TEXT 2

1. Most thoughtful individuals would agree that there is a
2. divergence between chronological age and objective
3. levels of intellectual and technical surgical
4. performance. As one considers the proper parameters
5. of competence and who should measure them, it
6. should be emphasized that the definition of
7. professionalism is that the patient’s well-being must
8. remain paramount to that of the surgeon. As with most
9. biological functions, there is a bell-shaped curve of
10. competence that embraces the physical, cognitive,
11. emotional, and psychomotor skills and the ocular
12. realms. Fortunately, objective methods to measure
13. these functions within the medical field are widely
14. available.
15. The physical parameters of strength, coordination and
16. vision peak during the third decade of surgical practice
17. and then diminish at a variable rate. As the human
18. visual system ages, the lens and cornea begin to
19. opacify and increased light is needed for proper
20. visualization.

The Orthopaedic Forum. In: The Journal on Bone and Joint Surgery – JBJS. Vol.92, Nr. 8. July 21, 2010.

According to the text,