Old Doctors

Ad LibitumNovember 2023Old DoctorsRonald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPHRonald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPHRollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GeorgiaSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-1195 Audio Reading - “Old Doctors” Supplement. Audio. Michael A. Lacombe, MD, Annals Associate Editor, reads "Old Doctors" by Ronald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPH Your browser does not support the audio element. Audio player progress bar Step backward in current audio track Play current audio trackPause current audio track Step forward in current audio track Mute current audio trackUnmute current audio track 00:00/ SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail What happens to old doctors as they turn hoary?Diagnosing and treating no more.CMEs and recertification distant thoughts,Obscured by the immediate and persistent demands of an aging organism.Do they recall learning human anatomy,Long-ago days hunched over the splayed thorax of an unnamed cadaver?And how much of that wonderful, arcane language can they still recite?Exquisite words like chordae tendineae, trabeculae carneae, and globus pallidus.Are memories present of their operating room initiation?Next to the surgeon, scrubbing, anxiety and excitement.Entering, arms up, waiting to be gowned by the nurse.Outsize enthusiasm arising simply from holding a retractor, while a gallbladder is excised.Worn ... Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Ronald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPHAffiliations: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GeorgiaCorresponding Author: Ronald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPH; e-mail, rovaldiserri@gmail.com. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement Audio Reading - “Old Doctors” Supplement. Audio. Michael A. Lacombe, MD, Annals Associate Editor, reads "Old Doctors" by Ronald O. Valdiserri, MD, MPH Your browser does not support the audio element. Audio player progress bar Step backward in current audio track Play current audio trackPause current audio track Step forward in current audio track Mute current audio trackUnmute current audio track 00:00/ FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Current IssueNovember 2023Volume 176, Issue 11Page: 1564 ePublished: 21 November 2023 Issue Published: November 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...