- Joined
- Jul 14, 2012
- Messages
- 176
- Reaction score
- 73
**update in post 25!!**
I'm an MS3 who is planning on applying to psychiatry. I'm halfway through my clerkship year and I feel like I've made an educated decision on this. I've had Surgery, Medicine and Psych. Haaaated surgery and medicine. I passed out every time I was in an OR, I literally couldn't handle it! And medicine bored me to tears. But psych...it was like something CLICKED in me. I felt re-energized about medicine, and I actively want to study and read about psych. I woke up everyday happy and ready to go to the hospital, which was not the case for surgery and medicine. I'm very close to my parents and they do help finance my education and living expenses. They are Indian, grew up in India and they are NOT doctors. My dad is an engineer, and my mom is a home-maker.
They (my dad especially) say that:
- "psych isn't real medicine" (this is their BIG argument)
- "obamacare won't cover visits to the psychiatrist so you won't make any money"
- "no one respects psychiatrists"
- "why did i pay all this money for you to become a counselor"
- "all you will be doing is seeing bipolars and schizophrenics for the rest of your life"
- "in america everyone blames depression instead of just telling people to work through their issues"
- "all you do is write a few prescriptions and thats it"
-"psych clerkship was only 6 weeks, how can make such a decision in a short amount of time"
They even had me sit down and talk to their friends who are doctors in other specialties..again all Indians who went to school in India (where there is still a cultural stigma against mental illness). These doctors did give me helpful advice and they mostly said that I should be prepared to be disrespected by some doctors in other fields but at the end of the day I should do what makes me happy.
My parents keep telling me to consider other fields like neurology. They are literally begging me to pick something else. They say I'm being close-minded and not thinking this through carefully. Am I being close-minded? I don't understand how much longer my parents want me to weigh this decision, I have to start getting personal statements and LORs in order too! I mean..it's time for me to set up my 4th year electives, and ERAS opens up in just a few months... Please help. I don't know what to do. I want to be a psychiatrist, I don't care that some people don't see my profession as real. I want to do what makes me happy...but its hard to be happy when the people closest to you don't support your decisions.
I'm an MS3 who is planning on applying to psychiatry. I'm halfway through my clerkship year and I feel like I've made an educated decision on this. I've had Surgery, Medicine and Psych. Haaaated surgery and medicine. I passed out every time I was in an OR, I literally couldn't handle it! And medicine bored me to tears. But psych...it was like something CLICKED in me. I felt re-energized about medicine, and I actively want to study and read about psych. I woke up everyday happy and ready to go to the hospital, which was not the case for surgery and medicine. I'm very close to my parents and they do help finance my education and living expenses. They are Indian, grew up in India and they are NOT doctors. My dad is an engineer, and my mom is a home-maker.
They (my dad especially) say that:
- "psych isn't real medicine" (this is their BIG argument)
- "obamacare won't cover visits to the psychiatrist so you won't make any money"
- "no one respects psychiatrists"
- "why did i pay all this money for you to become a counselor"
- "all you will be doing is seeing bipolars and schizophrenics for the rest of your life"
- "in america everyone blames depression instead of just telling people to work through their issues"
- "all you do is write a few prescriptions and thats it"
-"psych clerkship was only 6 weeks, how can make such a decision in a short amount of time"
They even had me sit down and talk to their friends who are doctors in other specialties..again all Indians who went to school in India (where there is still a cultural stigma against mental illness). These doctors did give me helpful advice and they mostly said that I should be prepared to be disrespected by some doctors in other fields but at the end of the day I should do what makes me happy.
My parents keep telling me to consider other fields like neurology. They are literally begging me to pick something else. They say I'm being close-minded and not thinking this through carefully. Am I being close-minded? I don't understand how much longer my parents want me to weigh this decision, I have to start getting personal statements and LORs in order too! I mean..it's time for me to set up my 4th year electives, and ERAS opens up in just a few months... Please help. I don't know what to do. I want to be a psychiatrist, I don't care that some people don't see my profession as real. I want to do what makes me happy...but its hard to be happy when the people closest to you don't support your decisions.
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