Older doctors are more passionate?
January 6th, 2008Happened to be surfing the web and ran across the Prayer of Maimonides, which is sometimes recited by medical students instead of the Hippocratic Oath. It’s a beautiful prayer, really.
But one thing struck me about “Maimonides’” view of older colleagues:
Imbue my soul with gentleness and calmness when older colleagues, proud of their age, wish to displace me or to scorn me or disdainfully to teach me. May even this be of advantage to me, for they know many things of which I am ignorant, but let not their arrogance give me pain. For they are old and old age is not master of the passions. I also hope to attain old age upon this earth, before Thee, Almighty God!
I can’t decide if this advice is wise, unfair, or a promise of some kind of reward for withstanding the hazing of med school–someday, you’ll get to be arrogant too!
I wonder what a human factors oath would look like.