Bored of making alot of money?

[michaelrack]

Also, this is true in other specialties as well....and while salaries do in fact differ by region in many cases, you don't see endocrinologists in texas saying "you guys in Ohio are practicing a completely different type of endo than us here".....

You have more recent experience with private practice psychiatry than I do, so I will take your word for it.
Regional Insurance variation does significantly affect some specialties- sleep medicine for example. Sleep is practiced a lot differently in different parts of the country, especially when it comes to home testing. I won't bore you with the details.

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[vistaril]

It may be ridiculous, but when so many of us point out that our friends are taking jobs that don't sound anything like what you describe, we're not making it up. I have no doubt that you're describing a sizable chunk of the psychiatric practice environment, but the idea that there isn't room for creativity when there are stake holders other than just private insurance doesn't fit with some of our experiences. Come visit a blue state sometime! It might do you some good.

of course there are jobs like the ones you took here....that isn't unique to only certain states. If I was a graduating child fellow I could pick between a salaried academic job with a 'team approach'(I cant walk through those units without running into a billion different people with different titles), a salaried partially govt funded agency job with a 'team approach'(but less support probably), a pp outpt job.

And I had academic offers as well....it just isn't the type of career I want to pursue.

But everywhere in the US once you get out of academic centers(and excluding cash pay which isn't very big in adult circles in most areas), you have the same factors at work in adult psychiatry which lead to the same type of practices. If I moved to california next year and took an inpatient job as a psychiatric hospitalist working for a 32 bed inpatient unit with 2 guys each managing a 16 pt load, that's going to pretty darn similar if I took the same position in Maryland somewhere. I guess your more hispanics spanish speaking only patients in California. but the day to day work is going to be the same. The medications aren't going to suddenly start working any better or worse. Administrators in both states are both going to be on your ass to discharge that admit when he no longer meets criteria for admission on day 4 and they want the bed open.

I didn't just look at a few places. Because of my fiance we had to take a broader approach. All the jobs around the country seemed to be within the same basic framework. The academic jobs in various areas of the country don't seem that different either after you account for how big and well funded(or small and poorly funded) a dept is and pair it up with a comparable dept in size/scope/research/mission in another area of the country.

 

[vistaril]

True, but some studies suggest the quality of care is best in the Northeast and Midwest while the south suffers. I believe this was done by the Commonwealth fund.

Politics, aside, your statement is correct.

studies can suggest the quality of everything(food, obesity rates, gas mileage, designer contacts) is better if you want it to.....also the job market in the midwest and southeast is for the much part similar vs that of the northeast and west coast.

Where can psychiatry does have the potential to be more 'different' is with cash pay therapy practices and boutique practices, and I have no doubt whatsoever these are much more common in new york, boston, washington dc suburbs, san fran, LA, etc than most of the non-california south and most of the midwest. But the % of these practices even in places like Boston is a small total % of the pt encounters that occur in psychiatry each day. And if you aren't a cash pay psychiatrist and you're seeing patients 45 minutes from boston in massachusetts, you're working under the same basic principles as a psychiatrist doing the exact same thing in Tallahassee, Fl. There is absolutely no getting around that very basic fact. The weather may be a little different, the rvu rate for medicare(if you are inpt, select most popuplar insurer in area if you are outpt) may be 10% different or whatever, the patients may have a little different tint to their skin.....but that's really it.

 

[vistaril]

You have more recent experience with private practice psychiatry than I do, so I will take your word for it.
Regional Insurance variation does significantly affect some specialties- sleep medicine for example. Sleep is practiced a lot differently in different parts of the country, especially when it comes to home testing. I won't bore you with the details.

But surely you would agree sleep is a unique field in a lot of ways.....I don't think it's a great analogy to compare a whole specialty to sleep medicine.

You're an internist as well, so think about it this way- is hospitalist medicine really that much different in different areas of the country? not in things like pay, but in the very way and structure of the field. My guess is no and that what a hospitalist in Massachusetts does looks a heck of a lot what a hospitalist in florida does.

 

[F0nzie]

Gettin' alot of flak from friends and family about going part time. Basically that I am ******ed for "throwing money away". Friends are like "dude work one extra day so you can go on a trip every weekend" or "dude stop being so lazy" or "dude you'll have no savings for retirement" or "dude what's the point of having so much free time- you're gonna get bored". Parents are like "why only work 2 days?" And I'm like "5 day weekend". And they're like "..." Like they can't understand why anybody would want a 5 day weekend every weekend.

