DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
SENIOR DOCTORS-RETIRED BUT NOT TIRED AUTHOR Charles Oberst , MD
INTRODUCTION
Senior doctors may be retired doctors , but they are not tired doctors . Most are active at home and in the community . Many retired doctors meet on a regular basis to “ catch up .” We have several groups .
The Greater Louisville Medical Society
( GLMS ) CATO Group honors CATO the Elder , a man of many experiences , who became more prominent later in life when he was an orator in the Roman Senate . This reminds me of our Kentucky ’ s Harlan Sanders who was 65 years old when he sold his first , now world-famous , Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise . Our CATO Group , or retired doctors ’ group , is not related to the CATO Institute , a think tank in Washington , D . C . Our group is just as smart but has different interests .
I asked a retired doctor why his picture was not in our medical Roster and he said , “ I am not a member and it is too damn expensive .” A GLMS member reaches Life status when they turn 70 years old and are fully retired , or has been a member of GLMS & the Kentucky Medical Association for 25 consecutive years , is fully retired and is 65 years old . The cost of membership for those senior Life doctors is $ 0 . Otherwise , the cost of membership for an active , practicing physician is $ 870 ( or if fully retired before meeting age criteria , you can be considered inactive to maintain your membership for $ 195 ).
A group of 10-20 retired doctors met pre-COVID-19 each Monday morning at Heitzman Bakery , 6426 Shelbyville Rd ( at Hurstbourne Lane intersection ) from 9:00-10:30 a . m . ( or so ). We can come and go when we want . The first cup of coffee costs $ 2.00 , the rest of the coffee is free ( serve yourself ). Occasionally , they give us free donuts . It is a fun bull session . Some doctors talk a lot . So be careful whom you sit next to . About once a month , one to two tables of nurses show up .
Dr . Virginia Keeney called our Monday morning group “ The
Medical Mafia .” Dr . Keeney was one of our dearest members and we sure miss her .
The COVID-19 virus has stopped the Monday morning meetings in-person , but we are having talks via Zoom , with the help of Ms . Mary Hess of GLMS .
RETIREMENT-THEN WHAT ?
Why do doctors retire ? Voluntary retirement , in my view , happens when the doctors think they have acquired “ enough assets ” that they can live comfortably the rest of their lives , and their thoughts have turned more and more to life , as opposed to work .
“ Enough assets ” means you can do what you want , when you want , go where you want , with whom you want and for as long as you want . It is called “ independence .” Yes , and in retirement you can sleep as late as you want .
In 1983 , Congress passed the law allowing full social security benefits at the age of 65 years old . This helped define the age of retirement .
BURNOUT
Doctors do get “ burnout .” Long hours , pressure by their employer i . e ., hospital administrators , to see more and more patients , coding problems , increased government and bureaucratic interference and more emphasis on written records and less on patient contact : too much time is spent on the computer . All contribute to burnout .
Burnout is the state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress . Burnout can occur in any job , but it is worse when people are responsible for other people . The most severely affected specialties are family medicine , internal medicine and emergency medicine . Burnout can cause exhaustion , dissatisfaction , a sense of failure , unhappiness , depression and suicide in doctors .
If a doctor feels emotionally and physically exhausted , he or she needs help .
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