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A guide for medical practitioners transitioning to an encore career or retirement

Chanaka Wijeratne and Joanne Earl
Med J Aust 2021; 214 (1): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.50870
Published online: 30 November 2020

Controlling the exit from work and accumulating multiple resources early predict adjustment to retirement

The traditional approach to leaving a career in medicine has been informal. The fact that about 10% of medical practitioners in Australia are aged 65 years or over1 — a seemingly natural consequence of increased life expectancy, improved quality of life and fluctuations in financial markets — highlights the need for a more methodical process for leaving medicine.


  • 1 University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, NSW
  • 2 Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW
  • 3 Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW



Acknowledgements: 

We have received funding from the Avant Foundation to develop an online educational program for medical practitioners transitioning to retirement. The funding source has had no role in the planning or writing of this article.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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