 

[vistaril]

Gettin' alot of flak from friends and family about going part time. Basically that I am ******ed for "throwing money away". Friends are like "dude work one extra day so you can go on a trip every weekend" or "dude stop being so lazy" or "dude you'll have no savings for retirement" or "dude what's the point of having so much free time- you're gonna get bored". Parents are like "why only work 2 days?" And I'm like "5 day weekend". And they're like "..." Like they can't understand why anybody would want a 5 day weekend every weekend.

I'm planning on working full time(actually will probably average about 48-50 hrs/week) because I don't mind the job.....my schedule will give me plenty of time to do other things with that schedule, and that provides a good balance. I wouldnt want to work 65-70 hrs/week because then their wouldnt be enough time for entertainment and rest.

If I were only working 16-20 hrs a week, I don't know what i would do with all the extra time. All that extra time just wouldnt be as enjoyable I think under a more normal work schedule.

That said, if I disliked the sort of jobs I will take and dreaded being there I probably would work just 16-20 hrs a week.

 

[F0nzie]

I absolutely love my job in case anybody was wondering. I also love riding my motorcycle but I wouldn't ride it 50 hours a week just for fun or because I didn't have anything else to do. Working part time gives me double the salary of your average american household...and 3-4x what a single american makes working 40 hours a week.

 

[shan564]

I also love riding my motorcycle but I wouldn't ride it 50 hours a week just for fun or because I didn't have anything else to do.

The real Fonzie would.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

The real Fonzie would.

Thread ends here.

 

[billypilgrim37]

He says he's in a top northeast program. He is in a blue state by default. THere are only 2 places that are not exclusively blue, New Hampshire and Litchfield County, CT

By top, he means "top 50," and by northeast, he means "northeast of Mexico."

 

[DOC PENGUIN]

By top, he means "top 50," and by northeast, he means "northeast of Mexico."

Thats Still Pretty good. And Mexican healthcare is not the nightmare that people suggest it is.

 

[F0nzie]

The real Fonzie would.

Nice! We need more humor like this on these message boards

 

[TexasPhysician]

oh no that has little to do with my own situation.....I'd be curious to know where all these non-academic non-state mental health affiliated(where you are basically triaging admissions...call it a psych ER if you want I guess) emergency room jobs are for psychiatrists.....I've probably gotten 100 mass mailing type job offers in the last 50 days, and I can't recall one that was for a psychiatrist working out of the emergency room. but if you do know of such a job opening feel free to provide a link for the op.

The reason you don't see them is because you aren't searching and most ER's give up trying to find someone.

A guy I know contacted a local ER and offered to basically be on-call for ER consults 24/7 almost year round. It's a small ER and the docs there handle simple psych stuff. About 1-2x/month, he goes in to see a patient. The pay is roughly 1k/month. There was no job posting. There is no psych staff in the hospital. The guy wanted extra pay and wanted to do some ER stuff.

I've actually talked to a couple rural county mental health directors who beg for a doc willing to be available 24/7 to handle psych emergencies. The problem is that the area can only support 1-2 psych docs, and the centers can only afford to pay per patient (not per call shift). Their volume is low or non existent most nights. The docs there refuse to take q2 call. I would too.

The fix for this recently has been a move towards telepsychiatry for ER's and rural psych centers. South Carolina has begun adding telepsych to all 60 something ER's in the state. It has proven to decrease costs and hospital stays. Other states are slowly inching forward with this. One psychiatrist will take telepsych night float for many ER's at once. This shares the cost. Again, you have to find psychiatrists willing to work night shifts for less than cash-only pp pay and "grinding pay" jobs as you call it. Few psych docs want to take night float and handle admissions via telepsych.

The problem is never - how do I find ER jobs? It IS that so few psych docs are willing to bother..

 

[F0nzie]

I can see how ED's do not advertise for psychiatrists. If nobody is going to bite, there is no sense in putting out any bait.

You have a shortage of psychiatrists that can cherry pick their schedules and get better hourly rates elsewhere. ED's can also hire social workers at a lower rate.

 

[michaelrack]

The problem is never - how do I find ER jobs? It IS that so few psych docs are willing to bother..

