How would you feel about a 100-year-old doctor?
There should be periodic competency assessments for physicians – and perhaps certain other professionals too – after a certain age.
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I READ an article recently about a 100-year-old doctor named Howard Tucker who is still practising medicine in Cleveland. Dr Tucker began working as a neurologist in 1947, when Harry Truman was president.
Though he is obviously an extreme example, Dr Tucker represents an important demographic trend: The United States has a growing number of older doctors. Even as baby boomer doctors pass retirement age, many are electing to continue to practise medicine. A survey in 2020 found that almost a third of licensed doctors in the United States were 60 years of age or older, up from a quarter in 2010.
Given the alarming levels of burnout and attrition in the US healthcare workforce, this trend isn’t entirely unwelcome. The Association of American Medical Colleges has predicted a shortage of 38,000 doctors or more within the next 12 years. A recent survey of healthcare workers found that one in five doctors (and even more nurses) were considering leaving their practices within two years. Old doctors are certainly better than no doctors.
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