Issue 4: December 2024

As 2024 closes, I am taken by how often this year I spoke with physicians about concerns surrounding retirement. Most commonly, they felt torn between their duties to themselves and to their patients.

In collaborative care settings, retiring can be smooth, with continuity of care preserved. In others, such as the rural sole practitioner, the transition to retirement can be a struggle, filled with logistic and emotional challenges.

In a collaborative care setting, retiring can be smooth, with continuity of care preserved. In others, such as the rural sole practitioner, the transition to retirement can be a struggle, filled with logistic and emotional challenges.

It is not uncommon for retired physicians to bump into angry former patients, who blame the physician for abandoning them. I know physicians who have moved to other communities to avoid such stress.  This is heartbreaking.

The College and other organizational stakeholders are working to make retirement easier. Physicians need support and guidance. While efforts to recruit more physicians are beginning to bear fruit, we are years away from a province without unattached patients. 

I would encourage physicians planning on retiring to reach out to the College’s Physician Health and Practice Advisor  to better understand what obligations are in place when leaving practice and to provide you with support resources.  I would also encourage you to reach out the NSH which has recently launched the Transitioning into Practice – Transitioning Out of Practice program.

If you are planning on retiring, please feel free to reach out me to directly to discuss any concerns. After a career spent in service to patients, all physicians deserve to retire without shame.