The positions you are describing don't sound like very good jobs, it sounds like charity provided by the psychiatrist. When Vistaril mentions ER jobs, I think he means an ER position for a psychiatrist that pays more than peanuts.

 

[nancysinatra]

this is true for certain things...I think it would probably be difficult to be a 2 day a week CT surgeon for example(although Im sure one exists somewhere). But that's a silly example anyways I just picked because nobody debates between being a CT surgeon and a psychiatrist

I did, along with a couple other things. That life would have been hell of course. I complain a lot about my life now but I'd sure be complaining even more if I'd gone down that road. Although after working one singe day as a CT surgeon I'd probably pay off my loans and be well enough off to retire so who knows... I could have just "audited" some psychiatry residency program and done all this for fun.

 

[kindasorta]

I did, along with a couple other things. That life would have been hell of course. I complain a lot about my life now but I'd sure be complaining even more if I'd gone down that road. Although after working one singe day as a CT surgeon I'd probably pay off my loans and be well enough off to retire so who knows... I could have just "audited" some psychiatry residency program and done all this for fun.

I wouldn't be so sure. CT surgeons have a hard time finding work and when they do average salaries hovered around 200k. Absolutely wild given the road they have to walk.

http://ats.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/78/5/1523

 

[vistaril]

I wouldn't be so sure. CT surgeons have a hard time finding work and when they do average salaries hovered around 200k. Absolutely wild given the road they have to walk.
]

lol....this is the funniest thing I've read in a while. Yes, there are bunches of CT surgeons making the same thing as psychiatrists and family medicine outpt docs. They also mostly drive toyotta corrolas.

 

[vistaril]

I did, along with a couple other things. That life would have been hell of course. I complain a lot about my life now but I'd sure be complaining even more if I'd gone down that road. Although after working one singe day as a CT surgeon I'd probably pay off my loans and be well enough off to retire so who knows... I could have just "audited" some psychiatry residency program and done all this for fun.

yes, but you are in the minority in that you lament the lack of medicine in psychiatry. You want to do LPs, learn how to understand and read imaging, manage hospitalist type medical issues on wards, etc......most psychiatrists arent of that mindset.

 

[DOC PENGUIN]

yes, but you are in the minority in that you lament the lack of medicine in psychiatry. You want to do LPs, learn how to understand and read imaging, manage hospitalist type medical issues on wards, etc......most psychiatrists arent of that mindset.

Which is great, that means you are a team player. But how do you know it is "most." Thats overgeneralization. Nevermind, how does one become what you are doing.

 

[notdeadyet]

lol....this is the funniest thing I've read in a while. Yes, there are bunches of CT surgeons making the same thing as psychiatrists and family medicine outpt docs. They also mostly drive toyotta corrolas.

Ugh, Vistaril, this is why folks can't take what you say very seriously or trust your advice. Your approach to someone who says something you disagree with is almost always the same. I think of it as the Vistaril Two Step:

1. "LOL... ha ha ha... that's so funny... you're a *****..."
Though you likely do this because putting other people down make you feel superior, it doesn't really do much for creating dialogue, on the off-chance you're actually trying to communicate rather than chest-beat.

2. Take what someone says and expand, exaggerate, and twist it around until it is not at all what they said.
When you do this, it makes readers wonder if you're intentionally mis-stating what someone said (implying you're being untruthful) or legitimately have no clue what someone is saying (implying you have difficulties with interpretation). Either way, by doing this, when you state things as fact, it makes it very hard to take what you say seriously, because we're left wondering if you're lying or are clueless.

Whether CT is in trouble or not is debatable. But kindasorta's observation that thing are not bright in CT-land is hardly controversial. In fact, the link s/he provided does indicate that the average job offer to recent grads is $205K. Which is exactly what kindasorta said, rather than make some statement about the car they drive (and if you think $205K per annum limits you to Toyota Corolla land even with loan payments, think again).

Rather than the superior belittling, twisting, and mistating (the Two Step) that you went with, you could have actually responded in a way that indicates you actually a) understood what was said but b) disagreed with what was said. When you do this, people will listen and take you seriously. But with the Two Step, you give growing evidence that you can't be trusted or taken seriously.

Just a thought...

