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DiscussionReflection

When It’s Time to Retire: Notes From the Afterlife

David Loxterkamp
The Annals of Family Medicine March 2018, 16 (2) 171-174; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2204
David Loxterkamp
Seaport Community Health Center, Belfast, Maine
MD
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    When It's Time to Retire: Notes from the Afterlife

    David Loxterkamp

    Background The Baby Boomer generation is now retiring. This essay describes the emotional turbulence of ending one career and contemplating the next.

    What This Study Found As a family physician approaches retirement, he reflects on the next chapter of his life with feelings of freedom and fear. "To live without the vestments of a career," he realizes, "is a test of faith." He finds comfort in knowing that his community will be well cared for by a new generation of physicians. On a more personal level, he is both surprised and freed by his aging body, encouraging us to "relax our grip on life, just as our skin has relaxed its grip on us." Ultimately, he puts his faith in the knowledge that, more than three decades ago, he was called to a career in medicine. "Therein lies the hope that I will be called again."

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The Annals of Family Medicine: 16 (2)
The Annals of Family Medicine: 16 (2)
Vol. 16, Issue 2
March/April 2018
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When It’s Time to Retire: Notes From the Afterlife
David Loxterkamp
The Annals of Family Medicine Mar 2018, 16 (2) 171-174; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2204

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When It’s Time to Retire: Notes From the Afterlife
David Loxterkamp
The Annals of Family Medicine Mar 2018, 16 (2) 171-174; DOI: 10.1370/afm.2204
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • THE PRACTICE
    • THE DOCTOR
    • A GLASS HALF FULL
    • LIFE AFTER WORK
    • HOUSE OF CARDS
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Cited By...

  • In This Issue: Refining Care and its Frameworks
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More in this TOC Section

  • The Day I Almost Walked Away: Trust, Gratitude, and the Power of Teamwork
  • What Are Doctors For? A Call for Compassion-Based Metrics as a Measure of Physician Value
  • The Shoeshine Stand and the Renaissance of Primary Care
Show more Reflection

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Subjects

  • Person groups:
    • Older adults
  • Other research types:
    • Professional practice
  • Core values of primary care:
    • Relationship
  • Other topics:
    • Organizational / practice change
    • Social / cultural context
    • Mindfulness and reflection
    • Spirituality

Keywords

  • retirement
  • primary care
  • healthy aging

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