Experience as it relates to starting medicine later vs. those who started younger.

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This is something that I have always wondered and I'd like to get some feedback.

If someone starts medicine later in life, let's say completed an IM residency at 42 will their career as a doctor be much different than someone who completed an IM residency at 25?

In other words, will those 17 years of experience in the field make the younger doctor that much better of a doctor over the course of their whole career where the older doctor is essentially playing "catch up" as it relates to experience?

Am I looking at it in the wrong way?

I'm thinking of taking the MCAT and applying to DO programs and I figure I would be 42 or 43 by the time I would be done with an IM residency. If money was not an issue with this decision, are there any other concerns I should have about this path?

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I am a PGY-2 at age 43. I wonder this as well--there's no way I'll ever be able to accumulate 40 years of experience. But, you know, I just hope I'll have something to contribute anyway.
 
I am a PGY-2 at age 43. I wonder this as well--there's no way I'll ever be able to accumulate 40 years of experience. But, you know, I just hope I'll have something to contribute anyway.
I'd like to believe that anybody can be trained to become a doctor and it's all about what you do with that training. So be it 10 years of practice or 50 years of practice, I'd like to think it comes down to whether or not you practiced good medicine.
 
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This is something that I have always wondered and I'd like to get some feedback.

If someone starts medicine later in life, let's say completed an IM residency at 42 will their career as a doctor be much different than someone who completed an IM residency at 25?

In other words, will those 17 years of experience in the field make the younger doctor that much better of a doctor over the course of their whole career where the older doctor is essentially playing "catch up" as it relates to experience?

Am I looking at it in the wrong way?

I'm thinking of taking the MCAT and applying to DO programs and I figure I would be 42 or 43 by the time I would be done with an IM residency. If money was not an issue with this decision, are there any other concerns I should have about this path?
Will you be able to handle the rigors of medical school and the even more challenging life of residency (ie, 80+ hour workweeks)?

If yes, then proceed as planned.
 
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Will you be able to handle the rigors of medical school and the even more challenging life of residency (ie, 80+ hour workweeks)?

If yes, then proceed as planned.
Can I PM you about my plan and which program I want to apply to?
 
I started med school at 28 and will end fellowship at 38. Not a ton different. If you want to look at maximum capacity, sure a younger physician with more years in will have more, but that is entirely theoretical. The reality is that after you’ve been out of residency/fellowship for 3-4 years, your education amount plateaus with those around you and pretty much equal. Sure there are exceptions to that rule, but speaking generally, so you will be fine.

However you will have life experience which is insanely valuable in ways you can’t understand. As someone who worked blue collar fields prior to med school, this has directly affected how I care for patients and definitely helps develop rapport for some. Being a parent before med school also helps me connect with parents in a non-medical way. These are things med school, residency, and fellowship can’t teach. I am sure you will have some of that resulting in significant non-medical value to your medical career.
 
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I started med school at 28 and will end fellowship at 38. Not a ton different. If you want to look at maximum capacity, sure a younger physician with more years in will have more, but that is entirely theoretical. The reality is that after you’ve been out of residency/fellowship for 3-4 years, your education amount plateaus with those around you and pretty much equal. Sure there are exceptions to that rule, but speaking generally, so you will be fine.

However you will have life experience which is insanely valuable in ways you can’t understand. As someone who worked blue collar fields prior to med school, this has directly affected how I care for patients and definitely helps develop rapport for some. Being a parent before med school also helps me connect with parents in a non-medical way. These are things med school, residency, and fellowship can’t teach. I am sure you will have some of that resulting in significant non-medical value to your medical career.
That's the exact explanation I was looking for. I think if I worded my original question better, I was really asking about how many years it takes for new physicians to plateau with the older physicians. 3-4 years is not bad at all.
 
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I started med school at 28 and will end fellowship at 38. Not a ton different. If you want to look at maximum capacity, sure a younger physician with more years in will have more, but that is entirely theoretical. The reality is that after you’ve been out of residency/fellowship for 3-4 years, your education amount plateaus with those around you and pretty much equal. Sure there are exceptions to that rule, but speaking generally, so you will be fine.

However you will have life experience which is insanely valuable in ways you can’t understand. As someone who worked blue collar fields prior to med school, this has directly affected how I care for patients and definitely helps develop rapport for some. Being a parent before med school also helps me connect with parents in a non-medical way. These are things med school, residency, and fellowship can’t teach. I am sure you will have some of that resulting in significant non-medical value to your medical career.
One last point I would add is that older knowledge depreciates as medical science advances. So while many older physicians will have "more" knowledge than you, not all of it will be up to date and useful.
 
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So what you all are saying is that a non-traditional 50 year old doctor with five years of experience is seen as an equal to a 50 year old doctor with over 20 years experience?