 

[vistaril]

A guy I know contacted a local ER and offered to basically be on-call for ER consults 24/7 almost year round. It's a small ER and the docs there handle simple psych stuff. About 1-2x/month, he goes in to see a patient. The pay is roughly 1k/month. ..

well gosh.....you mean for 30ish dollars a day I can have my pager on 24/7? where do I sign up??

I don't doubt that such arrrangements are possible....but this isn't a 'job' in any sense. I think the OP asked about real jobs....ie where a psychiatrist is being paid on salary or by the hour to be inhouse triaging/assessing psych patients in an emergency room.

 

[vistaril]

The positions you are describing don't sound like very good jobs, it sounds like charity provided by the psychiatrist. When Vistaril mentions ER jobs, I think he means an ER position for a psychiatrist that pays more than peanuts.

exactly....I don't doubt that I can go to busy community ER's with attached community hospitals and say "hey guys, here is my cell pager#. I'll have it on 24/7 from now on. When you have psych patients that roll in and need assessment or dispo, I'll be your go to guy. I'll get them dispo'd and out of your ER with followup. I realize that it's going to be impossible in most cases for me to bill/collect from the patient for these consults due to a number of obvious factors, but I'll be happy to be on call all the time and see them if you give a small stipend of about 1000 dollars a month".......Heck if I did that the ER would probably send one of the social workers they contract out with to come assess me for possible involuntary committment.

 

[vistaril]

Ugh, Vistaril, this is why folks can't take what you say very seriously or trust your advice. Your approach to someone who says something you disagree with is almost always the same. I think of it as the Vistaril Two Step:

1. "LOL... ha ha ha... that's so funny... you're a *****..."
Though you likely do this because putting other people down make you feel superior, it doesn't really do much for creating dialogue, on the off-chance you're actually trying to communicate rather than chest-beat.

2. Take what someone says and expand, exaggerate, and twist it around until it is not at all what they said.
When you do this, it makes readers wonder if you're intentionally mis-stating what someone said (implying you're being untruthful) or legitimately have no clue what someone is saying (implying you have difficulties with interpretation). Either way, by doing this, when you state things as fact, it makes it very hard to take what you say seriously, because we're left wondering if you're lying or are clueless.

Whether CT is in trouble or not is debatable. But kindasorta's observation that thing are not bright in CT-land is hardly controversial. In fact, the link s/he provided does indicate that the average job offer to recent grads is $205K. Which is exactly what kindasorta said, rather than make some statement about the car they drive (and if you think $205K per annum limits you to Toyota Corolla land even with loan payments, think again).

Rather than the superior belittling, twisting, and mistating (the Two Step) that you went with, you could have actually responded in a way that indicates you actually a) understood what was said but b) disagreed with what was said. When you do this, people will listen and take you seriously. But with the Two Step, you give growing evidence that you can't be trusted or taken seriously.

Just a thought...

lol....some things are so ridiculous at face value that a little sarcasm is indicated. CT surgeons do not make 205,000 dollars. Their stipend from the tertiary care level hospitals that need their services, apart from any individual professional fees they collect from the surgeries and care they provide, is often far in excess of that number.....

CT surgeons have villas in France and stuff. They are about as relevant to the day to day activities of our field as Kate Upton's daily schedule is to mine.

 

[DOC PENGUIN]

lol....some things are so ridiculous at face value that a little sarcasm is indicated. CT surgeons do not make 205,000 dollars. Their stipend from the tertiary care level hospitals that need their services, apart from any individual professional fees they collect from the surgeries and care they provide, is often far in excess of that number.....

CT surgeons have villas in France and stuff. They are about as relevant to the day to day activities of our field as Kate Upton's daily schedule is to mine.

I'd take her advice. Really.

 

[notdeadyet]

lol....some things are so ridiculous at face value that a little sarcasm is indicated.

Source? "Face value" is often another way of saying "I think but don't know." If you have any actual evidence of different salaries/incomes, that would be helpful. Otherwise, this is another two step and I'll go with the salary surveys of actual CT surgeons rather than the annedotes of a psychiatrist with no involvement in the field.

CT surgeons have villas in France and stuff.

I worry this is your impression of evidence.

Due to actual encroachment, new technology, and reduced need for services, many folks in CT are worried about potential in their field and salaries have been declining. Salary surveys reflect this. I wouldn't be surprised if CT surgeons have "villas in France and stuff." They were on a gravy train at one point. There's just not as much gravy now.

