These are nice scenes, and I think we all could take care to remember the unique and compelling stories behind everyone else's lives, particularly the old. However I don't necessarily think the response is fair to the student, who could also be asking challenging questions beyond "old people suck, amirite?". Particularly:

- Don't you get tired of [emotionally coping with interacting with people who tend to have more health issues and issues with worse outcomes]? (Is it fair to want to see healthier individuals for your own personal reasons? How does one defend their psyche from seeing trauma so often?)

- Don't you get tired of [having to work primarily with a population that has a limited set of recurring problems that may not be as interesting or rewarding to work on]? (How ethical is it to want specific kinds of engagement from your job? Is it okay to be annoyed with individuals with preventable diseases and injuries?)

I have a number of close friends who are new doctors, and they grapple with these kinds of issues all the time.