At some point, retirement may be the best option for your health and peace of mind. Photo: Bigstock/Rido81 Most middle-aged veterinarians can name at least a couple of colleagues who have opted out of our profession 10 or more years before the traditional age of 65. Some of us may retire early for personal reasons unrelated to the risks or rewards of the job, but most who self-identify as “early” retirees tend to credit some benefit, failure, feature, or risk directly related to the profession itself. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately given that I’ve just now crossed that “10-years-left” mark and can no longer call myself an early-birder unless I retire this very year, which I harbor absolutely no expectations of doing. Yet I have to confess, I’ve gradually acquired an overwhelming urge to move on. After 30 years of practice I’m ready to slow it down and enjoy my next chapter. I’m by no means alone, of course. Plenty of us feel the same way. Practice has a way of wearing everyone down after a while. While powering through by finding new sources of inspiration and motivation can be extremely rewarding, I’d argue there is a limit to the typical veterinarian’s capacity for reinvention within the fairly restrictive framework of practice. Further, I’ll submit that, once exceeded, that limit should find you seeking alternative avenues and new challenges. We need not accept drudgery and dissatisfaction as an inevitability, if that’s where you’re at. Then there’s the obvious: Some of us practice for years before acquiring challenges that preclude our ability to fully embrace traditional practice. While most who encounter these common obstacles feel compelled to see their way through however they can, there are limits to what any of us should drive ourselves to endure. 8 reasons not to wait With those thoughts in mind, here are eight perfectly defensible reasons why you might reasonably elect to hang up your stethoscope for good: 1. You’re burned out. I shouldn’t have to mention it, but there’s zero shame in reaching that point of utter overwhelm when the prospect of even one more day at work seems impossible. I totally get it. Most of us have a hard time admitting it is time to stop doing something we believed we would be doing until we died. You always have alternatives, none of which should be perceived as a “failure.” I won’t belabor this point, given so many of my columns have addressed this issue over the past year, but here is where I’ll entreat you to give it some careful consideration. Even if you believe you cannot afford it, you probably can manage some version of retirement. Call it a career change, a lateral move, a mental health hiatus (or anything else that works for you), but end-stage burnout in practice demands retirement—at least until you can recover and realistically reevaluate your needs. 2. Your allergies have finally caught up with you. Recent research indicates a high risk of allergies to animals among veterinarians. Those of us who endure these routinely will doubtless understand why early retirement might seem attractive to some. All that sneezing, wheezing, nose dribbling, eye watering, and itchiness means we are extra-exhausted by the end of the day. It can be way more stressful than you would think it would be. If you are unlucky enough to experience allergies on a daily basis in spite of your best efforts (your desktop pharmacy is increasingly diverse with each passing year) and you still have a long way to go before career’s end, it is probably worth planning for the possibility of early retirement from practice—just in case. 3. Addiction can be an occupational hazard. Chronic exposure to anesthetics is increasingly believed to sensitize predisposed anesthesiologists to substance abuse. It is believed veterinarians may be similarly at risk. Considering our high stress levels, access to controlled drugs, and the progressive nature of this disease, veterinary practice starts to look like a questionable place to be for those who acquire drug or alcohol addiction. Accommodations can be relatively straightforward in some cases, but the stigma and liability surrounding substance abuse makes them almost impossible to ask for. Early retirement can be life saving in these cases. 4. Patient-related PTSD happens, too. Most of us will confess to some degree of irrational fear after bites or other traumatic patient interactions or events, but most of us get past it after days or weeks. Yet it is not hard to imagine how any catastrophic incident at work might alter our ability to practice. Consider, too, the crushing blow of a medical mistake or adverse anesthetic event. These may leave no physical trace, but they are not necessarily any less traumatic. This is a common issue but is seldom discussed due to the stigmatization of afflicted veterinarians. Moreover, employers are rarely understanding in these cases and few will make accommodations for this kind of work-related mental health issue. It is perfectly reasonable grounds for early retirement. 5. Consider your accumulated work-related injuries. After even just one decade of practice you will probably start to feel it. Your back hurts after surgical or dental procedures, and the long days on your feet will eventually catch up with you. Then there is the repetitive stress of keyboard work and suture handling to consider. It is more easily handled for some than for others (and it can be specialty-specific, too), but there is no doubt our profession can be hard on the body in ways that might make early retirement seem more attractive. 6. Maybe it’s just not your thing (anymore). We all know a few colleagues who tried practice and decided to move on to something else fairly quickly. This typically happens within the first few years after graduation. Some of us, however, come to this decision only later in our careers. We wish we had gone another way altogether, or perhaps we have realized we no longer recognize our profession and cannot abide working for corporations. Some will resist retiring based on sunk costs alone. After all, when you have put so much time and energy into getting really good at something, why quit? Never mind you never really liked it (or you have come to despise practice) and your income is pretty much maxed out, anyway. Switching horses mid-stream may seem ill-advised after your career is well underway, but you should still consider the opportunity to start fresh and re-engage in another capacity. 7. You have met your financial goals. Of course, there are some positive reasons to retire early from practice. Think of the 30-something who bought a practice 10 years ago, doubled its size, then sold to a private equity-funded corporation during the pandemic and promptly retired—permanently—all before their mid-40s. Sure, that is not most of us, but I understand the impulse to quit while you are ahead. I, for one, would absolutely retire from practice tomorrow if I could claim to have met all of my financial goals as a practicing veterinarian. 8. You have always aspired to do something else. Perhaps practicing veterinary medicine isn’t the only thing that’s ever appealed to you. Did you always dream of writing a book? Making a documentary? Becoming a pastry chef, yoga instructor or real estate magnate? Ultimately, retiring early for some of us is less about clinical practice’s limitations and more about aspirations that transcend it. Ultimately, the message is this: If you are beginning to think it might be time to start your next chapter (literally or not), do not immediately disregard the urge based on finances, ego, or perceived obligations alone. Think about it dispassionately, if you can: “What is really holding me back?” It might just be the right time to “retire early”—however you define it. Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA, owns a small animal practice in Miami and is available at drpattykhuly.com. Columnists’ opinions do not necessarily reflect those of VPN Plus+.
