I went to 3 very young, hot doctors and all totally rejected the fact that I had obvious and serious RA.

I went to a doctor in his late 60's and he diagnosed me immediately by symptoms. He didn't care what my blood test numbers were, and he just wanted to get me started on mthx.

So yes to old school!!

I then had a very passive RD for 14 years, who was not aggressive enough with me. Now I have a young doctor, but he is really on board about trying and retrying different options. But then, I have already been diagnosed as severe, and it is pretty obvious that the meds are not working.

Still, I cannot help be grateful for an old school doctor. And most of them keep up with the new developments in treatment. And they are grateful for the new meds, because they still remember what it was like to have a patient who had to exist on prednisone or gold shots, and ended up totally disabled.

Very good question?

My Rheumy is definitely around my age (mid 40's, maybe early 50's) & I think I got lucky & receive a nice balance of old school info combined with new school practices.

He's the one who calmed my fears of those internet stock photo's of hands being twisted all to heck & said with the meds we've had the past 25+ years you rarely encounter that unless the person just waited way too long or wasn't around any medical faciilites. So that was cool that he had enough knowledge & time under his belt for that but he knows of all the new latest research & med's currently being used & that are possibly coming down the "pipe". So that pays compliment to his "current day" knowledge.

I remember a ENT I visited only once about 10 years ago. He was easily in his late 70's & still used that old Bugs Bunny cartoon head reflector. You know the round chrome looking headwear that didn't have an electric light, all it did was reflect ambient light in the room? I was laughing so hard inside! i thought to myself, "Oh my god I have Elmer Fudd as my Ear, Nose & Throat doctor"!

i have no idea. i've had two rheumatologists, and one i only saw twice before giving up again. my first was young and seemed very open to questions and ideas. she didn't pooh-pooh anything i asked or questioned or suggested.

however, i can definitely see the appeal of older, more experienced doctors. you can only learn so much from books and observation.

Hummmm ..... I can't pronounce any of my doctor's names. One good thing though, they all say my name the same way, but of the four sets of records, none of the 4 have the right address (combine them and you can get it), 2 of them have my age reversed, one thinks I am from Mongolia (born and raised), - well, you get the picture.

As to age, I can't tell. I think the surgeon(s) are in their late 50's, PCP is probably 45, endovascular dude is somewhere south of 90 and the rheumy is probably 30.

'bout it for 'ole blue

Peace
Bluedogs2

This has been brought up before.
There's something to be said for experiance. Yet we want doctors that remain updated & open minded.
Depends more on the doctor then age I believe.
Been observing some with my one doc. He trained & worked with my doctor that retired, doctor of the year voted by his patients. That says it all. Younger doc is great but often picks my brain about my Rheumy. This Rheumy has a great rep & is highly respected.
Honestly feel he's learning what he can about how this doctor thinks.
I respect that. Different specialties, but they do overlap.
Honestly not sure I'd want one fresh out of school. There's to much you learn by experiance. The more patients you treat the more your exposed to. The more doctors you confer with & so on....
Nice balance would be great, yet we all know good doctors of any age can be like finding a needle in a hay stack.
Sammy

I don't think age has much to do with the motivations of the individual. My GP and RA are both early sixties and are very aware of anything new on the market or in trials. Have had to see subs (when one on vacation) and they just wanted a pay check and cared for nothing else.

I read somewhere that with rheumatologists your best bet is either young or old, but not in the middle. The reasoning was that the youngsters trained in the biologic era and are the most up-to-date with treatment options. The old guys who are still practicing are the ones who love the field and their patients, and stay current because of this love, while the middle contains plenty who are just putting in their days until they can retire and neither know nor care about anything new in the field.

Like many stereotypes, there's probably a bit of truth to this, but plenty of exceptions in all categories.

I too believe that it is the doc and maybe not the age. I don't know for sure but my rheumy is late 30's to early 40's and he is up to date on everything. I was talking to his office manager and she said he is a reader and knows everything new that is up and coming. He also diagnosed me on the physical aspects and not just the blood work. He does listen to everything I have to say and if I'm having a problem, he immediately wonders if it has something to do with the meds I am on. He is the main reason I am living in this area. I truly have been blessed in finding him!

It depends. More experienced physicians have a few things going for them. In general ...

They know how to make a diagnosis without using lab work as a crutch.

They've been around long enough to know that they don't know everything and to learn a bit of empathy and bed side manner.

They can draw on a lot of clinical experience, they are not solely dependent on "official knowledge."

The downside is that they can be set in their ways and cling to some old attitudes, like "RA can't affect the spine, " "RA always manifests in these symptoms ... "

Younger doctors tend to be a bit more up-to-date in their reading and have lots of energy.

But overall, it just depends ...

Everyone has made some really good points. I like my 70 year old doctor.

Oceans11...I've only seen hands like that once. My Mom, who has RA had a friend that had it to. But she believed that Jesus would heal her. I will never forget the pain that woman lived with all with the belief God would heal her.

I would think if you're a doctor at 70 still practicing, you must love it. I hope.