 

[LimbicResponse]

A pretty terrible combination of psych pathology is Intellectual Disability (DSM V) with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Tough to treat...

 

[vistaril]

Source? "Face value" is often another way of saying "I think but don't know." If you have any actual evidence of different salaries/incomes, that would be helpful. Otherwise, this is another two step and I'll go with the salary surveys of actual CT surgeons rather than the annedotes of a psychiatrist with no involvement in the field.

I worry this is your impression of evidence.

Due to actual encroachment, new technology, and reduced need for services, many folks in CT are worried about potential in their field and salaries have been declining. Salary surveys reflect this. I wouldn't be surprised if CT surgeons have "villas in France and stuff." They were on a gravy train at one point. There's just not as much gravy now.

well I don't want this to turn into a discussion about the average salary of CT surgeons, but AGMA survery most recently had CT surgeon average at 533......

it may be harder to make 7 figures as a CT surgeon that it was, but it is still possible.

Furthermore, what you don't seem to understand is that reimbursement is only one part of what drives the salary of a CT surgeon. Despite all the things you mention, CABG and other CT surgeries are still going to need to be done...and they are going to need to be done by CT surgeons. Hospitals who want to maintain certain levels of care/services thus are going to have to have them. So that's always going to drive salaries.

I mean sheeesh....CT surgeons(and neurosurgeons) are at the top of the health care pyramid. These people have true midlevels working for them as secretaries(cardiac NPs and PAs basically scheduling patients and doing pt education and applying for reimbursements and enrolling pts in studies) whereas they consider hospitalists and even cardiologists in some cases 'midlevels'......it's just a completely different perspective.

 

[DOC PENGUIN]

well I don't want this to turn into a discussion about the average salary of CT surgeons, but AGMA survery most recently had CT surgeon average at 533......

it may be harder to make 7 figures as a CT surgeon that it was, but it is still possible.

Furthermore, what you don't seem to understand is that reimbursement is only one part of what drives the salary of a CT surgeon. Despite all the things you mention, CABG and other CT surgeries are still going to need to be done...and they are going to need to be done by CT surgeons. Hospitals who want to maintain certain levels of care/services thus are going to have to have them. So that's always going to drive salaries.

I mean sheeesh....CT surgeons(and neurosurgeons) are at the top of the health care pyramid. These people have true midlevels working for them as secretaries(cardiac NPs and PAs basically scheduling patients and doing pt education and applying for reimbursements and enrolling pts in studies) whereas they consider hospitalists and even cardiologists in some cases 'midlevels'......it's just a completely different perspective.

Yes. I think she knows that already. Her point is, it is now harder to get as much gravy as they have mustered before.

 

[notdeadyet]

well I don't want this to turn into a discussion about the average salary of CT surgeons, but AGMA survery most recently had CT surgeon average at 533......

Well, we agree on that. I can't imagine something I have less vested interest in than what a CT Surgeon makes.

That said, if memory serves, the AGMA survey gives medians of the fields as a whole, no? So $533K median could make sense if the old timers are pulling in the big bucks and while the new offers are in the $205K range (as per kindasorta's article) due to the field's limitations and decline.

I have no interest in debate. The point is that if nothing else, this is why "lol... funniest thing I've ever heard..." makes it sound like you don't know what you're talking about. You've said nothing to refute kindasorta's point. If you try actually communicating with people instead of trying so hard to be right, you might find more folks willing to talk with you instead of running.

 

[vistaril]

. If you try actually communicating with people instead of trying so hard to be right, you might find more folks willing to talk with you instead of running.

lol...my communication skills are just fine. As to your last point, I'm not worried about this in the least, but thanks for your concern.

 

[kindasorta]

lol....this is the funniest thing I've read in a while. Yes, there are bunches of CT surgeons making the same thing as psychiatrists and family medicine outpt docs. They also mostly drive toyotta corrolas.

You clearly haven't explored the current state of CT surgery. Many CT surgeons have to do super-fellowships because they can't find a job. Only to still end up practicing general surgery in many cases. Your 1980's notion of them making 800k is very antiquated. 200k is average btw. Head over to the CT forum and you'll see a lot of talk of people making 130-150k because they're forced into academic positions because of the dire PP market.

