Having relocated to a new academic institution, I was certain that I would have to learn some new things but revising how I wrote the history and physical examinations of my patients was hardly anticipated. The template I used was largely unchanged in more than 4 decades and it had served me well.

While discussing a complex patient with one of my esteemed colleagues, he expressed his opinion that it was inappropriate to include terms describing the patient’s race/ethnicity or country of origin in the medical documents. He regarded it as antiquated and reflective of having practiced in the South. On the contrary, although I had practiced in Kentucky and the very far south—Miami, Florida—the template I had used for writing a history and physical examination was learned in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the same city to which I had relocated.