Otolaryngology Retirement Profile in the Southeastern United States

Objective To document retirement‐related issues and trends among otolaryngologists. Study Design Survey of 438 retired members in the Southern geographical region of the American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc. Methods A questionnaire was mailed to retired members, completed anonymously, and returned to the author. Results A total of 138 (31.5%) surveys were received. Respondents' average age at retirement was 63.2 years; approximately half had retired in the last 5 years. Since 1995, most had left either a group practice (45%) or a solo practice (41%). The majority of respondents (40%) retired for previously planned or personal reasons. Two thirds of respondents reported that they were more satisfied with retirement than expected. This greater satisfaction was seen in those with a higher average income after retirement. The most common advice for colleagues still practicing was to save more money and invest more money. Conclusions Although these results are biased because of a self‐selected group of respondents, they illustrate that for this group of retired otolaryngologists, although retirement is being planned for, it is not occurring earlier than in previous years. The experience of retirement was largely positive for these respondents.