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![Medicine Merit Badge](/i/boyscout/meritbadges/medicine.gif)
January, 2018
Requirements for the Medicine merit badge:
- Discuss with your counselor the influence that EIGHT of the following people had on the history of health care:
- Hippocrates
- William Harvey
- Antoine van Leeuwenhoek
- Edward Jenner
- Florence Nightingale
- Louis Pasteur
- Gregor Mendel
- Joseph Lister
- Robert Koch
- Daniel Hale Williams
- Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen
- Marie and Pierre Curie
- Walter Reed
- Karl Landsteiner
- Alexander Fleming
- Charles Richard Drew
- Jonas Salk
- James Watson and Francis Crick
- Explain the Hippocratic Oath to your counselor, and compare the original version to a more modern one. Discuss to whom those subscribing to the original version of the oath owe the greatest allegiance.
- Discuss the health care provider-patient relationship with your counselor, and the importance of such a relationship in the delivery of quality care to the patient. Describe the role of confidentiality in this relationship.
- Do the following:
- Describe the roles the following people play in the delivery of health care:
- Allopathic Physician(M.D.) and Osteopathic physician(D.O.)
- Chiropractor(D.C.)
- Emergency medical technician
- Licensed vocational/practical nurse
- Medical assistant
- Medical laboratory technologist
- Nurse-midwife
- Nurse practitioner
- Occupational therapist
- Optometrist
- Pharmacist
- Physical therapist
- Physician assistant
- Podiatrist
- Psychologist
- Radiologic technologist
- Registered nurse
- Respiratory therapist
- Describe the educational and licensing requirements to practice health care in your state for FIVE of the professions in requirement 4a. (Not all professions may exist in your state.)
- Describe the roles the following people play in the delivery of health care:
-
- Tell what is meant by the term "primary care" with regard to a medical specialty.
- Briefly describe the types of work done by physicians in the following specialties:
- Internal medicine (a "primary care" specialty)
- Family practice (a "primary care" specialty)
- Obstetrics/gynecology (a "primary care" specialty)
- Pediatrics (a "primary care" specialty)
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
- Describe the additional educational requirements for those specialties.
-
- Briefly describe the types of work performed by physicians in FIVE of the following specialties or subspecialties:
- Allergy/immunology
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Colorectal surgery
- Critical care medicine (intensive care medicine)
- Dermatology
- Emergency medicine
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Geriatric medicine
- Hematology/oncology
- Hospitalist
- Infectious disease
- Nephrology
- Neuro surgery
- Neurology
- Nuclear medicine
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedic surgery
- Otolaryngology/head and neck surgery
- Pathology
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation/sports medicine
- Plastic, reconstructive, and maxillofacial surgery
- Preventive medicine
- Pulmonology
- Radiology
- Rheumatology
- Thoracic/cardiothoracic surgery
- Urology
- Vascular surgery
- Describe the additional educational requirements for the five specialties or subspecialties you chose in 6a.
- Briefly describe the types of work performed by physicians in FIVE of the following specialties or subspecialties:
-
- Visit a physician's office, preferably one who delivers "primary care." (This may be that of your counselor.) Discuss the components of a medical history and physical examination (an official BSA health form may be used to guide this discussion), and become familiar with the instruments used.
- If this cannot be arranged, demonstrate to your counselor that you understand the components of a medical history and physical, and discuss the instruments involved.
- Describe the characteristics of a good diagnostic test to screen for disease (eg, routine blood pressure measurement). Explain briefly why diagnostic tests are not perfect.
- Show how to take a blood pressure reading and a pulse reading.
- Visit a physician's office, preferably one who delivers "primary care." (This may be that of your counselor.) Discuss the components of a medical history and physical examination (an official BSA health form may be used to guide this discussion), and become familiar with the instruments used.
- Do the following:
- Discuss the roles medical societies, the insurance industry, and the government play in influencing the practice of medicine in the United States.
- Briefly tell how your state monitors the quality of health care within its borders, and how it provides care to those who do not have health insurance.
- Compare and discuss with your counselor at least two types of health care delivery systems used throughout the world.
- Serve as a volunteer at a health-related event or facility in your community (eg, blood drive, "health fair", blood pressure screening, etc) approved by your counselor.
Medicine Worksheet
Comments:
Jan 30, 2015 - Steve Dale
My oh my! I am 62, and was in Scouting for almost five years in the '60's, but during that time I had only a few badges to work for. It's so good to see so many various goals for our Scouts to work for.
By the way, had a look at the joke page, and am still laughing. Well done!
Sep 08, 2021 - Melissa Jenkins
Good morning!
The last requirement asks the scout to participate in a health fair. With the pandemic, this is not happening in our community. What alternatives do we have to meet the requirement?
Much appreciation in advance.
Melissa
The last requirement asks the scout to participate in a health fair. With the pandemic, this is not happening in our community. What alternatives do we have to meet the requirement?
Much appreciation in advance.
Melissa
Sep 08, 2021 - Scouter Paul
@Melissa - Many opportunities for that requirement are not available this
year. Some communities use volunteers for drive-thru covid testing and
health "Fun Runs". If you have a local Red Cross chapter, they might have
some volunteer needs. If your community typically does have health fairs,
contacting the organization that puts them on to find out how the
information is being distributed this year might yield opportunities -
like putting flyers in mailboxes or making phone calls.
Sep 30, 2021 - Frederick M
Can't believe they're really replacing this badge. Could they have at
least picked a better name than "Health Care Professions"? I don't see
why the badge had to be redone instead of revamped, but if this is how
the BSA plans to spend their time, so be it.
Sep 30, 2021 - Scouter Paul
@Frederick - There is an explanation of the BSA's reasoning for updating the Medicine merit badge to become the Health Care Professions merit badge on page 7. It sounds reasonable to me. Scout On!
Dec 08, 2021 - Stephanie Stansberry
I am really glad they updated this merit badge and that they added
Pharmacy Technicians! I am a pharmacy technician and was extremely
offended that we were not recognized in the previous merit badge. We
have a very large job at the inpatient pharmacy in every hospital and
should be acknowledge for the important job we do. Thank you Boy Scouts
for finally recognizing my field of work!
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