Doctors can use religious or philosophical exemptions for themselves, but patients should only be allowed medical exemptions to vaccination/ American Medical Association

It is truly amazing to witness the hypocrisy of the largest physician guild in the US.  Doctors have a Code of Medical Ethics that recommends vaccination in dire circumstances, but allows themselves to use philosophical or religious exemptions--and only "absent" an exemption must doctors be vaccinated. 

Yet the AMA House of Delegates passed a measure this year urging that only medical exemptions should excuse patients from being vaccinated.

"The AMA strongly supports efforts to eliminate nonmedical exemptions from immunization, and we will continue to actively urge policymakers to do so."

Yet doctors can avail themselves of philosophical and religious exemptions to vaccination:

Code of Medical Ethics Opinion 8.7

As professionals committed to promoting the welfare of individual patients and the health of the public and to safeguarding their own and their colleagues’ well-being, physicians have an ethical responsibility to take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease in health care settings. Conscientious participation in routine infection control practices, such as hand washing and respiratory precautions, is a basic expectation of the profession. In some situations, however, routine infection control is not sufficient to protect the interests of patients, the public, and fellow health care workers.

In the context of a highly transmissible disease that poses significant medical risk for vulnerable patients or colleagues or threatens the availability of the health care workforce, particularly a disease that has potential to become epidemic or pandemic, and for which there is an available, safe, and effective vaccine, physicians should:

(a) Accept immunization absent a recognized medical, religious, or philosophic reason to not be immunized.

(b) Accept a decision of the medical staff leadership or health care institution, or other appropriate authority to adjust practice activities if not immunized (e.g., wear masks or refrain from direct patient care). It may be appropriate in some circumstances to inform patients about immunization status.