The Current Status of Retirement Mentoring in Academic Surgery in the United States

Abstract

Background: Although successful retirement planning improves the well-being of retiring surgeons and facilitates effective succession strategies, the status of retirement mentoring in academic surgery remains unknown. The present study was designed to evaluate the presence of mentoring for retirement in the departments of surgery in the United States. Material and methods:A survey consisting of 5 questions (2 multiple choice; 3 yes/no) was sent to 170 chairs of departments of surgery in the United States in March 2019 regarding the presence and structure of mentoring for retirement in their department and their attitude towards retirement mentoring. The analysis of the data was performed in April 2019.Results: A total of 53 of 170 surveys were completed (31.2% response rate). There was no mandatory retirement age in any of the participating departments of surgery. Only two of 53 department chairs (3.8%) reported having an established mentorship for retirement for their senior faculty. At both departments mentoring for retirement consisted in informal pairing of mentors with mentees, without any financial support for the mentorship. Most department chairs [42 of 53; (79.2%)] considered retirement mentoring beneficial for senior faculty nearing retirement. Only 7 (13.2%) respondents found retirement mentoring not necessary as they believe senior surgeons have sufficient life experience and social support to deal with transition into retirement. Out of 42 respondents who found mentoring for retirement important, the vast majority (36; 85.8%) believe that it should be formally provided

Retired Surgeons’ Reflections on Their Careers

“…With accumulated life and professional experience, retired surgeons have developed a valuable perspective on the life and career of a surgeon. 1,2 This study evaluated retired surgeons' reflections on their lives and careers. Understanding what retired surgeons would have done differently in their past can Other self-reported regrets (179 [14.5%]) included more involvement in research, selecting better practice partners, being more adaptable to change, taking more risks, finding better mentors, spending more time with patients, saving earlier for retirement, having less 1-way institutional loyalty, asking more often for help, and paying more attention to institutional politics.…”

“…Indeed, multiple studies, including the rapid autopsy series referenced, implicate that local failure is associated with or directly contributes to death. [2][3][4] The high rate of local-only failure and associated poor survival necessitates therapies that improve local control. Postoperative chemoradiation may be one way to achieve this end, and results from the RTOG 9704 revealed that local recurrence occurred at a much lower rate (28%), supporting that postoperative chemoradiation reduces local failure.…”

“…With accumulated life and professional experience, retired surgeons have developed a valuable perspective on the life and career of a surgeon . This study evaluated retired surgeons’ reflections on their lives and careers.…”

Retired Orthopedic Surgeons’ Reflections on Their Lives and Careers: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This information could be useful for mid-career surgeons looking for career guidance. One study of 53 surgery department chairs found that while nearly 80% considered retirement mentoring to be beneficial, only 3.8% of departments had a mentoring program for retired senior faculty, suggesting that this may be an area of growth for departmental support [1].…”