[Professional activities and retirement among Norwegian physicians aged 55 years and over]

In a study of professional activity and retirement among 2,117 Norwegian doctors, the mean age of retirement was 68.5 years. It was lower among the younger doctors in the study group (those 70-74 years of age compared to those 80-84 years), and among female doctors, psychiatrists and doctors with impaired health, but was higher among doctors in the primary health service. Under the current pension scheme, the preferred age of retirement among those still working was on average 67.3 years, but was 65.1 if early retirement would not involve a reduced pension. It was lower among the youngest doctors, females, doctors who were frequently on duty, doctors in the primary health service, surgeons and doctors with impaired health. A reduction in the mean retirement age from 67 to 65 years would mean 300 fewer working doctors (i.e. 2% of the work force) by year 2003. Retired doctors considered the present age limit (75 years) of the medical license to be too low, while working doctors accepted it.