 

[Silent Cool]

You clearly haven't explored the current state of CT surgery. Many CT surgeons have to do super-fellowships because they can't find a job. Only to still end up practicing general surgery in many cases. Your 1980's notion of them making 800k is very antiquated. 200k is average btw. Head over to the CT forum and you'll see a lot of talk of people making 130-150k because they're forced into academic positions because of the dire PP market.

Yup, that's pretty much what I've heard.

 

[nancysinatra]

I have an idea. Let's take our discussion about CT surgery vs psychiatry earning potential over to the CT surgeon forum, and see what they have to say? Let's just transport the whole thread.

Those of you who have contributed thus far, are you up for it?

And let's also talk about the "impressiveness potential" of our fields. This has nothing whatsoever to do with stigma, and only to do with sheer amazement. Say you're sitting on an airplane and the person next to you says they're a doctor, and then you ask what kind. Ok which is more impressive:

"I'm a heart surgeon."

"I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist*" (the most highly trained sub-specialty in psychiatry and thus our equivalent to CT surgery)

Look I'm glad I'm not a surgery PGY III (which is where I'd be right now after scrambling into some surgery prelim and starting from scratch the next year) with 2-4 more years to go and then contemplating a grueling fellowship afterwards. But if that was my life, it would have its perks.

 

[nancysinatra]

Source? "Face value" is often another way of saying "I think but don't know." If you have any actual evidence of different salaries/incomes, that would be helpful. Otherwise, this is another two step and I'll go with the salary surveys of actual CT surgeons rather than the annedotes of a psychiatrist with no involvement in the field.

I worry this is your impression of evidence.

Due to actual encroachment, new technology, and reduced need for services, many folks in CT are worried about potential in their field and salaries have been declining. Salary surveys reflect this. I wouldn't be surprised if CT surgeons have "villas in France and stuff." They were on a gravy train at one point. There's just not as much gravy now.

Well then, due to the encroachment of midlevels, psychiatrists also have things to worry about. Reduced need for services won't likely be one of them, but reduced reimbursement for services might be.

Now, granted, the encroachment of "new technology" on our field is not something we need to be terribly worried about. When's the last time you saw a game-changing "technological advance" in psychiatry?

Psychiatrists were never on a gravy train. The fact that CT surgeons used to be and might not be now doesn't make psychiatry earning potential superior to CT surgery. All the same, CT surgeons make sacrifices that we don't have to, and that's it's own trade off. But at least be realistic.

 

[BS81]

I have an idea. Let's take our discussion about CT surgery vs psychiatry earning potential over to the CT surgeon forum, and see what they have to say? Let's just transport the whole thread.

Those of you who have contributed thus far, are you up for it?

And let's also talk about the "impressiveness potential" of our fields. This has nothing whatsoever to do with stigma, and only to do with sheer amazement. Say you're sitting on an airplane and the person next to you says they're a doctor, and then you ask what kind. Ok which is more impressive:

"I'm a heart surgeon."

"I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist*" (the most highly trained sub-specialty in psychiatry and thus our equivalent to CT surgery)

Look I'm glad I'm not a surgery PGY III (which is where I'd be right now after scrambling into some surgery prelim and starting from scratch the next year) with 2-4 more years to go and then contemplating a grueling fellowship afterwards. But if that was my life, it would have its perks.

I'd be more impressed with "I'm an astronaut." There's always going to be someone more impressive than you. When do you decide that it's not worth going up the "prestige" ladder anymore?

 

[nancysinatra]

When do you decide that it's not worth going up the "prestige" ladder anymore?

Up? Who around here is going up? Name someone!

 

[PrideNeverDie]

I have an idea. Let's take our discussion about CT surgery vs psychiatry earning potential over to the CT surgeon forum, and see what they have to say? Let's just transport the whole thread.

Those of you who have contributed thus far, are you up for it?

And let's also talk about the "impressiveness potential" of our fields. This has nothing whatsoever to do with stigma, and only to do with sheer amazement. Say you're sitting on an airplane and the person next to you says they're a doctor, and then you ask what kind. Ok which is more impressive:

"I'm a heart surgeon."

"I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist*" (the most highly trained sub-specialty in psychiatry and thus our equivalent to CT surgery)

Look I'm glad I'm not a surgery PGY III (which is where I'd be right now after scrambling into some surgery prelim and starting from scratch the next year) with 2-4 more years to go and then contemplating a grueling fellowship afterwards. But if that was my life, it would have its perks.

the public sees us as crooks in bed with big pharma anyways

 

[michaelrack]

Up? Who around here is going up? Name someone!

