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New veterinary oath: What do you think?
By Dr. Marty Becker
December 22, 2010
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has changed the language in the oath all veterinarians take.
Here’s the wording of the new oath: “Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.”
From DVM360.com:
“The message is we as the AVMA and veterinarians in general do recognize that protecting animal well-being is what we’re all about,” (AVMA Executive Board Chair John R.) Brooks says.
“From today forward, every graduate entering our profession will swear an oath not only to protect animal health but also welfare; to not only relieve animal suffering but to prevent it. That’s a powerful statement defining ourselves and our responsibilities, not a vague symbol,” adds Dr. J. Bruce Nixon, chairman-elect of the (AVMA’s) Animal Welfare Commission.
[....]
The oath previously made no mention of animal welfare and, while the revision does not include definition of what animal welfare means, the result of deliberations on the language addition was that it already is past the time to act if AVMA is to be seen as a leader in animal welfare—a goal the group stressed at the Joint International Educational Symposium on Animal Welfare it co-sponsored last year
I think it might surprise a lot of people that language like that wasn’t part of the oath all along. But growing up as an Idaho farm boy who went on to become a veterinarian, I know that historically farm work — keeping healthy work animals such as horses and food animals such as cows and pigs — was once the primary focus of veterinary medicine, along with protecting public health. A lot has changed in how society cares for and about animals in the last couple of centuries (veterinary medicine as a profession is 250 years old) and veterinary medicine has changed, too.
What do you think about this addition to the oath?
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I wonder if this will have any impact on sending horses to slaughter houses.
Comment by Marge — December 22, 2010 @ 10:05 am
Very hard to justify a lot of agribusiness enabling if one swears to protect animal welfare.
There’s also no inherent conflict between protecting animal welfare and protecting public health and food production.
Comment by H. Houlahan — December 22, 2010 @ 10:11 am
In fact, one might argue that in the bigger picture, protecting animal welfare and public health are intrinsic to each other… many of the worst agribusiness abuses are bad for both.
Comment by Christie Keith — December 22, 2010 @ 10:16 am
If that’s the way vets are going, then docs need a new oath too.
They’re doing a lot more than practicing medicine now, and a lot of it’s not by choice.
Example: My gynecologist’s new EMR system prompts her to ask her patients if they have guns in the house. It’s supposed to be some sort of suicide potential check, but I wasn’t aware that that was part of the job description when she was learning about feminine health.
Just my first thought on it.
Comment by Viatecio — December 22, 2010 @ 10:51 am
Words are powerful or can be - the results of such words is where the power lies -
“Sheltered” animals primarily dogs (approx. 300?)at our local Animal Control facility - Tri-City Animal Control, Pasco Washington are sent to Washington State University Veterinary School of Medicine in Pullman, Washington (WSU Dr. Becker’s alma mater?) - the mostly dogs are then practiced on and then mostly killed -
I’ve seen records -
I was able to rescue one such practice pit bull about 7 years ago - still have her, too.
Now back to the question posed…What do I think about this adddtion to the oath?
I’ll think it’s a valid addition when animals at “shelters” are not used and killed at Veterinary schools such as WSU.
Comment by mary frances — December 22, 2010 @ 1:49 pm
That’s incredibly sad. I remember seeing a listing for some university in Oregon (IIRC, that is) for horses that were used in research and just sold off or dumped…don’t know what happened to the ones that didn’t sell. They had some cute ones in there too.
The school I go to does use animals (vet tech school), but they’re adopted out. If they’re not adopted out, they’re kept in the school kennels until they do have a home. One dog was there for 7 years…unfortunately, when he did have the right home come along, he bloated.
Comment by Viatecio — December 22, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
Thank you for your comments Viatecio - it is the next generation of veterinarians that I hope will end this tragedy of taking shelter animals and using them in Veterinary Schools (and then killing them)
When my challenge to this practice ended in defeat on so many levels - I found comfort in the No Kill Movement.
Comment by mary frances — December 23, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
Do they have any supplementary guides on what the oath ought to mean in practical terms?
The RCVS oath is shorter:
“Inasmuch as the privilege of membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is about to be conferred upon me I PROMISE AND SOLEMNLY DECLARE that I will abide in all due loyalty to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and will do all in my power to maintain and promote its interests.
“I PROMISE above all that I will pursue the work of my profession with uprightness of conduct and that my constant endeavour will be to ensure the welfare of the animals committed to my care.”
but there is a very detailed guide to professional conduct that sets out what’s expected of vets - in particular the obligation to provide emergency pain relief when necessary.
Comment by Rosemary — December 23, 2010 @ 4:16 pm