# The biomedical engineer’s pledge: overview and context

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new ethical pledge for biomedical engineers to foster a sense of professional duty, similar to the Hippocratic Oath for doctors.

## Contribution

The paper proposes a novel 'Biomedical Engineer’s Pledge' to address the lack of a symbolic ethical commitment in the field.

## Key findings

- Biomedical engineering lacks a symbolic ethical oath comparable to the Hippocratic Oath in medicine.
- A new 'Biomedical Engineer’s Pledge' has been developed to inspire ethical awareness and serve as a graduation tradition.
- The pledge includes a preamble, ten promises, and a concluding statement tailored to biomedical engineering.

## Abstract

Although biomedical engineering (BME) is a profession with ethical responsibilities comparable to those in medicine, it has, until now, lacked a counterpart to the Hippocratic Oath. While professional societies have established codes of ethics for biomedical engineers, these documents lack the symbolic and ceremonial significance of an oath or pledge. By contrast, the recitation of the Hippocratic Oath, or its modern version, the “Physician’s Pledge,” serves as a powerful rite of passage for medical students, fostering a strong sense of ethical duty at the start of their professional journey. However, the content of the Hippocratic Oath includes elements specific to clinical practice and is not directly applicable to biomedical engineering. To fill this gap, we have created a “Biomedical Engineer’s Pledge,” comprising a preamble, ten promises, and a concluding statement, to inspire ethical awareness and establish a meaningful graduation tradition.