Transition Planning for the Senior Surgeon

Best Practices in Assessing Aging Physicians for Professional Competency

“…Additional potential best practices in assessing latecareer practitioners can be found among diverse, thoughtful programs, policies, and reports that have been developed, such as from the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education, the California Public Protection & Physician Health partnership, the American College of Surgeons, and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) PACE Aging Physician Assessment Program, [13][14][15][16][17] 16 • Physicians should recognize their professional duty to continually assess their own and their colleagues' physical and mental health, to willingly engage in well-designed assessment programs, 14 and to potentially prepare occupational living wills. 18 The topic of aging and continued work has elicited extreme views from historic leaders of US medicine, sometimes surprisingly counter to the general tenor of their writings.…”

“…Additional potential best practices in assessing late-career practitioners can be found among diverse, thoughtful programs, policies, and reports that have been developed, such as from the American Medical Association Council on Medical Education, the California Public Protection & Physician Health partnership, the American College of Surgeons, and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) PACE Aging Physician Assessment Program, including…”

“…Employers and medical societies should provide early, supportive planning programs for retirement, career transition, and encore careers, including consideration of financial needs and centrality of occupational identity, as well as creation of teaching, mentoring/coaching, and administrative opportunities in modified clinical or nonclinical roles …”

Opportunities and Challenges in Valuing and Evaluating Aging Physicians

“…While agebased competency screening programs are likely to include efforts at providing appropriate accommodation, the key is to develop proactive efforts to leverage the evolution in clinician skills and abilities over a career. 10 Overcoming these challenges requires several steps. Testing strategies must become more accurate and more efficient.…”

“…These concerns are exacerbated by a general sense that these programs fail to recognize the value of the accumulated wisdom and experience of older physicians. While age-based competency screening programs are likely to include efforts at providing appropriate accommodation, the key is to develop proactive efforts to leverage the evolution in clinician skills and abilities over a career …”