The National Institute for Healthcare Research, NIHR , and Dr. Christina
Puchalski are pleased to announce the Retreat in Spirituality and Clinical
Practice: From Self to Patient Care. NIHR and Dr. Puchalski will be hosting this
experiential professional retreat that focuses on the spirituality of the
caregiver.

NIHR's educational efforts have ignited the implementation of more than 40
spirituality and medicine courses in undergraduate medical education and
adult/child psychiatry residency-training programs. Traditionally, our focus has
been on training medical students how to address the spiritual needs of their
patients and little attention has been given to the spiritual needs of the
healthcare provider. When healthcare providers understand their own spirituality
and how it can be cultivated as part of their professional growth and promotion
of their well being, they can best fulfill their calling as a healthcare
provider.

Also, over the past three years we have received requests from many NIHR/AAMC
Spirituality and Medicine conference participants to host a more experiential
(and less formal) gathering to discuss the issues mentioned above. For these
reasons, NIHR has planned an experiential retreat that will concentrate on the
role that spirituality plays on the lives of health professionals. By attending
this retreat we hope that participants cultivate a deepening awareness of the
relationship between their own spirituality and its affect on the care of their
patients.

The Retreat in Spirituality and Clinical Practice: From Self to Patient Care
will be held on April 14, 15 and 16, 2000 at the Bon Secours Spirituality Center
in Marriotsville, MD, (more information about Bon Secours can be found by
following this link http://www.erols.com/bssc.)

We have planned three workshops sessions for the weekend. Two workshops will be
held on the first full day and the third workshop will be held on the last day
of the retreat. The workshops will have three distinct focuses.

Session 1: Going inside one’s self: What do I believe? Will focus on the
spirituality of the caregiver.
Session 2: Experiencing spiritual practices (experiential workshops), Provides
the opportunity to explore other religions, faiths and spiritual practices.
Session 3: Personal beliefs and one’s clinical practice, An examination of
influence of spirituality on patient care.

This retreat is open to physicians, medical students, nurses, chaplains, social
Workers and other healthcare providers who are interested in examining the role
spirituality plays in their life and in health. The participation fee is $250.00
(student rate, $200); this cost covers lodging and meals for the duration of the
retreat and includes the cost of a shuttle ride from BWI Airport to the Bon
Secours (if needed.)

Space for the retreat is limited. Bon Secours Spiritual Center is able to
provide accommodations for up to 30 people during that weekend in April. Because
of this, we need your completed registration form and retreat fee on or before
March 1, 2000, if you would like to participate.

Please contact Dr. Christina Puchalski or Cara McVeigh by telephone or e-mail if
you are interested in participating in this very important conference.


Dr. Christina Puchalski Cara McVeigh
301-984-7162 301-984-7162, ext., 302
cpuchalski@... cmcveigh@...