The DO

Retiring from medicine: Knowing when it’s time to get out

By The DO Staff

01.06.23

In 2019, I retired from a rather high-stress surgical practice after 30 years. I walked away for a very specific reason – I had to. But as I look back, the medical problem that forced my hands (literally) was also a serendipitous tap on the shoulder telling me it was OK to leave. It was time. And after I’d been out for a few months I realized something else – I had gotten out before I was permanently injured.