At least 55% of orthopedic surgeons say they plan to retire at least until their mid-60s, according to Medscape’s “Anticipating the Next Stage After Medicine: Medscape Orthopedists and Retirement Report 2025.”
Six notes:
1. Thirty-eight percent of orthopedists surveyed between Oct. 3, 2024 to Jan. 15, 2025, said they hope to retire from medicine in their mid-to-late 60s. Twenty-three percent said they want to retire in their early 60s.
2. About 17% of orthopedists plan to retire in their 70s, and 12% said they hope to retire in their 50s or younger.
3. The top reasons orthopedists want to practice into their mid-60s include wanting to keep contributing as a physician, having a passion for their work and to save more money.
4. The majority of orthopedists (67%) expect to reach their target savings by the time they retire.
5. At the time they took Medscape’s survey, orthopedists on average had $2.9 million saved for retirement.
6. Most orthopedists say they’re some degree of confident their savings will out outlast their family spending. Twenty-four percent were “extremely confident,” 28% were “very confident” and 36% were “somewhat confident.”
