LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Recognize the concept of professional ethics.

The word ethics is derived from the Greek "ethos," meaning custom or practice, a characteristic manner of acting, or a more-or-less constant style of behavior in the deliberate actions of people. When we speak of ethics, we refer to a set of rules or a body of principles. Every social, religious, and professional group has a body of principles or standards of conduct that provides ethical guidance to its members.

During your indoctrination into the military, you were introduced to the Code of the U.S. Fighting Forces. This code of conduct is an ethical guide that charges you with certain high standards of general behavior as a member of the Armed Forces.

All professional interactions must be directly related to codes of behavior that support the principles of justice, equality of human beings as persons, and respect for the dignity of human beings. Upholding medical ethics is the responsibility of all Hospital Corpsmen. Upon completion of basic Hospital Corps School, you took the following pledge:

I solemnly pledge myself before God and these witnesses to practice faithfully all of my duties as a member of the Hospital Corps. I hold the care of the sick and injured to be a privilege and a sacred trust and will assist the Medical Officer with loyalty and honesty. I will hold all personal matters pertaining to the private lives of patients in strict confidence. I dedicate my heart, mind, and strength to the work before me. I shall do all within mypower to show in myself an example of all that is honorable and good throughout my naval career.

This pledge morally binds you to certain responsibilities and rules that are included in the science of medical ethics. Ethics, whether they be classified general or special (e.g., legal or medical), teach us how to judge accurately the moral rightness and wrongness of our actions. The one element that makes healthcare ethics different from general ethics is the inclusion of the moral rule, "Do your duty." This statement is a moral rule because it involves expectations (e.g., of confidentiality). It involves what others have every reason to believe will be forthcoming. Failure to fulfill these expectations is to do harm to your clients (i.e., your patients) and/or your colleagues. Through the Hospital Corpsman Pledge, you committed yourself to fulfilling certain duties, not only to those entrusted to your care, but also to all members of the healthcare team. It is this commitment to service and to mankind that has traditionally distinguished the United States Navy Hospital Corps wherever its members have served.