Gong says once she leaves practice she’d like to volunteer with an international organization to share her medical skills and knowledge with developing countries that have high infant mortality rates.
“U.S. physicians have a huge impact on society. I’d like to
make a difference in developing countries by teaching others what I know,” she said. In creating the TPS presentation, Dr. Gong consulted with Drs. Speer and Guillory, as well as Stephen Welty, MD, chief of neonatology at Texas Children’s Hospital.
One of the primary resources
• The aging physician population • 40%
U.S. doctors 65 and older were in active practice in 2008*
38,146 physicians 65 and older in 1970
27% younger than 35 in 1970
194,014 physicians 65 and older in 2008
15% younger than 35 in 2008 *AMA’s 2010 edition of Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the U.S.
• Texas physician workforce • 24%
Texas physicians are older than 60*
of active licensed TMA members 60–64 are retired
7%
of active licensed TMA members 70–75 are retired
52% 18 TEXAS MEDICINE June 2012
of active licensed TMA members 65–69 are retired
22%
of active licensed TMA members over 75 are retired
85% *Association of American Medical Colleges 2011 State Physician Workforce Data Book
used in the presentation was a 2006 survey of 1,600 members of the American Academy of Pediat- rics aged 50 and older. The orga- nization received 1,114 responses to questions about patterns of work and retirement among older pediatricians, including the de- terminants of part-time work and retirement. Survey results showed nearly
50 percent of respondents worked full-time past age 65, and 24 per- cent worked after age 70. It’s common for pediatricians to work part-time and to gradually reduce their work hours before retire- ment, according to the survey. Factors that influence pediatri- cians to retire include burdensome on-call responsibilities, increased regulation of medicine, decreased autonomy, rising liability insur- ance costs, and stress of practice. (See “Top 10 Physician Stressors,” page 20.) Factors influencing pe- diatricians to remain in active medical practice, the survey not- ed, include career satisfaction, fi- nancial obligations, good income, meeting patients’ needs, and the need for health insurance. “Physicians in many specialties
can relate to these findings,” Dr. Gong said. Dr. Gong wanted to collect data on aging neonatologists for her portion of the TPS presenta- tion, so she developed what she describes as a nonscientific, quali- tative survey. She received 210 completed surveys that gave her a glimpse into neonatologists’ thoughts and feelings about the last phase of medical practice. “One of the most eye-opening findings from my survey was that 62 percent of respondents plan to practice after turning 65,” she said. “I was also surprised to learn
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60