Our second annual All Members Meeting for 2019, was held in Catania this October. Saying that the weather was nice, the food delicious and the time we spent exchanging good, would be a big understatement. The meeting was hosted by our member CSdOI (Centro Studi di Osteopatia Italiano) and joined by 31 participants from 21 member schools and 3 candidates for membership schools.

The topic of the meeting was Partnership. The partnership with different organisations such as Osteopathic International Alliance (OIA), Societa' Italiana Di Pedagogia Medica (SIPeM) & An International Association for Medical Education (AMEE). Raimund Engel (External Affairs Committee), who represented OsEAN during the annual OIA meeting, gave a short report on the meeting and the news from OIA. Carmine Castagna (Board Member & External Affairs Committee) and Giacomo Consorti (Core Competencies Committee) made an AMEE experience report – overview and Inspiration from the most important MedED association existing. A suggestion for a collaboration with AMEE SIPeM, AACOM (Proposal for joint venture, agreement or partnership) was made.

The news from our members were all positive, much to our joy. They are investing in research projects working together with hospitals or/and the Olympic committees in their countries. AbeOS and V.Andrianov Institute of Osteopathic Medicine hosted the Teacher Training courses Module B2 – Clinical Tutor Training 2 and Module B3 – Teaching Research. The Viennese School of Osteopathy has started filming their courses so that students can either stream them live or re-watch the lessons at home again.

Of course the news from OsEAN were not missing either:

•  Student Exchange Programmes is running very well. The feedback was fantastic – all students are very enthusiastic about the programme and their experience and this good spirit seems to be contagious.
• Until now all our members are certified by the Austrian Standards Institute. Certified on the CEN-Standard and the OsEAN Standard (based on ISO 29990). Schools who missed the chance to do the audit within the given deadline as well as schools that decided not to undergo it are no longer members of the organisation.
• The Open Forum 2020 ‘Teaching the Working Principles of Osteopathy’ will be held in Antwerp (Belgium) on the 24th and 25th September 2020. Read more…
• For the first time OsEAN will organise a Student Open Forum which will be held on 21st and 22nd September 2020. The costs for the students are kept as low as possible so they only have to pay €75 for the two days of participation. Read more…

Atlas Osteopatiakoulu (Espoo, Finland) and ICOMM - International College of Osteopathic Manual Medicine (Rome, Italy) have already undergone the audit and we are waiting to see the final results before the schools are being put up for vote to become a member. Which we hope will happen at the next meeting in Madrid in May 2020. Two potential members presented their schools to the participants in order to start the Application Process of becoming a Member of OsEAN.

The European School of Osteopathy underwent the OsEAN/CEN and is now officially OsEAN’s member again. The ESO was the founder school of OsEAN so everyone was be happy to welcome them back on board.

During the General Meeting Andrea Bergna, the principal of SOMA - Istituto Osteopatia Milano, got elected as a board member. We congratulate!

Future meetings and topics of interests were discussed. Our next meeting will be held in Madrid, Spain in May 2020 where the main topic will be Curriculum Mapping & Patient Administration.

Aa usual, at the end of the first day, we had a wonderful delicious diner in a local restaurant in Catania. Our dinners are usually held informal allowing our members to connect with each other. Topics vary from working topics about Osteopathy and teaching to private topics about relationships, family and food.

It was a successful meeting that charged everyone with a lot of positive energy and will to continue working and improve for the better. That is what OsEAN is for!