Welcome to CMA Boot Camp 2025!! We are very excited to share with you our beautiful vision of this transformative week of medicine to come, where you may open your hearts to encounter Our Lord Jesus Christ Crucified and Our gentle Mother Mary. Past Boot Camp student/resident attendee has said, “Thank you so much for an amazing week at the CMA boot camp!”

The boot camp will begin with our warm welcome “meet and greet” on Sunday evening. On Monday we will kickoff the week reflecting and resting in the Holy Spirit who guides and directs our journeys in medicine and in life. Tuesday’s curriculum will focus on core concepts of philosophy and Christian anthropology underpinning the Catholic physician’s approach to healthcare. This will be followed by an introduction to the essential bioethics principles guiding the Catholic physician in the management of the most common clinical dilemmas. On Wednesday morning, we will explore important topics related to the beginning of life from both a biological and ethical perspective. This includes fertility and infertility, what happens when things go wrong and life affirming approaches to care. Thursday will look at suffering, and the challenges and graces patients and families face at the end of life. The Church’s teaching on end of life issues will be examined and students will have some practical concepts and resources from which to draw from as they continue their medical education and enter into training and practice. Friday boot camp will cover the topic of disorders of gender identity and sexual orientation. We will compare and contrast the Catholic moral position and solutions to the secular healthcare approach.

We will wrap up the 2025 Boot Camp on Saturday with the topic of leadership in the Holy Spirit to include speakers from the leadership of the Catholic Medical Association. Lastly we will provide the student and resident attendees with the Sacraments and individual spiritual direction opportunities throughout the boot camp week. Thus, we envision the Boot Camp 2025 to include each and every one of you. We truly hope you will come and experience Boot Camp 2025! See you there!!

CMA Medical Student and Resident Boot Camp is a several-day intensive formation experience of prayer, study, practical training, and mentoring with leading Catholic Medical Association physicians, priests, and moral theologians.

The title “Boot Camp” has been chosen to emphasize the fact that the Catholic medical students will be engaged in fighting a battle against a culture of secularism, atheism, relativism, and scientism that pervades medical education in the United States.

The CMA Boot Camp is an opportunity to learn about Catholic medical ethics and grow in faith with fellow Catholic students, residents, and physicians.

Students and residents should plan their arrival for the evening of the first day and their departure in the afternoon of the last day.

Who: Individuals who are currently enrolled in medical school, individuals who will be matriculating into medical school in the summer or fall, and physicians in residency training programs.

Cost: Successful applicants will be responsible for a $50 application fee payable upon acceptance and their travel costs. All other expenses shall be covered. Attendees must be current members of the CMA.

Become a CMA Member

FREE!! Download past Boot Camp presentations by clicking the link below. Create a user name and password and you will have access to the talks.

2016 Lectures

2018 Lectures

2020 Lectures

The Medical Student and Resident Boot Camp is funded by generous donations to the Medical Student and Resident Education Fund

Student Reflections

“My experience at the bootcamp was absolutely amazing. I am so thankful to everyone who dedicated their time and money to make this possible. I feel significantly better equipped to discuss Catholic ethics and inspired to learn more.”

“You are all amazing people who plan and put on this event. I didn’t know how much it would do for me as a medical student and in my faith life. Thank you so much!”