Specialties

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Hey,

A friend of mine wants to be a doctor. Which residency is the shortest amount of time to complete, cleanest (no guts/blood/less on call/less lawsuits)? Also easiest residency to get into instead of dermatology where it is so competitive.

Psych more or less fits all those prerequisites.

Psychiatrists, what are the pros and cons of it?

Originally Posted by OATAcer

Psychiatrists, what are the pros and cons of it?

Pro: it's not real medicine.
Con: it's not real medicine.

Originally Posted by OATAcer

Psychiatrists, what are the pros and cons of it?

The pros and cons are subjective. Although it's not the shortest residency (4 years vs.3 for IM/peds/FM etc), it's relatively easy to get into, "clean," and after all is said and done the pay is decent. Psychiatry of course isn't for everyone, and it ironically has one of the highest depression rates in physicians (I think). And then there are those (thanks johnny :P) who stigmatize it as fake medicine. But, getting to help people with mental illness can be very gratifying. So there's that.

Psychiatrists get depression? How so?

Originally Posted by johnnydrama

Pro: it's not real medicine.
Con: it's not real medicine.

What is real medicine to you?

Originally Posted by jcu

Psych more or less fits all those prerequisites.

Psych is 4 years.

Something like preventive med or occupation med

I believe both are two year residency following a prelim med internship. No blood, no guts, no call.

Originally Posted by OATAcer

What is real medicine to you?

Being a doctor.

Originally Posted by jdh71

Psych is 4 years.

Something like preventive med or occupation med

I believe both are two year residency following a prelim med internship. No blood, no guts, no call.

Isn't preventative medicine like a MPH?

Originally Posted by OATAcer

Isn't preventative medicine like a MPH?

Preventative medicine is routine healthcare.

Stop smoking.

Don't be so fat all the time.

Put this camera in your butt.

Originally Posted by jdh71

Psych is 4 years.

Something like preventive med or occupation med

I believe both are two year residency following a prelim med internship. No blood, no guts, no call.

I know it's 4 years. It's why I said more or less. And I didn't bring up prev. med. because it involves a prelim year and seems like the OP's friend wouldn't enjoy that.

Originally Posted by OATAcer

Psychiatrists get depression? How so?

The depression rate is comparatively high in all medical specialties, though whether there's a causal relation is up for debate. If within medicine, psych has a higher depression rate, my uneducated guess is that it's probably more a result of people getting interested in mental health based upon previous experience as a patient than a career in psych causing depression (more than any other specialty, anyway).

In seriousness though, your friend probably shouldn't be choosing specialty based upon what's easiest/shortest/cleanest. In the long term, I think you tend to be happier doing what you actually like.

Originally Posted by OATAcer

Isn't preventative medicine like a MPH?

I think a lot of programs offer the option to pick one up at the same time, but it's actually it's own residency.

Originally Posted by QuizzicalApe

Put this camera in your butt.

Sounds like a promising pick up line thanks

Originally Posted by jcu

I know it's 4 years. It's why I said more or less. And I didn't bring up prev. med. because it involves a prelim year and seems like the OP's friend wouldn't enjoy that.

You have to do like 4 months or something of IM or FP (some in and some out patient) + 2 or so months of Neuro as part of the first few years of Psych. So, I do take your points, but would offer than the a year of prelim is not that much more than what psych is going to do anyway, to end up in a residency with one fewer years and never a middle of the night "ZOMG I'm gunnna kill myself (again) faker borderline personality d/o" consult.

Why are you asking so many questions on "your friend's" behalf?

If those are your pre reqs for a job I'd say dont go medicine

Originally Posted by CatFactorial

Why are you asking so many questions on "your friend's" behalf?

Thats my question also.

Originally Posted by OATAcer

Hey,

A friend of mine wants to be a doctor. Which residency is the shortest amount of time to complete, cleanest (no guts/blood/less on call/less lawsuits)? Also easiest residency to get into instead of dermatology where it is so competitive.

I think your friend should be more open-minded about medicine before attempting med school. Shadow docs from several different specialties, at least. The what's the least amount I can do to actually be called a doctor mentality won't sustain one through medical school.

Originally Posted by D elegans

.... The what's the least amount I can do to actually be called a doctor mentality won't sustain one through medical school.

bingo. You are picking a career you will be doing for most of your awake life for the rest of your life. It's not a "rush through a quick residency and get a job" career. If you do medicine you are embarking on a lifelong path of learning and ever increasing expectations. The attitude of "what's the minimum I can do" never serves you well on this path. So go out there and shadow, and figure out if this is something you can see spending most of your life doing. Not look at it as a job you do when you aren't living your life.

Thanks for the responses.