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The Article in Brief
When Do Primary Care Physicians Retire? Implications for Workforce Projections
Stephen M. Petterson , and colleagues
Background Retirement of primary care physicians (PCPs) is becoming a matter of increasing concern in light of physician shortages. This study examines the ages at which the majority of PCPs retire and compares retirement ages across primary care specialties.
What This Study Found The average retirement age of about 65 years varies little by specialty, practice location, or gender. These findings suggest that changes in the composition of the primary care workforce will not have a remarkable impact on overall retirement rates in the near future. Females have a median retirement about one year earlier than males. There is no substantive difference in retirement ages between rural and urban primary care physicians.
Implications
- The authors suggest that strategies to lengthen careers, including quality-of-life accommodations such as a reduction in full-time work, weekend work, or on-call requirements, would be worthwhile for policymakers to explore.