psychiatrist satisfaction rates

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Bleurberry

Bleurberry

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Alright, so lets have at it. English studies have shown the psychiatrists in Britain are stressed, and moreover, have the highest suicide rates out of all the physician professions. Can some attendings, residents, or students in the "know" share with the forum what inpatient and outpatient/private practice satisfaction rates are here in the US of A, if you've got the info on hand? I was a bit surprised by the study I read, but it cited overworked, young doctors being affected by suicides, etc., but also saying private practice was surprisingly low in satisfaction, too.
 
Attached is a good study.

I think the most important point is made in Table 3 which lists the odds ratio of being "very satisfied" with family medicine being "1". Psychiatry is somewhat below that with an odds ratio of 0.88. Pediatric psych has an odds ratio of 1.03.

Take a look at Table 3 and you'll see that psychiatry is actually one of the most likely specialties to be "very satisfied." This is just an average, and with the right mix of your personality, your expectations, and your practice environment and you could easily be very satisfied doing psych.

I think it's a misconception that psychiatry is depressing. Compared to other fields, I don't find psych depressing that much at all. I've even had several patients suicide when I was a counselor. It was (and continues to be) very difficult to deal with. But suicide is the end result of some serious mental illness. Death is part of medicine.

Not to specialty bash, but consider these fields - why don't people talk about how depressing they are?

ED (dead babies + sleep deprivation)
nephrology (I think the dialysis machine steals parts of people's soul) Pulmonolgy ("The good news is it's not lung cancer. It's idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis." )
Oncology ('nuf said)
ENT (trach care).

I think the people who feel that psych is depressing don't know much about psych or other fields of medicine. I don't find schizophrenia or OCD or major depression to be depressing. They are fascinating medical conditions that lend themselves to palliative treatment with (hopefully) helpful medications.

Getting back to the study, I think it's interesting that some of the most satisfied specialties including geriatric internal medicine, peds, and ID are some of the least well-paid. Some of the highest paying fields are the least likely to be "very satisfied" Optho, GI, ENT, Pulm.

I guess money can't buy you love after all.
 

Attachments

Actually, I take that last statement back.

Table 2 clearly demonstrates that money can buy you love.
 
Another factor is why people went into psych. As several (including myself) have remarked, many people (especially FMGs) don't necessarily get into psych because they enjoy it. If you don't have a passion for what you do, AND the pay isn't the greatest, you're probably going to be less likely to enjoy it.

Example A: FMG tries to get ob/gyn residency three times in a row and fails. FInally gives up and goes psych. Hates his job.

Example B: Doc Samson.

Anything looking at job satisfaction that doesn't look at motivation for choosing the job is going to be flawed. You're better off collecting your own data by talking to psychiatrists and residents who chose psych because they wanted to be psychiatrists.
 
lovepark said:
Alright, so lets have at it. English studies have shown the psychiatrists in Britain are stressed, and moreover, have the highest suicide rates out of all the physician professions.
Click to expand...

Do you have a reference for this? I hear a lot of claims about suicide rates that turn out to be unsubstantiated, and it's a topic of interest to me.

Interestingly, in the only major published study of this, psychiatrists did have the highest divorce rate at 51% (next were surgeons at only 33%):
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/336/11/800
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/1997/MARCH/199703.HTM

I've always wondered how much that study applies to the current population, since much of the data came from older generations.
 
OldPsychDoc said:
Actually, wouldn't the probability be (0.51)^2, about 26%?
Click to expand...

Assuming you were being serious, that would be the probability of not getting divorced. Also assuming you were being serious you cant even make that calculation because the two variables arent indpendent
 
I'm actually quite stressed at my job.

Though my job is out of the ordinary for a psychiatrist. My unit is considered 1 of the toughest 2 units out several units on the hospital. Most at work consider mine the toughest, though there is some occasional debate between which is the toughest.

I get the toughest patients--female forensic patients. Reason why its so tough is aside that they actually really do complain much much more than the male patients (verified by data gathered here), if 2 of them get into a fight and are pretty determined the harm the other, we can't move one of them off to another unit because there is no other female unit in the hospital.

The other units are mostly male or co-ed. If 2 male patients get at it, they are separted & one goes to another unit-so in all, the male units get an equal spread of high maintenance patients-usually 1 or 2 bad ones. Mine has about 8-10 at any given time. We can't move them to the co-ed units because that is only for low maintenance patients--patients who pretty much are stable but cannot be discharged because no disposition was yet found or there's legal bureacracy preventing it.

