Albert Schweitzer SocietyJohn P. McGovern Academy of Oslerian Medicine
Sir William Osler best described a physician when he expressed, "The concern focuses on the respect for freedom, dignity, worth, and belief systems of the individual person, and it implies a sensitive, non-humiliating, and empathetic way of helping with some problem or need." We consider these qualities as vital to us as a stethoscope and medical books:
- S - Service
- C - Charity
- H - Humility
- W - Wisdom
- E - Equality
- I - Idealism
- T - Transformation
- Z - Zeal
- E - Empathy
- R - Respect
We strive with our best abilities to achieve these ideals in our own endeavors. Schweitzer once said, "The only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." We commit ourselves to this pursuit of happiness through service and sacrifice in our own community. The lives and wisdom of Dr. Albert Schweitzer and Sir William Osler transformed the entity of the doctor, the way we view medicine and the way we view ourselves as future physicians.
Albert Schweitzer
Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a German born physician, theologian, musician, philosopher, and scholar who had a deep commitment to serve humanity. He believed that ethics is nothing other than the reverence for life, a philosophy which
earned him the Nobel Peace Prize for 1952. Schweitzer's philosophy led to many years of humanitarian work such as opening hospitals in West Central Africa to care for and serve people.
A Way of Life
The vision of the Osler Student Societies is to provide developing physicians insight into "A Way of Life", described by Sir William Osler, not through formal lecture, but through the guidance of mentors in contact with students within and outside
their academic setting.