Retirement Policies and Support for Emergency Service Personnel: The Transition to Retirement.
The aim of this study was to explore policies and procedures to support employees who retire from the emergency services. Interviews were conducted with participants who were familiar with existing policies and procedures in a large ambulance (n = 8) and fire (n = 6) service in Ireland. Four key themes were identified: (1) "I don't think it's a job at 65 to be running out on an emergency ambulance"; (2) "They do genuinely feel a wee bit isolated"; (3) improving the "cultural shock"; and (4) "I just keep going and hope for the best". Findings point towards retirement as a major life change and highlight a need for more structured, effective pre-retirement preparation. Factors unique to emergency service personnel include the physical and emotional stress involved in emergency service; a strong identification with the service; and a lack of clarity about rules and entitlements, requiring better information and preparation.
School of Nursing and Midwifery,Trinity College Dublin,The University of Dublin.
Mairéad
M
Bracken-Scally
Department of Psychology,Maynooth University - National University of Ireland Maynooth.
Sinéad
S
McGilloway
Department of Emergency Health Services;University of Maryland,Baltimore County.
Jeffrey T
JT
Mitchell
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007494:Ireland; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012179:Retirement / Q000523:psychology*
adjustement; adjustment; aging; high-risk occupations; politique de la retraite; professions à haut risque; retirement; retirement policy; retirement transition; retraite; transition à la retraite; vieillissment