By Norman Morris, MD
Norman Morris is an Australian obstetrician and gynecologist made the decision to semi-retire from his career in private practice to perform extremely rewarding work in several exotic settings, including tropical Australia and Nepal. This articled discusses the fulfilment that can be discovered in practicing medicine, even beyond a traditional setting. Through the accounts of his travels he provides words of wisdom to physicians who may be considering, or avoiding retirement.
In order to make a living as a young specialist obstetrician, I performed casual work for many senior colleagues. Some were still leading very busy lives well into their 70s and I remember being fascinated by the concept of retirement, even then. Alas, the issue is no longer only of theoretical interest to me!
Why would somebody presumably wealthy enough to afford to retire, want to keep working indefinitely? I was appalled by a common reluctance to retire — especially when the work, often very stressful, frequently involved long and inconvenient hours. When asked, they gave me a variety of explanations, the most common being:
- I Can’t Afford to Retire
Senior doctors – usually no longer having fully dependent children – are generally in a financially secure situation. Surely, the vast majority of doctors can afford to retire at or before the conventional age for retirement – in Australia, 65 – even if this necessitates leading a slightly more frugal existence.
- I Wouldn’t Know How to Occupy My Time
Personally, I feel great pity for an educated person who, despite six decades or so on the planet, has insufficient other interests or hobbies. I assert that there should be more to life than work, however fulfilling that work.
- My Patients Need Me!
Although most doctors derive much satisfaction from their professional relationship with their patients, and many patients value highly the care they receive, it is sad that doctors feel so indispensable. Such doctors must be aware that their patients will find alternative care, however reluctantly.
- It Would Be a Waste of My Skills, Knowledge and Experience
In my opinion, this is the most valid of these reasons, even if we often have an inflated view of our value!
There is a great diversity of individual objectives when it comes to looking at options for the autumn of our lives. In general, I believe that most of us have a need to be intellectually and socially occupied. In addition, we mostly want to do something worthwhile. Many of us want to take a serious interest in a subject or subjects outside our chosen career.
Given these factors, let us look at our options:
- Traditional Retirement
For me, spending large amounts of time fishing or playing golf would be unfulfilling, pointless and largely boring. No doubt, others see these pursuits very differently. Spending more time with family, in particularly with grandchildren, seems perfectly laudable, although not necessarily full-time!
- Work Until We Drop
As already indicated, this option indicates a sad lack of zest for aspects of life other than work.
- Work Until We are Forced to Stop
Perhaps, even sadder and no doubt very frustrating; the possibility that an illness or disability may curtail any plans for other post-retirement activities is unfortunately always there. We can never be sure what lies around the corner.
- A New Career
This is risky, probably irreversible and usually disadvantageous financially. More importantly, it involves leaving one’s comfort zone! Then again, it may enable the fulfilment of a long-cherished ambition and provide great satisfaction. Some years ago, a colleague of mine, well into her 70s, was talked into retirement by her family after she suffered a heart attack. After recovery from her illness, she resumed studies in music and ultimately worked for several extremely gratifying years as a music therapist!
- Semi-Retirement
Essentially, semi-retirement allows one to do the same work but with a significant reduction in the number of hours. This may take several forms:
- An alteration in the type of professional work, still within one’s area of expertise.
- Changing from private practice to salaried government work.
- Re-location to a remote area where your expertise will be highly valued by the local community.
- Voluntary work of some sort.
For me, semi-retirement is the preferred option and it has provided a varied, fulfilling and enjoyable lifestyle. At the age of 50, I reassessed my options. I had been working in metropolitan Melbourne, partly in private practice, partly salaried at a teaching hospital. Although not unhappy with my work, the idea spending the rest of my career doing the same work for was not appealing, I needed a change.
I took a full-time salaried position in a government hospital in the tropical city of Cairns in far north Queensland. I spent seven enjoyable years in that job, with a totally different lifestyle. The work included the opportunity to provide outreach clinics for remote communities, as well as other more “normal” aspects of teaching hospital-based work. However, after seven years, it was time for another change.
It seems self-evident that specialist obstetric skills are needed much more in developing countries than in western countries like Australia. I looked for a suitable opportunity and, after nearly two frustrating years not working, found a position on the faculty of a teaching hospital in Nepal. This proved remarkably rewarding, although it was very challenging at times. Fortunately, I was still young and fit enough to take on these challenges. However, three years in Nepal was enough. I might have stayed longer if I had been able to find a suitable (and much-needed) job coordinating obstetric care in remote areas of that country where obstetric services are primitive and maternal mortality an international disgrace. After much fruitless effort to find such a position, I decided to return to Australia.
Back home, I found myself still energetic enough to look for other professional opportunities, preferably allowing time for pursuit of travel and other hobbies. For the last five years, I have been doing remarkably well-paid work in Australia, providing locum obstetric services in the generally underserviced rural and regional areas. This has allowed me to go to places that I had previously not visited — while still doing something “worthwhile”.
My current conundrum is whether to fulfil the requirements needed for me to continue working as a specialist for another three years after my current certification expires in late 2012. I am still in good health, and I believe that my version of semi-retirement will allow me to continue doing something worthwhile and enable me to keep utilising my clinical skills and experience for a few more years, without limiting significantly the time that I choose to spend with my family, travelling or pursuing my other interests. I acknowledge that each of us has our own objectives and priorities in life. For me, full retirement is not yet a real option.
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