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To get the best of both worlds, work part-time after retirement
An ophthalmologist explains why he decided to start seeing patients again 6 months after leaving the profession.
Working part-time in retirement offers the best of both worlds: freedom and time for hobbies without giving up being a doctor and caring for patients, according to Camille Budo, MD, an OSN Europe Edition Board Member.
“I was happy to retire and never thought that I would miss my patients so much,” he said. “I sat all alone with a full day of free time in front of me — something I had longed for when I was at work — and told myself: What are you doing here? You are doing nothing and yet there is so much you could still do for your patients.”
Budo started his ophthalmology practice in 1976 in Sint-Truiden, a small city situated in the Flemish part of Belgium, close to the Netherlands border. In 2008 his practice was acquired by the University of Maastricht, and in his position of associate professor, Budo was integrated into the Dutch employment system.
“In the Netherlands, you mandatorily retire at the age of 67, and so I left the university and my practice in July 2014. At that time I was happy because I had planned to get involved in a humanitarian project in Congo. But due to the outbreak of Ebola, I was forced to abandon my plans. At the beginning of 2015, Albert Galand asked me to join him in his practice in Liège, and I did not hesitate to accept. I cannot say how happy I was to get back to work. My dear friend and colleague unfortunately passed away at the end of December, but I have continued working half a day, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., mainly clinical work and 1 day of surgery, plus my commitments as medical advisor to Ophtec, and I am very happy,” Budo said.
A happy return
Besides a rewarding professional life, Budo has many interests and hobbies, good friends and a happy family. But days at home, with his wife at work and his son at university, were long.
“I like wines and I like gardening, but in winter, for about 6 months in a year, there is nothing to do in the garden. You imagine the world is different, you can relax, you are free, you can do what you want to do ... but I was not happy. I am a doctor, and a doctor needs his patients,” he said.
When Budo went back to work, everyone else was happier as well. His family and friends had noticed his mood and attitudes had begun to change after retirement, and not for the better, so they were happy to see him get back to his old self.
“Now I have afternoons and evenings for doing other things, like sports, social and cultural activities. But to enjoy them, to have the motivation and energy to do them, I need my work. I need my patients,” he said.
Budo is also back to presenting papers and teaching courses during ophthalmology meetings.
“Something else I missed a lot. The relationship with my colleagues, the exchange of ideas, the internationality, the friendship, being engaged, being on the podium,” he said.
Not all countries in Europe allow working after retirement. In the Netherlands, retired physicians no longer have a license to practice and prescribe medications, while in other countries, such as Belgium, there are no limitations related to age.
“As usual, virtue stands in the middle. We should be able to judge when it’s time to stop doing surgery, for instance. When we are no longer as good as we were 10 years ago, then it’s time to stop. If we don’t realize this by ourselves, someone else should have the courage to tell us. I trust that my wife, who is also my assistant, will do it with me,” Budo said. – by Michela Cimberle
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- Camille Budo, MD, can be reached at Centre d’Ophthalmologie, Rue Bellaire 18B, 4120 Rotheux-Rimière, Neupré, Belgium; email: camille.budo@gmail.com.
Disclosure: Budo reports he is a medical advisor to Ophtec.