Specialty with longest careers?

[The Last Ankibender]

What you think are some of the specialties that you could do until you die? 60 plus year?
I think specialties that are heavy clinic based can have a long life. Especially the ones that have the opportunity to go part time after a while. What do you think does specialty are?

Is it better to go to a huge earning surgical specialty that after years your skills will diminished and you need to retired?
or do something more clinic based forever?

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[longhaul3]

I feel like every neurologist I know is either 35 or 85. Mostly 85.

 

[M&L]

Psych

 

[Redpancreas]

I don't think there's a specific field known for its longevity. Below is a list of age-friendly transitions for fields where it may not be easy to keep up the work past 65.

Cardiology -> Preventative/Outpatient Cards
PCCM (ICU)-> Outpatient Pulm
EM -> Sports Medicine
General Surgery -> Academics with residents/follow-up clinic for an operating partner.
Private Practice -> Academia
Ortho-> Sports med with knowledge of surgical side of Ortho.

There are endless ways to dial down your practice when it comes to that, some more practical than others. If you're looking for longevity do something you love. If you're looking to make money I wouldn't factor this longevity strategy in.

I would:
1.) Take up alternative income streams.
2.) Pick a well-compensated field that does not prevent #1 (Rads, EM, IM subspecialty, Derm, Ophtho).

 

[penpenclown]

I've met several 80+ year old practicing psychiatrists.

 

[RangerBob]

Psych. No physical exam, so you can basically practice until dementia/cognitive decline sets in.

Vs other specialties where you practice until cognitive issues or physical issues creep in, with surgical specialties being more susceptible to physical limitations than clinic-based non-proceduralists.

Still, if you practice as an ortho surgeon, you could probably retire at 50 with more money than the average psychiatrist or FM doc who works into their 70’s...

Many surgeons will shift to outpt consults when they feel they’re no longer able to operate, so just about any doc can practice into old age if you’re willing to adjust your practice as needed.

 

[Frogger27]

I know ortho hand surgeons in their mid-late 70's still doing carpal tunnels and trigger fingers

 

[LunaOri]

Psych, pathology, derm you can practice forever. IM, FM, peds there is always the possibility of going from full-time to part-time as you get older.

 

[Mad Jack]

About half of the psychiatrists here are post-retirement age

 

[Qwerty122]

I think rads could be a good option as well. Especially with how flexible you can tailor your job to be (i.e. read from home, part time, limit procedures, focus more on teaching, etc.) and how it's a pattern recognition cerebral specialty that at least in theory you should get better at doing as you age.

 

[Redpancreas]

I thought it's very difficult to go into Academia from private practice, at least for Medicine and other non surgical stuff.
You can only do the other way around

In general at places SDN focuses, yes. Not all academic positions are extremely competitive. You don't have to be an Emeritus professor to work in an academic place or have residents. Standards are not that high at most medical centers.

 

[bigindian4891]

Our local FM doc retired at 85, only because of the COVID risk. His staff begged him to give it up and live out the rest of his days.

 

[sloop]

I thought it's very difficult to go into Academia from private practice, at least for Medicine and other non surgical stuff.
You can only do the other way around

This is what I have heard in psychiatry as well. From what I understand, academic places are willing to give new graduates considerable slack in terms of how many publications they have or if/how much funding they have. They may not be as understanding for people who are mid-career. Also, academics generally pays poorly but has especially bad prospects if you are not going to get promoted in a reasonable period of time. People earlier in their careers have the prospect of getting promoted and reaping the benefits of those promotions for a longer time. Somebody mid-career will already be taking a pay cut coming from private practice and it’s going to be tough to, say, become a full professor before retirement age (especially without a prior academic record).

 

[Smurfette]

Surgery-->wound care. Easy to work part time, no nights/weekends. Know a few guys in their upper 70s doing this.

 

[Frazier]

Palliative medicine.
You can practice ad infinitum.

I personally hope to practice as long as possible.

To your point on lifetime earnings, say 300k annually ... 30, 40 years if that's your passion and gives you fulfillment. Well, you can do the math for lifetime earning approximations.

 

[Frogger27]

Palliative medicine.
You can practice ad infinitum.

I personally hope to practice as long as possible.

To your point on lifetime earnings, say 300k annually ... 30, 40 years if that's your passion and gives you fulfillment. Well, you can do the math for lifetime earning approximations.

Practice until you’re a palliative patient!

 

[Eye-eye]

I feel like the average age of practicing ophthalmologists is about 60. I know several still practicing in their 80s and it appears somewhat common to just incrementally reduce your workload over the course of your career, so longevity in the field is great. But of course at some point you wouldn't be doing the surgical aspects of the field anymore.

 

[The Last Ankibender]

great responses thanks everyone

 

[Detailsmatter]

ive heard rad onc is one of these. its been contributing to the tight job market in the field (no one retires)

 

[Candidate2017]

What you think are some of the specialties that you could do until you die? 60 plus year?

Pediatrics. No way to pay off those med school loans without working 60+ years.

 

[The Last Ankibender]

ive heard rad onc is one of these. its been contributing to the tight job market in the field (no one retires)

Rad onc sounds amazing but job market sucks so much

 

[Detailsmatter]

Rad onc sounds amazing but job market sucks so much

yup its really rough

 

[DameJulie]

Do you think IM/FM outpatient can practice forever too? Even when you get past retirement age and want to travel around, you can still do telehealth or remotely teach med students.

 

[Tenk]

Most any specialty that doesn’t have terrible hours and call can be practiced at old age assuming you’re still physically and mentally fit. It’s the night shifts and night call that seem to hurt the most when you get older. I remember one of my favorite surgeons who recently retired fell asleep while talking to me on the phone. Felt bad calling him back.

 

[Damson]

family medicine? @Blue Dog @VA Hopeful Dr

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

family medicine? @Blue Dog @VA Hopeful Dr

My 70 year old FP uncle just had 2 of his partners leave at the end of last year - ages 74 and 72.

 

[deleted87716]

family medicine? @Blue Dog @VA Hopeful Dr

The median retirement age for FPs is around 65. Still, if you're healthy, you can work as long as you want. Unlike surgery, for example, the physical demands are comparatively light.

When Do Primary Care Physicians Retire? Implications for Workforce Projections

Retirement of primary care physicians is a matter of increasing concern in light of physician shortages. The joint purposes of this investigation were to identify the ages when the majority of primary care physicians retire and to compare this with the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Damson]

Thanks boys

 

[The Last Ankibender]

The median retirement age for FPs is around 65. Still, if you're healthy, you can work as long as you want. Unlike surgery, for example, the physical demands are comparatively light.

When Do Primary Care Physicians Retire? Implications for Workforce Projections

Retirement of primary care physicians is a matter of increasing concern in light of physician shortages. The joint purposes of this investigation were to identify the ages when the majority of primary care physicians retire and to compare this with the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

This is exactly what i imagine.

can you remove taking call from cards as getting older?

 

[deleted87716]

This is exactly what i imagine.

can you remove taking call from cards as getting older?

Depends on whether your partners will go for it or not.

 

[Phloston]

What you think are some of the specialties that you could do until you die? 60 plus year?
I think specialties that are heavy clinic based can have a long life. Especially the ones that have the opportunity to go part time after a while. What do you think does specialty are?

Is it better to go to a huge earning surgical specialty that after years your skills will diminished and you need to retired?
or do something more clinic based forever?

What do you want to do is the question. What are you really asking.