I humbly submit myself

 

[michaelrack]

"I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist*" (the most highly trained sub-specialty in psychiatry and thus our equivalent to CT surgery)

.

I think it would be more prestigious for a psychiatrist to be trained in pain, neurophysiology, or sleep (although I admit that the # of psychs trained in pain or neurophys is probably minimal)

 

[michaelrack]

Say you're sitting on an airplane and the person next to you says they're a doctor, and then you ask what kind. Ok which is more impressive:

"I'm a heart surgeon."

"I'm a child and adolescent psychiatrist*" (the most highly trained sub-specialty in psychiatry and thus our equivalent to CT surgery)
.

I get asked this question a lot (I fly a lot)- not by the person sitting next to me, but by the flight attendant when several people are rushing towards a passenger in medical distress. If I am not the only doc on board, I answer psychiatrist so other more qualified docs can handle the medical emergency. If I am the only doc, I say something like "I'm a sleep specialist who previously trained in internal medicine" - my aim is to instill some confidence but not oversell my skills.

But to answer your original question, I think being any type of surgeon is impressive. Personally, I am most impressed by general surgeons. I am in awe of the hardships the typical GS has undergone during training, as well as the dedication of the typical GS

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I get asked this question a lot (I fly a lot)- not by the person sitting next to me, but by the flight attendant when several people are rushing towards a passenger in medical distress. If I am not the only doc on board, I answer psychiatrist so other more qualified docs can handle the medical emergency. If I am the only doc, I say something like "I'm a sleep specialist who previously trained in internal medicine" - my aim is to instill some confidence but not oversell my skills.

But to answer your original question, I think being any type of surgeon is impressive. Personally, I am most impressed by general surgeons. I am in awe of the hardships the typical GS has undergone during training, as well as the dedication of the typical GS

I always figure that being an addictionist who's not afraid to administer a B52 will come in handy on a flight someday...

 

[vistaril]

I think it would be more prestigious for a psychiatrist to be trained in pain, neurophysiology, or sleep (although I admit that the # of psychs trained in pain or neurophys is probably minimal)

yeah I agree I'm not more impressed by the C&A people in general. many people go into C&A to do adderall refills all day, and others go into it because there are virtually no medical issues/problems(even less than in psych).....and it's not like it's difficult to match in child/adolescent. of course there are Child psych people who really do bring something to the table, but that's true of adult psychiatrists too....

I guess I would be most impressed with a psychiatrist who is board certified in some medical specialty too. If not that, then probably sleep medicine(the number of psychiatrists who do interventional pain is so small as to not even be worthwhile discussing imo).....

 

[vistaril]

I always figure that being an addictionist who's not afraid to administer a B52 will come in handy on a flight someday...

Im not sure I understand the humor here.....why would anyone be afraid to administer a B52 in such a situation?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

yeah I agree I'm not more impressed by the C&A people in general. many people go into C&A to do adderall refills all day, and others go into it because there are virtually no medical issues/problems(even less than in psych).....and it's not like it's difficult to match in child/adolescent. of course there are Child psych people who really do bring something to the table, but that's true of adult psychiatrists too....

I guess I would be most impressed with a psychiatrist who is board certified in some medical specialty too. If not that, then probably sleep medicine(the number of psychiatrists who do interventional pain is so small as to not even be worthwhile discussing imo).....

This board seriously needs a "Vistaril is Not Impressed" meme...

 

[nancysinatra]

What IS a B52? (Now if having to ask is not unimpressive, what is?)

 

[nancysinatra]

I humbly submit myself

All right, fair enough!

 

[vistaril]

What IS a B52? (Now if having to ask is not unimpressive, what is?)

5mg IM Haldol and 2mg ativan....the term is more commonly used in the ER by nurses and ER docs probably when agitated and potentially violent patients come in.

 

[nancysinatra]

I'd be more impressed with "I'm an astronaut." There's always going to be someone more impressive than you. When do you decide that it's not worth going up the "prestige" ladder anymore?

I think astronauts are now associated with diapers.

 

[nancysinatra]

I agree about C/A not being terribly prestigious, but it's the longest fellowship we have and the only one I could think to compare to CT surgery. Pain and sleep, and maybe forensic are definitely harder to get into.