Hippocratic Oath

The Hippocratic Oath is an ancient Greek pledge of medical ethics, attributed to Hippocrates.

Updated 12 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

  • It is about 2,400 years old.
  • Doctors in the UK are not required to take it.
  • Many medical schools hold a ceremony with a modern declaration, often based on the Declaration of Geneva of 1948.
  • The phrase first do no harm is linked with it but does not appear in the original text.

Interview questions

  • Should new doctors have to swear an oath?
  • Which parts of an ancient oath still apply to medicine today?
  • What would you put in a modern version?

Practise answering these with a mentor

Our interview preparation has you answer questions like these out loud, with feedback on each answer.

More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.