Hippocratic Oath

Have you ever heard of a HUC?  A HUC is one of the many acronyms in the hospital. It stands for Health Unit Coordinator.  I have been a HUC for the last 4 months and am currently working on becoming a CHUC, Certified HUC.  The test is 100 questions and I will get $.75 more per hour if I score a 75 or better. Shouldn't be too bad right?  After all, I've taken the MCAT... oh, my bad, I had to take that test twice, that's right.  So, while studying for my HUC test I was reading through medical policies and procedures.  I learned that the first approved patient's bill of rights was in 1973 and since that day there have been a number of legal issues protection patient information and ensuring patient care is optimal.

Three details about the Hippocratic oath.  My first introduction to the Hippocratic Oath was by Dr. Michael from St. George when he offered to have me work for him for a summer (of 2010) while I studied for the MCAT. He said that it is in the Oath to help others that are pursuing medicine. I grew in appreciation for the Hippocratic Oath that day.

Secondly, While studying for my HUC certification test today I learned to terms: Beneficence and Nonmaleficence. Don't ask me how to pronounce them.  Beneficence is the principle that "any action a health professional takes should benefit the patient."  Nonmaleficence is the principle which comes from the Hippocratic Oath and "means that a health professional will never inflict harm on the patient."  This are important words and principles which would be valuable to internalize. That is why I am sharing these terms along with the Hippocratic oath.

Thirdly, The Hippocratic Oath was written in Greek in about the 5th century bc. 

Here it is:

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.

I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug.

I will not be ashamed to say "I know not", nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery.

I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.

I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

I will remember that I remain a member of society with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

What are your thoughts about this oath?  Do you feel you have a desire to practice medicine while embodying these ethical standards? If so, what is your plan to uphold them?