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Oath of the Class of 2017 May I walk into each patient’s room with fresh eyes and worn soles. May I bear in mind that my patients’ health includes their social, psychological and spiritual well-being. May I provide treatment through education as well as interventions. May I give care to complement the work my patients already do to sustain themselves. May I acknowledge that my privilege as a physician could cause me to overlook others’ hardships. May I utilize my position in society to make health sustainable for my community. May I be cautious of convention and hone my craft with the spark of innovation. May I appreciate that my knowledge is the endowment of my predecessors, and may I add my own discoveries. May I respect my patients’ decisions even if they would not be my own. May I find inspiration in the woven threads that make up my patients’ lives. May I have the courage to voice my mistakes and be supportive of others in the same endeavor. May I recognize that collaboration with my colleagues may be in my patients’ best interest. May I have the humility to ask for help. May I seek an arrangement of work and life that enriches both. |
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In their white coats as faculty, family and supporters watched, the School of Medicine Class of 2017 vowed to uphold the values of the medical profession during the 18th annual Second Year Oath Ceremony on March 4.
As the students took their seats, Chancellor Michael F. Collins remarked that although the oath ceremony is a relatively recent phenomenon, the transition that students make from largely classroom instruction to their clinical years is as old as the study of medicine.
Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the School of Medicine, told the students to carry home how the values learned in their coursework are centered on the concept of kindness. Dr. Flottesaid technical excellence is an indispensable element.
Keynote speaker David Clive, MD, professor of medicine, told students that the proof of an oath is in the living; they must fulfill the values that they are articulating. Dr. Clive then, point blank, asked the students if they will be able to live up to their oath in a world that makes it very difficult to achieve.
Clive shared stories of doctors who are having difficulty achieving the standard of care they aspire to in current climate in which they practice—some are rushed, have a lot of demands and unproductive things they are required to do and feel that they’re short-changing their patients.
Despite the challenges, Clive reminded the students that for all the problems that have been faced, medicine remains an incredibly noble profession.
Prior to the oath, Shu Yang, a fourth-year medical student and member of the UMass Medical School chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, told his peers to enjoy their third and fourth year clinical experience and echoed earlier speakers by encouraging the students to look at the whole patient.
Peter Cruz-Gordillo and Amarilys Rojas, co-presidents of the Student Body Committee, presented Outstanding Medical Educator Awards to five faculty members whom the members of the class voted to honor for their teaching skills. Receiving awards were: Clive; Susan B. Gagliardi, PhD, professor of cell & developmental biology; Eustathia Lela Giannaris, PhD, assistant professor of cell & developmental biology; William E. Royer, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology; and Vijay Vanguri, MD, assistant professor of pathology.
Related links on UMassMedNow:
Medical students pledge to honor the human side of medicine
Second Year Oath Ceremony marks a milestone in the educational journey
Students vow to serve patients with respect, humility and compassion
