When we surveyed retired orthopaedic surgeons two years ago, we found that most were not prepared for the psychological changes of retirement and were surprised by some of the day-to-day lifestyle changes. Also, most of the physicians and their spouses had not developed a clear understanding of what the other had planned for "their" retirement years.
My work on the psychological elements of retirement began at the urging of Merrill Ritter, MD '63, an orthopaedic surgeon in Mooresville, who saw the need for a seminar in the psychological realm of retirement to go with all the financial seminars being offered. To fashion the seminar, I enlisted the support of my colleague Mary Gurrero Austrom, PhD, who has expertise in behavioral issues of the elderly. Our work began with a survey of orthopaedic surgeons and spouses. The result is a seminar for retiring physicians and spouses.
We begin our seminar by sharing some of the more obvious contradictory responses from our survey. The "he said/she said" juxtaposition of comments elicits murmurs of empathy and occasional laughter as members of the audience identify their own concerns and fears. The anecdotes open the communication channels among couples in the audience who begin to explore their own issues of retired life.
We anticipate that, upon retirement, physicians will mourn the loss of their position and role not just among their colleagues but in society as a whole. One of our participants said, "It's not only giving up the physician's role at work but with your friends and family who saw you as the doctor. You're now diminished; all you have is your money." For most people, it is normal to feel a loss of identity upon retirement, but physicians may feel this most strongly. From the time we enter medicine, we are told that the most important thing in our lives is our patients - before wife, children and family. No wonder we have such difficulty when we leave our patients behind.
What can physicians do to make the last one or two decades of their lives enjoyable? Many couples say that coming to the seminar gives them the impetus they need to move into constructive planning and a better understanding of each other's problems. But we must also plan ahead. First, make a rule that you can't retire until you have chosen six retirement activities your spouse approves of. Second, you need to have a contract with your practice group (if you're in one) that includes an exit clause describing how you will leave the practice. This will soften your entry into retirement.
But most of all remember that your relationship with your spouse reflects your lives together. As one respondent noted, "A non-supportive spouse will never find a friend waiting for him in retirement. Make sure homework is done in the thirty or forty years prior to retirement. Don't suddenly expect to find a good mate waiting for you in retirement - especially if you weren't a good mate."
Drs. Hendrie and Austrom are preparing a second questionnaire, to be sent through the IU Alumni Affairs Office to IUSM alumni age sixty-five and over. The project, sponsored by the School, the J.O. Ritchey Society and the IUSM Alumni Association, will be used to develop a more in-depth seminar for physicians and spouses planning retirement. Dr. Hendrie is the Albert Eugene Sterne Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and executive director of the Institute of Psychiatric Research at IUSM.