Genetic Counselor's Oath

Class of 2021 reading Genetic Counselor's Oath

The Genetic Counselor's Oath was created at Columbia University in the spring of 2021 for the first graduating class of our MS in Genetic Counseling program. Aspects of the Oath are adopted from the World Medical Association Declaration of Geneva, originally written in 1948 and most recently revised in 2017.

Graduates earning an MS in Genetic Counseling degree from our program recite this oath at our commencement ceremony each spring as they prepare to enter a career of service to others as social justice-oriented healthcare providers. The Oath binds our community together and articulates the values on which we stand, and that inform our professional endeavors. 

 

The Genetic Counselor’s Oath

In the presence of my colleagues, friends, family, and teachers, and in view of the honored profession I am entering into, I dedicate myself to the following:

  • I pledge my life to the service of humanity and to social justice
  • I will practice my profession responsibly with conscience, integrity, and dignity which are consistent with its values, ethical principles, and ethical standards
  • The welfare of my client will be my first consideration
  • I will respect the privileged information confided to me, even after my professional relationship with my client has ended
  • I will maintain, by all means in my power, the honor and the traditions of the genetic counseling profession
  • My colleagues are my allies and I theirs
  • I shall be ever grateful to my teachers who have planted the seeds of knowledge and lifelong study, which I shall nurture forever
  • I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those genetic counselors in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow
  • I will not be ashamed to say "I do not know," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed
  • I will bear witness to historical injustices that continue to unfold for marginalized communities and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustices
  • I will not permit considerations of gender, age, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual affiliation, physical ability, mental ability, political philosophy, or socio-economic standing to intervene between my duty and my client
  • I will maintain the utmost respect for the inherent dignity and worth of every human being even under threat to myself

I make these promises solemnly, freely, and upon my honor.