Hippocratic Oath and the Engineering Code of Ethics, Essay Example

Every given profession has its own ideal set of codes and morals that ensure fair and just conduct within the profession. The medical profession has one of the oldest code of ethics and standards prescribed in the Hippocratic Oath that has existed from the birth of the profession. The Engineering Code of Ethics is the moral and ethical guide that is employed in the engineering field to ensure fair and just conduct. While these standards are widely accepted and employed in their respective fields and industries, they differ largely in the manner in which they are structured and the aspects of each profession that are accentuated. However, it is important to note that these standards have certain common core principles.

Safety, Health and Welfare

One of the fundamental principles of the ethical and moral standards within any profession is the application of safety, health and welfare of the general public and clients. The engineering code of ethics underscores the need for engineers to ensure the security of the life and property of their clients and act in a manner that upholds such standards (National Society of Professional Engineers). The Hippocratic Oath underpins the need to apply all measures that are required for the benefit, recovery and well-being of the patient. Both these standards uphold the need to ensure the welfare of their clients and the general public. They fundamentally highlight the basic aspects of a professional’s responsibility to society, i.e. social responsibility.

Privacy

In serving clients, both the Hippocratic Oath and the Engineering Code of Ethics highlight the need to observe the client’s privacy. When serving clients, both doctors and engineers receive and process information about their clients that is generally regarded as sensitive and private. The Hippocratic Oath highlights that the problems of patients are not to be disclosed to the world (Tyson). Professionals in both fields, under both frameworks, are expected to operate in a manner that ensures the integrity of their clients’ information.

Differences

There are a number of inherent differences that set apart the Hippocratic Oath from the Engineering Code of Ethics. These differences results mainly from the differences in the two professions, with the medical profession dealing with the human life and the engineering profession mainly dealing with technology and machinery.

Apprenticeship

The medical profession, as depicted in the first code of the Hippocratic Oath, takes into consideration the aspect of apprenticeship. Experience and knowledge within the medical profession is gained through exposing oneself to other professionals who hold more experience in the field. As such, the Hippocratic Oath maintains the importance of passing on medical knowledge and experience to ensure the progressive growth and improvement of the profession in terms of treatments and the quality of services provided (Tyson). The Engineering Code of Ethics fails to consider the aspect of apprenticeship as a result of most knowledge within the field being generated from innovation. This is one of the core differences between the two standards.

Professionals as Trustees

The engineering code of ethics highlights the inherent need for professionals within the industry to act for each client or employer as a faithful trustee and/or agent. It is expected that all engineers will always serve the interests of the clients, ensuring free flow of information to the client regarding their services (American Society fo Civil Engineers). This section specifies the boundaries within which engineers are expected to receive financial or other valuable consideration. This includes the parties from whom they can receive the compensation and the limits to contracts they can undertake relative to the status of any existing conflict of interest.

Deceptive Acts

The engineering code of ethics highlights the impacts of deceptive acts on the quality and standards of professionalism within the industry. The document highlights the importance of usefulness, reputation and honor of and within the profession. As such, engineers are expected to act ethically, lawfully and responsibly. However, the modern version of the Hippocratic Oath does not take into account deceptive acts in its framework. Under this framework, professionals are expected to acts in the best interest of their clients, but not clearly defining any limitations or prescriptions for incidences of deceptive acts.

Structure

One of the most evident differences between the Hippocratic Oaths and the Engineering Code of Ethics is the structure with which they are designed. The Hippocratic Oath, as the name suggests, is designed as an oath that highlights the general principles which professionals within the field of medicine subscribe to. This is quite different from the engineering code of ethics. These codes are divided into three sections. (I) the fundamental canons, (II) the rules of practice, and (III) the professional obligations. The fundamental canons define the general principles that are ascribed to by all professionals within the industry. The rules of practice define the fundamental canons. These provide details on limits and boundaries expected f professionals, relative to the given general standard. The professional obligations define the expectations on the conduct and behavior of professionals (engineers) relative to the standards of quality required within the profession.

Survey

The survey entailed a research into the general opinions of professionals regarding the Hippocratic Oath and the Engineering Code of Ethics. This survey targeted professionals within the medical profession as well as those within the engineering profession. The study entailed a questionnaire with eight questions divided into two equal section of four questions. The first section entailed questions pertaining to the Hippocratic Oath, and the second pertaining to the engineering code of ethics. The survey was offered to 10 participants.

A majority of the participants depicted a generally negative impression fo the Hippocratic Oath when compared to the engineering code of ethics. A majority of the respondents have an indifference towards their opinion on the importance of the Hippocratic Oath. This is different from the engineering code of ethics, respondents had a strong positive opinion on the importance of the standard. Most of the respondents believed that the Hippocratic Oath has little to no practicality in modern-day medicine. However. They believed that the engineering code of ethics is very practical in the modern-day industries. Respondents also believed that the Hippocratic Oath is not useful in the modern-day medicine profession. However, the engineering code of ethics is considered very useful and vital.

It is important to note that most of the professional believe that the Hippocratic Oath is outdated. As such, it need to either be comprehensively revised or abandoned altogether. This is because the Hippocratic Oath fails to take into account the realities of a medical industry that has been extensively influenced and transformed by considerable social, political, scientific and economic changes. With the increasing need to share patient information between government and private health agencies and institutions, the Hippocratic Oath is rendered a mere formality by those willing to practice the profession. However, serious penalties and repercussions are not faced by individuals who violate the oath.

In conclusion, the analysis and study revealed that ethical and moral standards within a profession are regarded as vital to ensure fair conduct and the general interest of the public. However, such standards fail to be practical when they do not take into consideration the social, economic, political, and scientific changes realized over time.

Works Cited

American Society fo Civil Engineers. The Engineering Code of Ethics. 8 April 1995. Internet Source. 30 May 2015. <http://courses.cs.vt.edu/professionalism/WorldCodes/ASCE.html>.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Hippocratic oath.” 9 November 2014. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Internet Source. 30 May 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/266652/Hippocratic-oath>.

National Society of Professional Engineers. “NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers.” 10 March 2015. NSPE.org. Internet Source. 30 May 2015. <http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics>.

Tyson, Peter. The Hippocratic Oath Today. 27 March 2001. Internet Source. 30 May 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html>.