Job stability

[as90]

Hi everyone,
I have been falling in love with Psychiatry after spending some time with an amazing teacher on my psych rotation. He is in a very affluent neighborhood and has established himself for some time.

I don't have this profession very high on my list because of the fear of what will happen with certain patients (i.e. those who will follow you home from work or stalk you), don't mean to be rude or disrespectful but given my paranoid personality I definitely would worry about this.

However, what I am concerned about is the ability to find a decent job in Psychiatry (not just private practice). I know that the demand for Psychiatrists is very high and will be even more so in years to come. however, are these just going to be county jobs or is there potential to see more group's (I'm in SoCal area) hiring Psychiatrists?

I don't mean to sound rude or offensive, however, given the massive debt I'm going to be under, I just wanted to get an idea of what the atmosphere is regarding actual job security/income security. The limited experience with my psychiatry rotation and the general trend amongst practitioners here has left me a little uneasy as to how easy/hard it will be to make a living.

I know that this post comes off as vague and I apologize in advance, but I have tried to research and have not gotten a straight answer as to how to make a secure income (which is what I am looking for at this age in my life) in psychiatry. It's not as easy as say FM where you can just join a group of practicing physicians.

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[Bartelby]

My take as a PGY2:
(1) Having patients follow you home / stalk you is extremely rare. I don't know anyone that this has happened to. Psychiatrists are occasionally assaulted at work which is also quite rare, but I think ER actually has it worse in that regard.
(2) I will have to let some more senior people answer about job prospects but I personally have not seen any psychiatrist who wants to work not find work, and generally those salaries tend to be in the normal range. SoCal is a competitve place to practice for any specialty but I expect you could still find a reasonable job (although I say this with no personal experience).

 

[Shikima]

There are loan repayment programs out there as it is a high need profession. So many borderlines, so little time....
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/living/nj-teen-sues-parents-for-college-education/

 

[SteinUmStein]

It's not as easy as say FM where you can just join a group of practicing physicians.

What gives you this impression? Just curious, since most of the psychiatrists I know are in some sort of group practice or hospital.

 

[vistaril]

Hi everyone,
I have been falling in love with Psychiatry after spending some time with an amazing teacher on my psych rotation. He is in a very affluent neighborhood and has established himself for some time.

I don't have this profession very high on my list because of the fear of what will happen with certain patients (i.e. those who will follow you home from work or stalk you), don't mean to be rude or disrespectful but given my paranoid personality I definitely would worry about this.

However, what I am concerned about is the ability to find a decent job in Psychiatry (not just private practice). I know that the demand for Psychiatrists is very high and will be even more so in years to come. however, are these just going to be county jobs or is there potential to see more group's (I'm in SoCal area) hiring Psychiatrists?

I don't mean to sound rude or offensive, however, given the massive debt I'm going to be under, I just wanted to get an idea of what the atmosphere is regarding actual job security/income security. The limited experience with my psychiatry rotation and the general trend amongst practitioners here has left me a little uneasy as to how easy/hard it will be to make a living.

I know that this post comes off as vague and I apologize in advance, but I have tried to research and have not gotten a straight answer as to how to make a secure income (which is what I am looking for at this age in my life) in psychiatry. It's not as easy as say FM where you can just join a group of practicing physicians.

well psychiatry and family medicine probably have more similarities in terms of practice structure than differences(especially with the move to e/m coding in psych), but I think the future of family medicine from a job/security/financial standpoint is much brighter. Simply because I think it's much more feasible to do decent volume in family as opposed to psych....and still provide decent care.

Volume is where you are going to make your money.....in *any* field. The highest paying opportunities are going to be high volume high reimbursement per procedure specialties....think EP cardiology for example. Very very high volumes of very well reimbursing procedures. That's how they make the low 7 figures with the right setups. Psychiatry, otoh, when optimal care is provided has low volume and fairly low reimbursement per pt(no procedures). The low volume is simply a reflection of needing to spend time with your patients in psychiatry to figure out 'what is going on'. In family medicine/medicine, glancing at a pt's labs gets you towards that goal....which has the potential of shortening each pt encounter, thereby driving up potential volume and revenue.

 

[SteinUmStein]

There you have it. You too can live the dream - just set up a conveyer belt running from your waiting room down the hallway where the patient passes by the door to your office. The patient doesn't have to stop moving - good physical exams these days don't involve touching the patient for more than a few seconds. Be sure to wave as the patient passes by to establish good rapport and build that strong, meaningful relationship that family docs are known to have. This formula will ensure a fulfilling and rewarding career that you can look back on with pride in 50 years.

 

[InGen]

...Be sure to wave as the patient passes by....

Don't forget to bill for the wave to ensure maximum profit

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Don't forget to bill for the wave to ensure maximum profit

It's a procedure!

 

[serimeri]

I like this profession too. However, from the Psychiatrist that I have worked with he indicates that starting ones own salary is very difficult especially after residency (as with any profession). I just feel that we need more groups in this profession. I think having actual psychiatrist groups would make people more aware of psychiatric care.

I know so many talented individuals in my class who would make phenomonenal psychiatrists but they won't go into it because their aren't that many physician groups and instead choose Neurology. Still a respectable field but psychiatrists are irreplaceable in society. I think everyone could use a psychiatrist but you will find hardly anyone secure enough to see one where I live.