The other unit that is considered the next toughest (which is also co-ed), well that is reserved for the truly violent/bad attitude/antisocial patients. Darned thing is that we get several of those unit's female patients when they 2 of them get into a fight.

Every single other job I've seen in comparison to this one is a cakewalk.
 
billypilgrim37 said:
That would be awesome if Dwight from the Office were saying it.
Click to expand...

great I just got compared to dwight, not sure if im going to be able to sleep tonight.

atleast its marginally better than getting compared to andy for no other reason than you go to "andy's school"
 
Doc Samson said:
So since I'm married to a psychiatrist, that means it's certain that we're getting divorced... I always was bad a statistics. :laugh:
Click to expand...

It is 100% certain that you will either be divorced or not.
 
I was called Dwight for about a month on my Ortho rotation. Everyone in surgery needed a nickname, and mine was Dwight. 😀
 
chameleonknight said:
I was called Dwight for about a month on my Ortho rotation. Everyone in surgery needed a nickname, and mine was Dwight. 😀
Click to expand...

My nickname on OB/GYN was "Vinnie", my resident felt I needed a "strong Italian name" (I'm Chinese😛). People in the surgical fields are big on giving lower level students nicknames, like in the military.
 
lovepark said:
Alright, so lets have at it. English studies have shown the psychiatrists in Britain are stressed, and moreover, have the highest suicide rates out of all the physician professions. Can some attendings, residents, or students in the "know" share with the forum what inpatient and outpatient/private practice satisfaction rates are here in the US of A, if you've got the info on hand? I was a bit surprised by the study I read, but it cited overworked, young doctors being affected by suicides, etc., but also saying private practice was surprisingly low in satisfaction, too.
Click to expand...

I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
 
OldPsychDoc said:
Aaannd another thread devolves into a flurry of pop cultural references. 😀

Now, THIS, my friends is why we have a high rate of satisfaction! 👍
Click to expand...
LOL, obviously. To much time on our hands to explore these cultural phenomenon.
 
lol

ronin12 said:
I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...
 
ronin12 said:
I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...
Are you Russian or Central/Eastern European by birth? Curious...

Regardless, sorry to hear you're so unhappy...
 
Messerschmitts said:
My nickname on OB/GYN was "Vinnie", my resident felt I needed a "strong Italian name" (I'm Chinese😛). People in the surgical fields are big on giving lower level students nicknames, like in the military.
Click to expand...

In CL fellowship we all got nicknames. Mine was BMP - shorthand for big mean psychiatrist.
 
ronin12 said:
I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...

Two words.

Change Jobs.
 
ronin12 said:
I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...

well ronin, with your permission, how much do u earn?
 
Ronin, it was hilarious.
 
ronin12 said:
I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...

😆
 
ronin12 said:
I am a Psychiatrist in USA and am really stressed 😡. I have horrible working hours as I start seeing patients(30mins session) at 8:30 and see my last one at 3:30 and with 1 to 2 no shows/day. On top of this My hospital wants me to spend 2 hours between 8:30 am to 4:30 Pm for "ADMNIISTRATIVE STUFF" like reurning pt calls , refiling the scripts, getting a lunch and occasional naps" .

My salary is so lousy that I keep on worrying about it while I drive my lousy Acura MDX, As I can not afford to change the model from 2008 to 2009.unfortunately due to poor profession choice I set my family though financial and emotional hardships as my wife's car is also in such shambles as mine.Our Maid have also noticed this in our daily life and have asked us to get professional help.
I have recently contemplated about "hurting myself" while went oversees for a get away to a quite tropical place just to ruminate about all the bad things psychiatry has brought upon me and my family. My wife and kids could not take this torture anymore so they decided not to go with me on my vacation,rather they chose their own oversees destination.

All this has took a heavy toll on my health as I am overwt, so I joined a health fitness center to get help from a personal physical trainer alongwith a dietician to help me regain old happy and glory days when i used to be a common person not a psychiatrist.
Click to expand...
Well, hell... I wanna be unhappy too! 😀

During my interviews, I overheard a conversation between FMGs and they were exchanging tips on how to portray an interest in psych because they were applying to psych as a back-up to IM. But not all FMGs are like that, I met some FMGs that were really passionate about psych too. So I could see how there could be lots of unhappy psychiatrists.
 
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