Seeing the Physician’s Oath in a Different Light |Biomedgrid

On the day that I put on my white coat and took a Physician's oath, I made a promise to dedicate my life to the service of humanity. I promised to not only provide physical relief to my future patients, but to also tend to their emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial needs. I promised to endeavor to care for the sick, the poor, the suffering, and especially those who are dying with a heart of kindness and compassion. But little did I know, I didn't fully understand the practical manifestation of the Physician's oath that I took at the beginning of medical school. I thought I knew what it meant to tend to the needs of my patients who were suffering, especially those who were on the brink of death, until I completed a short rotation on Palliative Care. I used to believe that a good physician was one who would vow to do everything in their power to save their patient's life, whether this was possible or not. This is what is taught in medical school. Physicians are programmed to focus on curing, not taught how to care for those who can't be saved. Prolonging lives is what physicians are trained to do best and the lesson of providing comfort care isn't one that gets much attention during the years of our medical training.