After retiring as chancellor of Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center three years ago, 80-year-old Harold Maurer, MD, returned to work as a part-time pediatrician at the Children's Hospital & Medical Center, also in Omaha, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
Dr. Maurer and his wife, Beverly, attempted a test-run at retirement for two months in 2015, visiting their children and grandchildren in Tampa, Fla. However, Dr. Maurer said he "failed" at it.
"I failed retirement. I don't want my brain to turn to mush," Dr. Maurer told the Omaha World-Herald. "I enjoy seeing patients, and that's why I'm here. You do nothing, you've got a greater chance of developing dementia."
While in Florida, Dr. Maurer made the decision to begin seeing patients for the first time in years. He took a three-day course in Dallas and began following physicians on their rounds at a hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. He went on to observe physicians at Children's Hospital & Medical Center, where he saw patients on a trial basis before winning privileges to see hematology patients, the report states.
Now, Dr. Maurer said he sees roughly one to three patients during his shifts.
Prior to his chancellorship, Dr. Maurer served as dean of medicine at UNMC for five years.