Bear Mauls Docs' Retirement

In response to a retirement survey administered atthe height of the market bubble, more than half ofthe doctors over age 50 said that they planned toretire or cut back their practice in the next 3 years.Those results don't seem to apply in today's environment,according to Merritt, Hawkins & Associates(www.merritthawkins.com), the physician recruitmentfirm that performed the survey.

Now, according to the company, many doctors arepostponing retirement, citing the slumping stockmarket and a sluggish economy. Some doctors arechanging working conditions, though, to ease thepressure without taking full retirement. Some arecutting the number of hours they put in or scalingback on their on-call duties. Others are getting out ofpartnerships, which relieves them of administrativeand business chores.