New doctor or veteran doctor

My current doctor is moving to another office within the same HMO but a different city. I am staying where I am at. This creates an opportunity for me to change physicians for my primary care. At the HMO I go to, there are new doctors who have only recently completed their residency that will be starting soon. There are also several other doctors who have years of experience. In the big scheme of things, what are your thoughts of going with a veteran doctor or a new doctor?

As a physician myself I would recommend seeing a more experienced doc. However that said physicians just out of training are at the peak of book learning and are most up to date with the latest. Seasoned veterans have seen more cases of everything. I have seen both types as a patient myself. I appreciate the enthusiasm of those just out of training. However I appreciate the savoire faire of experience. Both can be excellent physicians. What counts the most is competence, compassion, kindness and a sense of humor. Find that and you're golden.

As with most things, there's a bell curve distribution. A rookie doesn't have the experience to be truly effective. Old doc Jones might have difficulty keeping up with advances. Middle age - both in age and experience - is probably your best bet.

I agree with Jds...find someone with a least a few years experience rather than a true rookie. My own preference is for someone on the younger side of that bell curve rather than the older doctor that is only a few years away from retirement.

After working in an academic medical center for 25+ years, you can go with your preference for right out of school or a little experience. Today's MDs fresh out of school are some of the best and brightest practioneers we have. They should be board certified in their field. You should feel confit table with them. Some specialities you will only act with on rare occasions and some surgeons are knows with arrogant personalities but that has dramatically changed over the years. FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE PERSON.

While a newly minted doc may be academically proficient, they lack experience. Not everything in real life is like the textbooks. I'll choose seasoned professionals.

Here is my personal opinion. Others may disagree.

Most young, new doctors that I have had dealings with believe that practicing medicine is exactly what the text books say, and they tend to run lots of tests, many unnecessary, tests to make diagnoses, instead of using the needed tests to confirm what they suspect.

There is a reason it is called the "Art of Medicine." If diagnosis and treatment could be properly done by following texts verbatim and ordering tests, any fool could do it.

Like any art, it takes time and experience to do well. While you don't want someone getting close to retirement age, (They are the other extreme... not being open to new ideas and techniques) you want someone who has enough experience to know that instinct, intuition, talent, and attitude are as important as books and lab work.

The books are the beginning, not the extent, of medical knowledge.

I would prefer to stay with my current, I 've been with his practice for years and they know my history, what works, what doesn't. Seasoned professional is my choice.

The first doctor that saw as an adult on my own was just out of residency and he was very thorough. He was my doctor for 28 years. Then I moved to another state and my new doctor was a seasoned professional who was much less thorough than I would have wanted. Obviously, with a serious condition, or a surgery, I would prefer someone with experience, but competence and communication is what I first look for.

Sometimes a new doctor can be more thorough....just a thought!

There is a reason it is called the "Art of Medicine."

Additionally, it's called the "practice" of medicine. You need at least a little bit of hands-on, real-world practice before you build up that experience. But I also do agree that sometimes younger doctors seem to be more thorough -- but that may just be because they feel the need to run lots of tests.

Sometimes a new doctor can be more thorough....just a thought!

Being thorough isn't the issue, thinking out of the box is. That takes experience. Going to a newbie doctor when you're young and healthy isn't an issue. When you get older and stuff starts to happen, you need experience.

My example is when I started developing symptoms of BPH and my PSA went up. A young doctor would have followed the current teachings and gone for an immediate biopsy and TURP. My experienced urologist prescribed antibiotics and a repeat PSA as well as the unusual treatment for BPH of Cialis and phytotherapy (herbs). I'm happy to have avoided or delayed invasive intervention.

I like experience.

John657 I would tend to agree with what 1Doc1 said :

Most young, new doctors that I have had dealings with believe that practicing medicine is exactly what the text books say, and they tend to run lots of tests, many unnecessary, tests to make diagnoses, instead of using the needed tests to confirm what they suspect.

There is a reason it is called the "Art of Medicine." If diagnosis and treatment could be properly done by following texts verbatim and ordering tests, any fool could do it.

Like any art, it takes time and experience to do well. While you don't want someone getting close to retirement age, (They are the other extreme... not being open to new ideas and techniques) you want someone who has enough experience to know that instinct, intuition, talent, and attitude are as important as books and lab work.

The books are the beginning, not the extent, of medical knowledge.

I have worked with both veteran doctors and new qualified doctor and you can see that experience makes a difference in they way the approach their examination, diagnosis and the test/investigation they want performed.

As Jds4med states

Being thorough isn't the issue, thinking out of the box is. That takes experience. Going to a newbie doctor when you're young and healthy isn't an issue. When you get older and stuff starts to happen, you need experience.

As with any profession there is no substitute for experience, which takes time to gain. Yes newly qualified doctors may be thorough , but if you have complex problems they lack the knowledge, expertise and skills to mange you proficiently. They may eventually do, but it will be a steep learning curve , which may take longer and is not in your best interest as a patient.

