Agreement: I AgreeBody: Dear Editor, The difficulties of returning to practice identified by Adele Waters (BMJ 2025;390:r857) are not confined to medicine. They are familiar among other professional groups such as nurses and social workers. More thought and practical help are often given to recruitment and to retention. In 2018 we described a pilot return to practice in social work to which we had contributed ,[1] in this we called for greater attention to return to practice and in particular to 'what works'. A strategy to address among return to practice by the NHS' main professions has recently (August 2025) been issued by NHS Employers.[2] Ensuring this is becomes a reality will be important to monitor. References 1 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09503153.2017.1385757 2 https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/return-practice-healthcare-profess... No competing Interests: No competing interestsThe following competing Interests: I have participated in return to practice training for social workers.Electronic Publication Date: Monday, September 29, 2025 - 16:47AI use: No, I have not used AIHighwire Comment Subject: “It was easier to retrain as a teacher than return to work as a doctor”: the struggle of doctors returning to workWorkflow State: ReleasedFull Title: Re: “It was easier to retrain as a teacher than return to work as a doctor”: the struggle of doctors returning to work Highwire Comment Response to: “It was easier to retrain as a teacher than return to work as a doctor”: the struggle of doctors returning to workCheck this box if you would like your letter to appear anonymously:: Last Name: ManthorpeFirst name and middle initial: JillEmail: jill.manthorpe@kcl.ac.ukAddress: London Occupation: Professor EmeritaAffiliation: King's College LondonBMJ: Additional Article Info: Rapid responseTwitter: @jillmanthorpe