Leadership & professional development: Moving on
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The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.
Vince Lombardi
No doubt hospitalists work hard. There comes a time (or will come a time) when each of us begins to think about surrendering or at least disengaging from the action. When your personal identity and self-worth are intimately tied to your profession, this is no easy task to accomplish.
Hospitalists are faced with a unique set of challenges regarding retirement.1 These challenges include how to transition to a less busy schedule, how to transfer the wisdom gained over a career that may span decades, and how to transition current responsibilities and activities. Further considerations include maintaining a sense of personal identity and defining one's own legacy.
The strategies and tactics to address these issues are not developed overnight but require thoughtful, contemplative action over a number of years. This is a highly personal process which needs to be tailored to individual needs and aspirations. This process is best begun years before retirement to allow for a balanced transition from work to nonwork goals. Focusing on a few foundational aspects can ease the transition from active hospitalist to active future state and allows the retiring hospitalist to maintain a cadence of goal setting and personal growth.
