Can anything be as fulfilling as being a doctor?

If you are thinking about leaving Medicine you may be wondering if there will be a big gap in your life when you do. That’s what I was most worried about when I decided the time had come for me to leave the profession about 11 years ago. 

The experience of Life After Medicine was, for me very different from my fears. The problem is when you have had a very busy life as a doctor you may have neglected all sorts of hobbies and interests you had as a child or a teenager or as a medical student. All those things you may have said to yourself that you would love to do if only you weren’t so busy. 

Well retirement is your chance to pick up again where you left off many years ago.

An important consideration of course is whether you are planning to move into another paid occupation or whether you want to go where your spirit leads you and have enough savings to make any earnings a bonus rather than a necessity.

Try to define what you think you will most miss after you leave medicine and what you are most looking forward to not doing any more!

For me it was the one to one contact with patients that I missed but what I was glad not to have to do anymore was dealing with the stress of diagnosing and wondering if I had come to the best conclusion for the patient in front of me.

How about you? Please let me know on the comments form what you want and don’t want when you elave medicine.

I’m looking out for your comments.