Chinese medicine (AAAOM) conference in Portland, OR this October!
A quick announcement which I will follow with a discussion about my current thoughts on professional development in the Chinese medicine field…
October 18-22, 2007 - the AAAOM, the premiere professional organization for Chinese medicine practitioners in the United States, will be holding an International Conference and Exposition in Portland, OR. The theme for this year’s conference is “Strength through Unification.” Although that theme name is mildly reminiscent to me of some kind of Maoist refrain - I really like the thought and energy behind it.
AAAOM is the new hybrid of the East and West coast professional organizations and I feel that this recent restructuring has created some space for change to occur in our profession country-wide. It being in Portland is just icing on the cake, given that Portland is - in my estimation - uniquely poised to be the epicenter of the natural healthcare revolution.
Add to all of this the fact that the new professional student organization, parented by AAAOM and herein referred to as the AAAOM-SO, is experiencing similar invigoration. I just met with a member of the governing body of the organization who gave me a lot of great ideas and infused me with energy! We discussed the need for greater unity between the student bodies at all of the many Chinese medicine schools in the country, despite the fact that we may not agree on everything or may have different approaches to the medicine. In fact, because of the diverse voices we need to find ways to communicate and cooperate on action items that impact everyone. One of the action items we discussed was student loan forgiveness for CM graduates. At this point, CM graduates are not eligible for loan forgiveness. The woman I spoke with is a flight attendant by training and through conversations with various high-profile passengers has learned that getting CM graduates into VA hospitals is a possibility. If we get into this federal institution, we can be eligible for loan forgiveness.
It’s a long road, to be sure, but one that is worth travelling. However, getting down that road quickly and effectively will require unifying our efforts and coordinating action. This is one of the purposes of the AAAOM-SO.
This conference looks to be time well spent. Great speakers and multiple networking opportunities, all in one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. Registration can be done through their website, which was recently redesigned and looks great. If you are a student, there are special rates in the works. When I get the official word I will be sure to do a quick update to this post with the information - but the preliminary information indicates that students can get a year membership to AAAOM-SO and full conference registration for only $100. If you are a student at my school - hold on to your seats - we’re going to do a coordinated registration.
Eric
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Tags: aaaom, conference, networking, professional-development
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