Catch the Wave: A Report From the Committee on Late Career and Retired Members

I was taught the practice of medicine and anesthesiology at Maine Medical Center, and along the way I came to love surfing the cool waves of Maine’s rugged coast while helping others surf their dreams. The ability to see and focus on the “right” waves is a key element of surfing. Just as my surfing mentors helped me to “see” the waves, Ken Elmassian, MD, FASA, one of my ASA mentors, helped me understand two important waves washing through ASA’s membership cohorts. The ASA Committee on Membership sponsored the 2019 Survey of Retired Members, which gave a glimpse of the first wave. It turns out that the surf is up!

“While only approximately 1% of attendees at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023 were retired members, nearly 17% were identified as late-career ASA members. Inclusion and enfranchisement of late-career members are deemed crucial to increase participation rates among this cohort.”

Affectionately referred to as the “silver tsunami,” the 60-69 and the 70-plus age cohorts have grown 70.4% and 50.3%, respectively, between 2008 and 2021 (ASA 2021 Member Value and Satisfaction Research, Final Report; 2021). Another way of characterizing the silver tsunami is through the ASA Retired Member cohort, which has grown by 9% over the past four years (ASA 2023 Retired Member Survey, Final Report; 2023).

What is remarkable about the silver tsunami is that these members are the most satisfied and strongest promoters of ASA’s mission, as denoted by their Promoters and Net Promoter Score (NPS) (ASA 2021 Member Value and Satisfaction Research, Final Report; 2021). Additionally, it was found these highly experienced ASA members want opportunities to serve, maintain connections with their ASA community, mentor the next generation, advocate for our specialty, and access quality medical education relevant to their career phase (ASA 2019 Retired Member Survey, Final Report; 2019). It appears that this wave is not merely an age demographic, but a wave of enthusiasm and support for our specialty.

Realizing the importance of this silver tsunami, the ASA Committee on Late Career and Retired Members (CLCRM) was established in 2019 by Beverly Philip, MD, FASA, another of my ASA mentors. Michael Champeau, MD, FASA, and Linda Hertzberg, MD, FASA, were instrumental in moving the ad hoc committee into the standing CLCRM. The CLCRM has been charged with the following activities:

7.1.2.12.3.1. Determine ways late career and retired members can engage and serve ASA, including serving as members on ASA Committees

7.1.2.12.3.2. Develop educational programs, both CME and non-CME, of interest to late career and retired members

7.1.2.12.3.3. Engage late career and retired members in mentorship of early- and mid-career members in topics related to career planning and to retirement

7.1.2.12.3.4. Engage late career and retired members on state and national advocacy issues.

The second wave on the horizon is the early-career cohort, which has more than doubled in the past year (ASA 2023 Retired Member Survey, Final Report; 2023). Demand for anesthesiology residency is at an all-time high. Led by Kraig de Lanzac, MD, FASA, and Ken Moran, MD, FASA, ASA’s Early-Career Membership Program has increased the value proposition of ASA to its newest members. Interestingly, early-career members have expressed the desire for mentorship, and the silver tsunami wave has expressed the desire to mentor. Christine Vo, MD, FASA, is leading an ad hoc committee exploring ways of connecting ASA members through mentorship. Having personally experienced the benefits and importance of ASA mentorship, I believe that connecting the silver tsunami to the early-career wave of ASA members may play a critical role in the future of our specialty and professional society.

The 2021 annual ASA membership survey report demonstrated that late-career and retired members desire meaningful and relevant CME. Rita M. Patel, MD, FASA, is the Education and Outreach Subcommittee Chair. She has organized, coordinated, and, along with various other committee members, presented CME that is relevant to late-career and retired members at the last three ANESTHESIOLOGY annual meetings. These educational activities included mini-theater presentations, panels, Problem-Based Learning Discussions, and interactive tutorials. Lalitha Sundararaman, MBBS, MD, FASA, has joined Dr. Patel as a cochair of the CLCRM Education and Outreach Subcommittee and is spearheading educational articles in the Monitor, podcast presentations, and other publications relevant to late-career and retired members. With the guidance and support of David Martin, MD, FASA, the CLCRM has established a liaison to the Educational Track Subcommittee on Professional Issues within the Committee on Annual Meeting Oversight (AMOC). This liaison’s purpose is to facilitate and advocate for a robust offering of late-career and retired member-focused educational resources at the annual meeting. Andrew Herlich, MD, FASA, Vice Chair of the CLCRM, has served as the first CLCRM representative to the AMOC Educational Track. In addition, the CLCRM has reviewed the annual meeting offerings and “tagged” sessions that may have special appeal to late-career and retired members. Look for the “Late Career” and “Retired Member” hot links when you register for ANESTHESIOLOGY^® 2025 to find all of the CLCRM-sponsored educational offerings.

In an effort to include and recognize late-career and retired members in the ASA community, the Fellow of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (FASA) designation has been modified to allow fully qualified retired members to be eligible. This effort has been led by retired ASA members, and one of the newest FASA designees, Arnold Berry, MD, FASA (see the article by Drs. Berry and de Lanzac in this issue). Currently, 69 retired members have been awarded the FASA designation. If you are a retired member and have been an active member of ASA and a leader in your hospital, group, and community, I encourage you to get the recognition you deserve and apply for FASA designation.

The first task of the CLCRM was to examine the definition of an ASA retired member. We were surprised to find that it contained an attached restriction of greater than 70 years of age. Mark Singleton, MD, FASA, was instrumental in redefining the official definition of an ASA retired member and, most importantly, removing the age discriminator.

While only approximately 1% of attendees at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023 were retired members, nearly 17% were identified as late-career ASA members. Inclusion and enfranchisement of late-career members are deemed crucial to increase participation rates among this cohort. There has been strong interest in retirement-related educational offerings at the annual meetings (sold-out Problem-Based Learning Discussions and interactive workshop sessions, and well-attended panel discussions).

Are you a late-career or retired member who is ready to catch the wave of enthusiasm for our specialty? Connect with your colleagues and help mentor the next generation on ASA Community, our member-exclusive online discussion forum. Advocate for our specialty in your home state and at the ASA LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE, attend CLCRM-sponsored educational and social offerings at ANESTHESIOLOGY 2025, and consider joining the Commitee on Late Career and Retired Members.