Primary Care Physicians retire at the average age of 64.9 years old, and this retirement age has remained stable for the past several years. This stability is important, because even a one year shift would have a dramatic impact on the upcoming physician shortage.
(For a reference, see the paper: When Do Primary Care Physicians Retire? Implications for Workforce Projections from the recent Annals of Family Medicine.)
But what happens to their brains at 64.91 years? Do they suddenly melt, becoming non-functional, resulting in these retired physicians becoming a net drain on society?
Of course not.
Many of the physicians have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and may be retiring at the peak of their expertise, not at its nadir. And for this subset of folks? It may take 30-40 years to replace them.
So I have a suggestion. For the subset of physicians who simply want to retire from clinical care, but who still want to contribute, look for other ways to use their immense intellectual capital—perhaps in areas such as teaching or innovation.
And start this process early. When a physician is 62 or 63 years old, approach them about their interest in pursuits outside of clinical care after clinical retirement. Try to access their intellectual capital. You may be pleasantly surprised.