WHAT do doctors think about when they retire? An unrewarding question, of course, because one's state of mind after retirement depends on a myriad of circumstances — expectations, health or illness, personal interests and even family concentrations, such as grandparenting. But I would guarantee that, at some moment, every recently retired doctor reflects sadly on the fading of his or her professional attributes. One example is the fairly rapid fall-off of clinical memory (for example, recalling the names and doses of commonly used medicines). Another is the slow erosion of respect for one's abilities — I refer to the hurt looks of friends and family who now realise they can no longer reliably turn to you for expert advice.
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