In other words do fellow doctors see their colleagues as "doctors" or do they judge them by years of experience?
 
So what you all are saying is that a non-traditional 50 year old doctor with five years of experience is seen as an equal to a 50 year old doctor with over 20 years experience?

In other words do fellow doctors see their colleagues as "doctors" or do they judge them by years of experience?
There are levels of seniority in any field based on many factors. Experience, reputation, attitude, and ability all factor into it. There was a urologist I worked under who was only a year or two out of fellowship who was a god with the da Vinci machine doing prostatectomies and he was well respected. Similarly, there were other doctors who were 10-15 years out who did not have his skills and they would often come to him for advice.

Don't worry so much about what people will think of you. Do the work and always strive to improve and the respect you want will come to you.
 
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People have already commented on the pretty obvious stuff (more medical experience vs more life experience), but some other insights from someone matriculating at 30:

Pros:
-I know this is DEFINITELY what I want to do because I have had 10 jobs and another career
-I like being in a mentorship role so I'm hoping I can help my peers with life issues while they help me with medical expertise
-My kid will become independent just in time for me to have an attending's salary that can pay for his schooling and my neato goals like travel medicine or my own practice (while my peers may be pumping in the break room)

Cons:
-Not as much energy or memory; creaky joints; I get a hangover from 3 glasses of wine; I'll probably need more coffee than Dr. Youngblood
-Having more years means more history, ie medical history, which recently, sadly, revealed that HPSP and serving are probably out of reach
-Limited choices in residency, fellowship etc - must be pragmatic when weighing the payoff and potential, increased desire/need to enter workforce as swiftly as possible

Follow your heart, no one thinks about us nearly as much as we do. You'll rarely be asked your age (after all, it's rude ;) ) Good luck!
 
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One last point I would add is that older knowledge depreciates as medical science advances. So while many older physicians will have "more" knowledge than you, not all of it will be up to date and useful.
This is true too. In education I am constantly sneaking into the newer teachers' rooms because they're hot off the press with fresh ideas. And I often find myself informing more experienced teachers in new approaches and updated education law, etc.
 
People have already commented on the pretty obvious stuff (more medical experience vs more life experience), but some other insights from someone matriculating at 30:

Pros:
-I know this is DEFINITELY what I want to do because I have had 10 jobs and another career
-I like being in a mentorship role so I'm hoping I can help my peers with life issues while they help me with medical expertise
-My kid will become independent just in time for me to have an attending's salary that can pay for his schooling and my neato goals like travel medicine or my own practice (while my peers may be pumping in the break room)

Cons:
-Not as much energy or memory; creaky joints; I get a hangover from 3 glasses of wine; I'll probably need more coffee than Dr. Youngblood
-Having more years means more history, ie medical history, which recently, sadly, revealed that HPSP and serving are probably out of reach
-Limited choices in residency, fellowship etc - must be pragmatic when weighing the payoff and potential, increased desire/need to enter workforce as swiftly as possible

Follow your heart, no one thinks about us nearly as much as we do. You'll rarely be asked your age (after all, it's rude ;) ) Good luck!
Slightly concerned that you have creaky joints at 30. You might want to get that checked out.

As for residency and fellowship, the only limit is you. All of us will do a minimum of 4 years of residency; 1-3 more years isn't going to break the bank and could be the difference between happiness and just a job. Maybe something like neurointerventional radiology or interventional cardiology would be too much time at 40, but for someone who is 30 I don't think you should limit yourself at all.
 
Can doctors theoretically practice for as long as they want to or do the "higher ups" force retirement?

I suppose this is specific to each specialty but would you advise older medical school applicants to stay focused on certain fields and avoid others?
 
Can doctors theoretically practice for as long as they want to or do the "higher ups" force retirement?

I suppose this is specific to each specialty but would you advise older medical school applicants to stay focused on certain fields and avoid others?
Depends on how old. 30 is barely even a nontrad anymore, so no. 40 is the point where you start to consider what specialty you want based upon your specific circumstances (money, time, family, expected retirement, etc.). Anyone entering medical school over 40 will probably have an increasingly difficult time with the more taxing specialties like surgery.
 
Slightly concerned that you have creaky joints at 30. You might want to get that checked out.

As for residency and fellowship, the only limit is you. All of us will do a minimum of 4 years of residency; 1-3 more years isn't going to break the bank and could be the difference between happiness and just a job. Maybe something like neurointerventional radiology or interventional cardiology would be too much time at 40, but for someone who is 30 I don't think you should limit yourself at all.
Thanks for the unsolicited medical advice! That's actually why I came to this thread. I can let my orthopedist I won't need those PT exercises anymore now that I have SDN. :)
 
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