Dr. Stephanie Varghese, DPM
As things shut down, people are forced to stay home more and the world is in chaos, health care workers despite having anxieties and fears of their own and families and loved ones that we are concerned for, continue to be committed to this service that many have spent a large portion of their life devoted to. As the world hunkers down and people get into a mindset of self preservation and having enough to care for their own, know that healthcare workers are in a daily mindset of what is best for the community at large because its not just our job, its our calling. Read this modern version of the Hippocratic oath as a reminder of the covenant that doctors have made:
“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 which 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 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.”
We have great respect for our colleagues in the profession in countries like China and Italy who are learning from their experiences and are sharing said knowledge with us so that we may flatten the curve in our own country. We are the first to say, “we know not”….we don’t know how long this will last or what the end result will be, we don’t know when there will be a vaccine or when treatment will be readily available for those who need it. We don’t know if we have the resources that we need to handle a pandemic of this magnitude. But, we do know that we are not just treating a fever or a respiratory illness—we are part of a team that is treating real people who have real friends and families whose lives may be turned upside down during this unprecedented season. Know that it continues to be our joy to serve with compassion and care. Needless to say, the state of the world may get even more hectic over the next few week and likely it will get worse before it gets better but be encouraged that the healthcare oath of service never changes.
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