As technology and innovation increasingly shape healthcare, clinical practice remains rooted in more than digital tools. The experience of clinicians who trained and worked before the digital revolution continues to offer essential lessons in medicine’s core principles. That makes experienced professionals a valuable resource — one that healthcare organizations should seek to engage. A range of initiatives are emerging to do just that.

The latest initiative comes from the Spanish Association of Surgeons (AEC), which has launched a “Seniors Group” to keep surgeons who have retired or substantially reduced their clinical work involved in the profession. The group aims to put their experience to work for the benefit of surgery and future generations, sharing clinical insight and the human lessons of practice — knowledge rarely captured in textbooks or scientific publications — with residents and early-career surgeons.

“Retirement from active practice does not have to mean the end of our contribution to surgery. Over decades, we have accumulated knowledge, experience, and professional judgment that can continue to be useful to the Association and, especially, to the new generations of surgeons,” noted Daniel Casanova, MD, PhD, honorary member of the seniors group of the AEC.

Scientifically Validated Expertise

The importance of passing on this senior expertise is not merely a matter of value but something that appears to be evident in clinical practice. A 2024 study, published in the Journal of Surgical Education, sought to summarize the current literature on the effects of mentoring on burnout and well-being among surgical residents, concluding that high-quality mentoring may be associated with greater well-being and a reduced sense of burnout among surgical residents. However, the challenge is that the key elements of effective and beneficial mentoring have not yet been clearly defined.

More recently, just this year, The American Journal of Surgery also noted that mentor-mentee pairing programs appear to be associated with a high degree of satisfaction, although standards for such programs are still lacking.

Fostering Intergenerational Relationships

In fact, the AEC’s proposal is not the only initiative along these lines. Last March, the Navarre Medical Association launched an intergenerational clinical training program to restore the essence of medical practice. Amid growing time pressures, rapid technological change, and increasingly fragmented care, the program calls for clinicians to pause and reflect, reaffirming the value of the clinical method and the central role of the patient-clinician relationship. It is grounded in the belief that attentive listening, careful observation, and shared reflection are essential to delivering care that is high-quality, compassionate, and clinically excellent.

Also last March, the AEC unanimously approved the Collaborative Plan for Senior Physicians with Spain’s National Health System and other public administrations. This project proposes a paradigm shift regarding the role of physicians after retirement, advocating for their voluntary continued involvement in areas such as training, international cooperation, health education, healthcare support in crisis situations, and research. All of this aims to combat ageism in the medical profession, a concern shared internationally.

International Examples

Of course, there are also international examples of healthcare institutions committed to valuing senior talent. In 2025, the US launched the Senior Fellows Society of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), an initiative very much in line with the AEC’s new proposal in Spain. This is an innovative program for senior and retired surgeons that allows for continued participation in ACS activities throughout their professional careers, thereby fostering two-way interaction between generations of surgeons.

Similarly, at the European level, the European Vascular Surgeons in Training Mentorship program connects young vascular surgeons with experienced professionals from across Europe who are committed to guiding the next generation through personalized advice, career insights, and academic development.

All of these initiatives demonstrate that young professionals, even though they are digital natives and sometimes teach their elders a thing or two, still have much to learn about the day-to-day practice from their mentors.

This story was translated from El Médico Interactivo on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.