Just my two cents as as Jds4med states "I like experience."

My urologist and respiratory consultant are both middle aged . I value their expertise and have a very good relationship with both of them .

Each year in the UK on the 1st of August and the 1st February the Drs rotate . So Drs that are in their second year and above are let onto the wards to practice. 1st year juniors are let loose too . They usually shadow the consultants .

My urologist and respiratory consultant both have 5 students each at the minute as its a teaching hospital . At the minute I'm an inpatient . Have been for almost 3 weeks . I'm getting lots of extra exams , and lots of people in my room each morning for the ward round .

I'm happy to answer questions and teach the juniors new things . I'm also happy for them to examine me under the watchful eye of their consultant .

However when I'm very sick which I have been this admission and spent time in the High Dependency Unit I'm grateful that the Drs are older and have experience.

I dislike junior Drs inserting cannulas and doing blood draws too . I prefer that to be done by an anaethetist who gets it perfectly on the first attempt .

Overall I like experience too .

Niknoks makes an excellent point , new doctors may not be as proficient as veteran doctors which performing procedures, that's why they are supervised by much more experience doctors.

I'm also happy for them to examine me under the watchful eye of their consultant .

However when I'm very sick which I have been this admission and spent time in the High Dependency Unit I'm grateful that the Drs are older and have experience.

I dislike junior Drs inserting cannulas and doing blood draws too . I prefer that to be done by an anaethetist who gets it perfectly on the first attempt .

Overall I like experience too .

I still maintain that younger doctors can be very competent. After three years of trial by fire residency in an inner city hospital I was pretty experienced. I did acquire some subtlety later though.

I go to the online site for my health plan. Look up doctors in both the vicinity of my house & the vicinity of my job. Jot down names. Do an advanced google image search. Choose based on what the little head is thinking.

If i were in the scenario of a doctor moving, if the doctor would give me a turn on during exams that i might not get from another doctor, i might travel to the doctor's new location within reason.

Another instance of staying with the same doctor is if you have a special condition that you don't really want to bring a new doctor up to speed on, or may not be able to understand as effectively.

My mom recently was seen by the GP on call as her GP was not available. He was young. She and I were definitely NOT impressed. I said he was efficient, and young. His attitude was to order a tests and refer her out to more than one specialist, give out lots of sample meds and to follow up with her ENT. She went in for heartburn flareup. As he was walking out of the exam room, he said he should probably do quick exam. It was the most cursory heart and lung exam and abdominal exam I have ever witnessed. He will make the practice money by seeing as many patients as possible.

Her GP listens, follows up, does a thorough exam and is genuinely concerned. The GP she saw may be an excellent clinician, well trained, though came across as time is money, onto the next patient, that he did not have to do much of anything because mom was not one of his own patients. When she asked him some additional questions, he offered to give additional referrals and samples vs answering the questions. Hopefully, he was just having an off day and it was a fluke, perhaps he was just overworked. There could several reasons about his day, personal life etc that caused this appointment went as it did. Physicians are not God, and they do have their own lives and such that can impact their day. My hats off to all the incredible ones who strive to always do their best! She has been seen by other physicians in this practice with very favorable experiences and outcomes.

Liquidsky I have not doubt that younger doctors may be and are competent , but I will continue to say that the older doctors are more of an Expert , while some may say its just a play of words. A young doctor may be competent to make a diagnosis, perform a procedure or carry out a through physical exam. But him being competent occurs from practice which you gain from experience which takes time .Expert implies extraordinary proficiency a thorough competence derived from training and practice and experience.

Working in ITU I have seen many a competent young doctor still find great difficulty in performing a procedure like, Central lines insertion, Intubation, Chest drain insertions as everyone anatomy is slightly difference or talking to relatives, breaking bad new etc. Also the are more reliant on technology like portable ultrasound. Older doctors tend to have the ability to adjust there practice by touch, feel , positioning, angle etc. little nuances ( subtle difference) they have learnt over the years , that is difficult to be taught but has to be learnt from clinical practice and experience.

For nurses I think it can be best explained by Benner's novice to expert model, in the acquisition and development of a skill, one passes through five levels of proficiency:

* novice * advanced beginner * competent * proficient * expert

Its like Competent implies individual dexterity in execution or performance whereas Expert implies extraordinary proficiency and often connotes knowledge as well as technical skill. I know its a subtle difference but in the real world it makes a big difference.

As Andie alluded in her post the younger doctor was efficient, his bedside manner and approached to a physical exam left a lot to be desired and its these subtle difference that patients pick up on. When you are ill you really want someone who listens formost , does a thorough exam,follows up, and is genuinely concerned.

