Doctors taking lengthy career breaks, returning to work?

[Mithcah]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has ever heard of physicians taking a long break from work (~4-5 years) and then returning to practice? Is it theoretically possible, or is there a time limit for not practicing after which you can't re-certify or return to practice even if you wanted to? If it's possible, what would be the steps a post-residency physician would have to take in order to practice again after such a hiatus?

 

Thanks!

[PhoenixFlare500]

4-5 years is quite a long time to take a break. I've talked to doctors that have taken a year off for some personal time. Depending on what specialty you're in it might be easier to jump back in. Sometimes you can essentially do what a resident would do and buddy up with another doc to sufficiently retrain yourself. I can't comment on the license but I'm guessing if you didn't keep up with your CME you could have issues there.