Many older doctors plan to phase out their practice

These are some pretty scary numbers in the survey...Marcus Welby no longer exists..and with all the additional pressures and reductions of income today...who knows what we would do in the same situation...problem though is that we need these folks...probably more now than ever...and the shortage of physicians will continue to mount...BD 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a new survey indicate that 48 percent of physicians between 50 and 65 years of age are planning to reduce or end their clinical practice in the next 1 to 3 years. The findings also suggest that many older physicians believe that their younger counterparts do not have the work ethic they do. ADVERTISEMENT The survey, which was conducted by Merritt Hawkins & Associates, a Texas-based physician search and consulting firm, suggests that many older physicians are simply unhappy with the changes that have taken place in medicine over the year

The results of the survey, which included 1,170 respondents, show that 24 percent of older physicians are planning to leave clinical practice all together in the next 1 to 3 years. Specifically, 14 percent said they were planning on retiring, 7 percent said they were looking for a medical job in a non-patient care setting, and 3 percent said they were seeking a job in a non-medical field.

When asked about the work ethic of physicians entering practice today, 68 percent of the respondents said that these younger doctors are not as dedicated or as hard working as physicians who entered practice 20 to 30 years ago.  Fifty-seven percent of older physicians said they would not recommend medicine as a career to their own children. Similarly, 44 percent said they would not select medicine as career if they were starting out today.

Many older doctors plan to phase out their practice - Yahoo! News