You go in for a medical procedure, and you meet the physician who is going to carry it out. You’re surprised because it appears that they’re younger than you. This may make you feel rather uncomfortable as if you should have an older doctor who is in more of an advanced position within the hospital.
But does it actually matter if you get a younger doctor? There are some pros and cons to consider.
The value of experience
On one hand, there is something to be said about the experience that older doctors have. If you’re having surgery and you get a surgeon who has done that procedure 150 times, that experience could certainly help things go smoothly. They’re going to know what they are doing in a way that is simply impossible for someone who has only carried out the procedure a handful of times.
That said, there is also some evidence that mortality rates for patients go up when their physicians are older. Why would this be?
More recent training
What helps younger doctors is that they have a greater level of competency in newer tactics and methods. They’re more familiar with developments in the medical world over the last 10 years. They were more recently in medical school or doing their training, so they just have a different knowledge base than someone who did that training in the 1980s, for example.
With this in mind, the procedure you’re having carried out may play a significant role. If it’s a standard procedure that has been used for decades, an older doctor may do a better job. But if it’s relatively new, a younger physician may be the best choice.
Either way, you could suffer harm if that doctor makes a mistake. Be sure you know what legal options you have.