by Charles B. Gillespie, M.D.

Back in the early 1970's, I was the (original) Chairman of the EHSAC (Emergency Health Services Advisory Council) serving under Governor Jimmy Carter. It was that Council that set up all the original regulations for the EMS service in Georgia. One part of the program was to sponsor EMS training sessions. In the beginning, the State had no funds for such activities so three of us in Albany created a not-for-profit Foundation to sponsor such events. To start the account, we each put $25.00 in an account and through accumulated $378,000.00 before the state finally took over the training process. (They "could do it cheaper" HA!)

During one of our conferences with about 450 attending, I was told of misconduct events of two EMTs from other towns in Georgia. One had fondled a patient in the back of an ambulance and another (who was also a deputy sheriff) had appeared at his station intoxicated. He then pulled his weapon on the primes in somewhat a threatening manner. Otherwise, both of those people had good reputations and their supervisors did not want to lose them as EMTs.

After giving some thought on how to deal with those people, I decided that the EMS system needed some type of pledge that people would take upon graduation similar to the Hippocratic Oath that I took when I graduated from Emory Medical School. I left the meeting for about an hour so I could go to my office and type an "Oath".

Upon returning to the meeting, I asked the two "offenders" to stand at their place in the audience, raise their right hands, and repeat the "Oath" after me. Then, I asked the entire audience to do the same, stand, raise their right hand, and repeat the oath. In that way, I wanted everyone to realize that although the "Oath" was written specifically for the two people whose offenses had been widely discussed during the meeting, it, in reality, applied to everyone in the Ga. EMS system.

It was nicely received, even to the point that many requested a copy of the "Oath". Subsequently, the EHSAC group adopted the "Oath" as did the Georgia EMS Directors Assn. Rocco Miranda, the Director of the National Assn. of EMTs, called and wanted to use the "Oath". Then the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (publishers of the "Orange" Textbook" and the Brady Company (publishers of Grant and Murray's Vehicle Rescue Text) asked permission to publish the "Oath" in their textbooks. As time went on, it appeared on a number of National and International Web sites. In fact, I am constantly amazed at it wide usage.

Charles B. Gillespie, M.D. - F.A.C.S
Albany, Ga.

Adopted by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, 1978