The Purpose

Care of the Sick (detail), Domenico di Bartolo, Pellegrinaio di Santa Maria della Scala (Siena)

The MedConference, in its 4th edition (*), is born out of the desire of a group of physicians, nurses, students and other medical professionals to pursue within the medical field the ideals for which they decided to embrace the medical profession.

The organizers of this conference strongly desire to provide a yearly meeting place where health care professionals can come to dialogue and gain professional credits to rebuild a person­-oriented health care.

About Us

The core of the medical profession—the relationship between patient and caregiver—is too often reduced to a mechanical process. The very nature of medical care is at risk, because the care of the patient is reduced to the cure of his or her physical being.

However, in front of sickness and death patients are confronted with critical questions, regardless of the outcome of their particular situation: Will I be healed? What is the meaning of this illness? Why is there pain and death? Equally critical questions are faced by medical professionals: Why is it worthwhile to be a doctor or a nurse today? What is at the heart of being a truly human health care professional? What is it that a patient ultimately asks of a caregiver?

The MedConference proposes that the specific mission of the medical profession includes 3 main objectives: to cure the patient or at least to attempt to prevent further development of the disease, to alleviate the associated painful symptoms, especially in the advanced stages of illness, and to attend to all the sick person’s needs and expectations.

The American Association of Medicine and the Person (AAMP) invites you to a three­-day medical conference for physicians, nurses and medical students. This project is supported by a grant from the ‘Cesare Zorzoli Donation.’

The Theme

Medical professionals experience a sense of concern for their patients. This is at the core of the relationship between health care provider and patient, whether healing is achieved or not.

In fact, while all the medical professional’s effort, knowledge, and skills are normally focused on diagnosing and treating the sick to obtain their recovery, this sense of concern calls physicians and nurses to provide medical care even when life expectancy is very short.

What is it that urges us to care for others?

We hold that within us there is an original and indomitable urge to respond to the request for help from our patients. The aspect of our humanity that urges us to care for others is the heart.

The 2012 MedConference focuses on what is at the heart of the motivations for providing medical care.

CME Accreditation

Saint Louis University School of Medicine and School of Nursing are Co-Providers for this activity.

Accreditation
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

American Medical Association
Saint Louis University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 10.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Missouri Nurses Association
Saint Louis University School of Nursing is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Missouri Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Missouri Nurses Association provider # 115 - III
Nursing Contact Hours: 10