Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

In my experience, older doctors simply... get old.

They lose enthusiasm and energy. They are inclined to study less. They perform fewer procedures due to diminishing motor, visual-spatial and cognitive skills. They suffer the same ailments as their patients - hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, dementia; divorce, overwork, errant children (that's a whole category of grievance and burden !) as well as sundry personal issues.

There is the drudgery. Paperwork. After a few decades you have seen it all: the rare cases don't excite as much. They are just another presentation of the human condition.

Finally,medicine is a hierarchical discipline, younger practitioners are discouraged from questioning (dubious) decisions made by their seniors.

Older practitioners compensate for these deficits with an accumulated body of experience that a younger doctor simply does have.

The best age(s) to be a doctor is mid-thirties to early fifties. Just like most other professions.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: