New twist to Hippocratic Oath/University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS)
Giving an entirely new twist to the Hippocratic Oath, which is administered to incoming medical students in a white coat ceremony by medical colleges, the students of the University of Minnesota Medical School (UMMS) class of 2026 recited an oath that pledged to ‘honour all the indigenous ways of healing that are historically marginalised by western medicine’.
The modified Hippocratic Oath was quite unique, given the fact that Western medicine and science has always been at odds with indigenous medicine. A similar situation is also prevalent in India, where practitioners of Allopathy and Indian medicine do not necessarily see eye to eye.
The video clips of the oath, which were posted on several social media platforms including Twitter have been trending and evoked sharp reactions. Some on Twitter described the oath as ‘woke’ and criticised it for suggesting that indigenous medicine and Western science were equally valid medical practices.
There were many others who pointed out that it was a modified Hippocratic Oath that was written by medical students, pledging to eliminate bias and the reference to indigenous ways of healing was just a small part of the oath, which also mentioned anti-racism and climate change.
The modified oath that was read out said “Our institution is located on Dakota land… We recognise inequities built by past and present traumas rooted in white supremacy, colonialism, gender binary, ableism and all other forms of repression. We commit to promote a culture of anti-racism, listening and amplifying voices for positive change. We pledge to honour all indigenous ways of healing that are historically marginalised by western medicine”.
Interacting with campusreform.org (Campus Reform), the media relations manager of UMMS Kate Dodge was quoted “[i]t is a common practice at medical schools in the United States to build upon the intent of the Hippocratic Oath to promote humility, integrity, and beneficence.”
“Each year at the UMMS, the incoming students work with faculty to write an oath that reflects these core elements, values, and ethics the class aspires to uphold,” Dodge explained
