Making of a Physician: How the 1970s Shaped a Generation of Doctors

During the 1970s, young physicians learned medicine in a world of autonomy, responsibility, and uncertainty. Resident-driven hospital teams often made life-and-death decisions with limited supervision and few of the technological resources available today.

In Making of a Physician, John E. Heffner, MD recounts his journey through that formative era, when bedside observation and clinical judgment often preceded advanced imaging, electronic records, and evidence-based guidelines. Through viv...