, another joint project has brought a positive outcome. Back in 2011, a collaboration between the two groups started workon developing and distributing educational material on the diet needs of the chronic kidney disease patient to dietitians in manufacturing and corporate markets. As a result,