Retirement Age?

[RexKD]

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Is there a mandatory retirement age for a radiologist?

If not, at what age do you think radiologists would start to be forced (indirectly or directly) from practicing?

Can one work to 80? 90?

I know that surgeons will rarely work until 90 because of the loss of dexterity as one ages.

 

[doc05]

it is unrealistic for you to expect to work as a radiologist at 80 or 90 years of age. Impaired vision, decreasing mental agility, and general lack of desire to put up with the hectic pace of private practice, will likely send you to retirement sometime around 60-70 years of age. there are always exceptions though, but be realistic and realize that your priorities will change once you've gotten old.

 

[f_w]

Why would you WANT to practice that long ? But if you stay in shape, you definitely can:

Look at dr Youker at MCW, he is something like 90 and still chairman.

I know one academic rads who is in his late 70s, with a sharp mind and apparently excellent eyesight (age doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese).

Surgeons retire bc they CAN. DeBakey operated into his eighties. My ex-roommates granddad was an orthopod. He stopped doing his own cases when he was in his early 70s and resorted to assisting his sons, nephews and grandkids if they needed an extra set of qualified hands.

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

I'd say 60s to 70s sounds right for retirement. Youker at MCW is a great guy and still active. John Juhl (author of Paul and Juhls), on of the pioneers of radiology just retired last year at age 79. I've had the privlidge of working with both of them (one in med school, one in residency) and they are both great men. I would like to retire around age 60, or at least cut down a lot in hours.

 

[ny skindoc]

There are so many variables that determine potential retirement age,its difficult to plan on them.Most important is that you should be financially prepared to retire when you are fairly young.If you end up working to your 70's it should be because you are able and motivated to do so,not because you must.In fact physicians are increasingly leaving practice at younger age.
Its hard to cut back on practice hours and still pay malpractice and overhead expenses.There are rare birds like Dr Debakey who are working at age 96! but they are RARE.