Thanks for all the input. I was assigned to one of the new doctors that recently completed residency out of state with a specialty in geriatrics. I will see how it goes as I am not a youngster anymore. It is very easy to change doctors within the HMO, and you don't even have to give a reason. If I had to go in for something major I would rather have an experienced specialist handle the issue. That would be through a referral from the primary care doctor. I believe that an individual is the best judge of whether or not there is something wrong with them. After all most of us have been in the same body our entire life. I do not have any major ongoing medical issues, and if I feel that the diagnosis is wrong or incomplete I will nudge the doctor or get a second opinion.

A geriatric doc? Good choice and I agree with what you say about knowing what's wrong with you. You are the best judge.

Well John657, hope it all works out OK for you and you are satisfied with your choice of Doctors. As you said its very easy to change doctors within the HMO, and you don't even have to give a reason. A friend of mine in the US just changed her doctor and has finally found one which she likes, that is friendly, thorough,efficient with a good beside manner and most importantly Listens to her .

A new doctor makes me nervous. I don't know how he will be, what he will ask me, how he will treat me, how will he ask me to undress

Some times a new doc could be fun.

I'll stick with my existing physician as I'm always comfortable with her level of expertise & any referrals that she may deem necessary to determine the best results...Such is the faith shown in her ability to diagnose correctly...The Lady concerned is most thorough & quite personable so there's no need to look further afar.

Speaking as a physician, I prefer a “newer” doctor. They are more up-to-date with cutting-edge treatments. Additionally, they are a bit more afraid of making errors, so they are “on their toes” and pay more attention to details.

When we lived in Denver and again when we moved to Dallas we used doctors affiliated with teaching hospitals. State of the art technology and science. Now in Oregon, we have access to a lot of great outdoor activities (mountains, skiing, fishing, rock climbing, etc.) and it seems this has attracted a lot of young, active doctors and medical personnel. Many have done intern and residencies at Oregon Health and Sciences and are up to date on technology and medical science.

I have been looking for a new PCP for over a year. My old one retired suddenly and the one appointment I had since was with his partner in the practice. That doc is essentially my PCP, but he is near retirement too.

When looking at PCPs I have considered a young doc for no other reason than not having to look for one again.

If a find a new doc, I assume I will have to submit to a new patient exam. No problem, but if I do not like that doc's demeanor, I suppose I am stuck there for a while. No insurance company will pay for 2 or 3 physicals so that I can find a doctor I am comfortable with.

If a find a new doc, I assume I will have to submit to a new patient exam. No problem, but if I do not like that doc's demeanor, I suppose I am stuck there for a while. No insurance company will pay for 2 or 3 physicals so that I can find a doctor I am comfortable with.

If you don’t like the new doc, don’t go back to him. Just schedule your next appointment with a different doctor, for whatever reason you need to see him. Whether it’s your next annual physical or for some other reason. Most practices have online history and intake forms. We did that when we moved here, didn’t care for our first doc, saw him once, and found another one who scheduled an introductory appointment. No hassle with Medicare.

Hi, my wife's and my Physician (GP) has retired. This story goes back to the summer of 2020, we were given a list of doctors to choose from, we did not know them from Adam! I asked our old Doctor, who How the heck do we pick by looking at a name!!! Well, after some discussion, he said I recommend Doctor So and So. Well, I got really sick in November of 2020 with COVID-19 and was there for a little over 3 1/2 weeks, 2 weeks of that I was intubated and kept asleep or in a coma, whatever.

So I came out of the hospital a different person and Incontinent. I went to see my new GP about two months later. Now this is the 1st time I have met or seen this guy! He checks the usual stuff. I tell him I came out of the hospital Incontinent and was feeling different. His only response was Do I want a pill I said no, I will stick with my Diapers and Plastic Pants. So, over the last 5 years, I've seen this Doctor once a year for about 15 minutes. He does very little talking or asking questions, etc. Sends me on my way. MY Chiropractor knows more about me than my GP!

So about 4 or 5 weeks ago, I thought I was having a STROKE. So I went to the Emergency and saw this very cute young Female Doctor who knew her stuff and checked damned every orifice in my body, I mean EKG, Blood Test, Pee Test, Brain Scan, Abdomen Scan, and whatever else she could think of to check. So she finds a Mass on my Bladder has gown, and oh, this Mass has been there since I was in the hospital back in 2020. She also found there was a growth on my AORTA. Did I know of any of this and had my doctor sent me to specialists to have these checked? Uh NO!!!! The Emergency Doctor tells me to call my physician the next day and raise holy hell.

The next day, I opened my medical file. She in put in large caps all the stuff she found for my Doctor to handle. So I call and this creates a shit storm with all the Doctors in my city. I have seen Pulmonologists, a Urologist, a Urologist Surgeon I diagnosed with Cancer of the Bladder. If read my file correctly a few minutes ago the surgeon has removed all the cancer. Now to set up with a Cardiologist to look at my AORTA. SO watch your Doctor and make sure he has looked backwards on your medical file.