Physician Retirement Emotional Preparedness Program (PREPP)
Doctor, Are You PREPP-ed for Retirement?
WHO AM I?
After being a physician for 40 years, I knew the time had come for me to retire. It was unquestionably the most significant and emotionally arduous decision that I made in my career as a physician. Having learned about the sometimes-tragic retirements of others in our profession, I chose to read extensively to research this topic to avoid the loss of professional identity, purpose, and meaning that seemed to occur with alarming frequency when physicians retired.
Despite my knowledge of the potential negative consequences of physician retirement and my proactive efforts to avoid them, I experienced, rather unexpectedly, a professional identity crisis, which worsened into an existential crisis. I felt worthless. I was lost and adrift in a sea of loss and grief, as I questioned my very existence. Knowledge, without support and structure to build a new life, was simply not enough.
I chose to make a change in trajectory and decided to pursue rigorous training as a physician coach, and along with engaging a physician coach for myself, I completed a successful journey into retirement and beyond to the next chapter of my life. I now have a new identity and a renewed sense of professional fulfillment. This process changed my life. Consequently, I developed the Physician Retirement Emotional Preparedness Program (PREPP), incorporating all that I have learned during my own journey, to assist other physicians in embracing the next chapter in their lives with clarity, confidence, and control.
Dr. Joseph M. Kaczmarczyk is a retired osteopathic physician (DO) who is board-certified in three specialties and holds three master’s degrees. Following a 23-year career in the US Public Health Service, he had a distinguished career in academic medicine, including being the Interim Dean of a college of osteopathic medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Kaczmarczyk received numerous prestigious awards, such as the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO) Lifetime Achievement Award, and retired in July 2022.
Whom is it NOT for?
This program is for physicians who are contemplating, planning, or beginning retirement but are struggling with the emotional aspects of retirement, including the fear of the loss of professional identity.
Whom is it NOT for?
This program is not for:
Physicians who are retiring from a position and moving into another position that will maintain their current professional identity.
Physicians who are retiring from a position and moving into another position that will provide a new professional identity.
Physicians who are transitioning into one or more post-retirement roles that otherwise will provide purpose and/or meaning to their lives.
MODULE ONE
Initial Assessment
📊 OUTCOME
• Self-assess your current position.
• Identify your stage of change.
• Establish the starting point of your retirement emotional journey.
Description
Approaching retirement can be a challenging time. Our identities are so attached to our roles as physicians that we can wonder who we are to become when that identity has gone.
In this module, you will assess all areas of your life and create a baseline profile of yourself to set you up for a new purpose.
MODULE TWO
Mindset and Grit
📊 OUTCOME
• Explore the benefits of a growth mindset.
• Understand GRIT.
• Identify how they work in congruence.
🗃️ Description
Approaching retirement can be a challenging time. Our identities are so attached to our roles as physicians that we can wonder who we are to become when that identity has gone.
In this module, you will assess all areas of your life and create a baseline profile of yourself to set you up for a new purpose.
MODULE THREE
Professional Identity Crisis
📊 OUTCOME
• Gain clarity on what identity is.
• Explore your current identity.
• Craft your new identity.
🗃️ Description
Identity is a powerful force in our lives; however, we seldom explore this topic. In this module, you will delve into the subject of identity, what it is, and what it isn’t to help you be the creator of your own future identity.
MODULE FOUR
Ambiguity, Uncertainty, and Change
📊 OUTCOME
• Identify, organize, and manage your priorities.
• Reduce ambiguity and uncertainty with scenario planning.
• Manage change with models of change management.
🗃️ Description
As professionals, we have a certain amount of control and certainty in our working lives. In this module, you will become increasingly more comfortable with ambiguity, uncertainty, and change.
MODULE FIVE
New Sources of Purpose and Meaning
📊 OUTCOME
• Identify what provides you with a sense of purpose and meaning.
• Understand how and why these activities are sources of purpose and meaning.
• Use the GROW Model to plan and pursue opportunities for purpose and meaning.
🗃️ Description
Feeling that loss of identity when we retire is common, and we may be uncertain about what life has in store for us. In this module, you will understand how and why you derive a sense of purpose and meaning to pursue a new identity.
MODULE SIX
Transition
📊 OUTCOME
• Identify what you are losing and learn how to manage these losses.
• Recognize the old is gone and the new is not fully established yet.
• Establish new roles, understand their purpose, and how to contribute effectively.
🗃️ Description
Any sort of loss can derail us and exploring these losses can help us move forward. In this module, you will use Bridges Transition Model to facilitate an effective transition to a new identity.
MODULE SEVEN
Progress Assessment
📊 OUTCOME
• Reassess your life at this time.
• Identify your current stage of change.
• Understand how far you have traveled on your retirement emotional journey.
🗃️ Description
Looking back on how far you have come is incredibly reassuring. In this module, you will ascertain and document your progress since the initial assessment of your physician’s emotional retirement journey.