Psychiatry rotation

This sounds like a pretty bad experience, IMO - in our psych rotation, we followed inpatients by ourselves, did H&Ps for new admits and wrote the admission notes, worked up patients in the ER, *ran* a few group sessions (after instruction by the attending, of course), and even had the chance to practice drawing blood (we were able to do the weekly labs for patients on the inpatient floor). There's no reason that you should have so little patient contact in psych - in fact, psych is one of the few rotations in which you can made a difference as a third year, b/c just talking to the patients, i.e., supportive therapy, is a method of treatment.

I'd ask the psychiatrists/ residents if you could be more involved, and if you don't get any favorable responses, maybe talk to the course director and see if there's any way to improve the structure of the rotation.

Chisel said:

I am currently on a Psych rotation and I feel totally useless!!!!

Click to expand...

That's how most psychiatrists feel too. Or at least should.

If there was ever a profession not requiring a medical education...

I think your experience thus far is typical of psych. My psych rotation blew. I was very restless and felt useless too. The most exciting thing i did was have a 9 year old draw a picture of a house, tree, person. And the psych experts decided he was psychotic and not loved because the tree didn't have many branches.......
Unless you want to become a psychiatrist, I say kick your feet up and get solitaire or billiards on your Palm.

Sounds like your rotation sucks. On our inpatient rotation (which is what I'm doing now), we do the initial interview for patients sent up from the psych ER, follow them while they are on the ward, work with the social worker to get them support after they are discharged, call families, etc. On rounds the attending asks us what we think and actually listens. It's my favorite rotation so far 🙂

Sorry your experience blows. Maybe you can ask one of the residents if you can do a patient interview while he/she watches, then maybe they will let you do them on your own if they see you are competent and interested...

Try doing psych consults. Ha Ha. You'll find the experience is the exact opposite.