Planning for retirement: advice to physicians.

Retirement planning has become a legitimate concern of all physicians, especially those employed by agencies where retirement is compulsory. Faced with the possibility of retirement, whether forced or voluntary, and issues of competence and other related matters, many physicians are departing from the traditional pattern of working until they become incapacitated. The typical physician places high values on work and deprecates other activities. Busy practitioners who have spent little time with their families and in recreational pursuits find themselves unprepared for their altered status when they stop working. Little empirical information is available concerning physicians and retirement. Four proposed retirement patterns may help physicians plan successfully for retirement.