The MedConference 2016

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 solely 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 2016 Theme

Burnout among health care professionals represents an unrecognized crisis. A 2016 meta-analysis including 5 large surveys from 1996-2014 with more than 60,000 answers reports that burnout symptoms in the US affect 30-68% of physicians, exceeding the level of any other professional group. (Iris Schrijver. Pathology in the Medical Profession? Taking the Pulse of Physician Wellness and Burnout. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2016 Feb 1)

In 1926 Dr. Peabody, in his talk to the students of Harvard Medical School, talks about “The vital importance of the personal relationship between physician and patient in the practice of medicine” because, he says, “The reward [of the medical profession] is to be found in that personal bond which forms the greatest satisfaction of the practice of medicine”. (Francis W. Peabody The Care of the Patient. JAMA 1927; 88:877-882)

Ninety years later, the author of the 2016 meta-analysis came to the same conclusion: “Physicians recognize patient care as the most rewarding aspect of their profession. As such, they are most likely to flourish when provided with the tools that facilitate this calling”.

The American Association of Medicine and the Person (AAMP) invites you to a three-day conference to discuss, share experiences and ultimately identify a proposal to experience the satisfaction of caring for our patients, avoiding burnout.

CME Accreditation

CME and CEUs credits have been requested.