Model Oath for the New Physician
98% of medical students swear an oath on matriculation or graduation. Most school oaths are a revised version of the Hippocratic Oath or the Osteopathic Oath and include important values like trust, honesty, confidentiality and the primacy of the patient's needs above all other charges of the physician.
The oath below was drafted by AMSA national leaders on extensive review of the literature on medicine as a profession. This oath is based on AMSA policy and in response to contemporary challenges to medical professionalism today such as medical errors, health disparities, the need for cost-effective health care, issues related to the pharmaceutical industry and gifts to physicians, and the advent of for-profit health care.
At many schools it is a tradition to re-write the school oath every few years. This model oath is to encourage medical students to take the initiative to update their school's professional code and revitalize medical professionalism for the 21st Century.
Figure 1. Model Oath for the New Physician
As I enter the profession of medicine, I make this pledge to the patients I serve and the greater public:
I dedicate my career to the compassionate service of humanity--caring for the sick, promoting health, preventing disease, and alleviating pain and suffering. I will attend to the health needs of the community, including its most vulnerable members.
I will hold sacred the patient-physician relationship; I will respect confidentiality and patient autonomy. I will not hesitate to advocate for patients in their quest for better health and well-being. I will not abuse my position for any private gain.
I believe that all people have the right to quality health care. I will not permit considerations of gender, race, class, religion, sexual orientation, or citizenship to influence my commitment to healing.
I will seek constantly to grow in knowledge, understanding, and skill, and will work collaboratively with colleagues in the health professions to promote the highest quality patient care.
I will be an advocate for equality and social justice and will work towards fair distribution of health resources. I will oppose practices that violate human rights and will not participate in them. I will advocate for public policy that will improve the health and well being of the public.
I believe that the health care system should uphold the interests of patient care over commercial interests and will advocate for reform to ensure that meeting the needs of the patient remains the central focus of the health care system.
I will be honest about my mistakes and will appropriately respond to those of my peers. I will advocate for the effective oversight of health care by the profession and the public.
I support the ethical advancement of medical knowledge in the interest of improving the quality and humanity of patient care.
I will make medical decisions on the basis of the best available evidence, and free from the influence of advertising or promotion. I will not accept money, gifts, or hospitality that will create a conflict of interest in my education, practice, teaching, or research.
I make this pledge solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.