P.A. with a specialization in psychiatry?

[AboroClinician]

I have a masters in clinical psychology and have been in active practice for almost two years. I have worked on an ACT team specializing in chronic and pervasive mental illness and am currently employed in a private practice. Prior to that I held externships at a dementia treatment unit and at a community mental health agency. I have noted that the greatest lack of psychiatric services is currently in the realm of psychiatry and not counseling. I am interested in returning to obtain my P.A. with a specialization in psychiatry in order to supplement this need.

Is this a worthwhile option and what are the employment options for individuals with a P.A. / specialization in psychiatry? Or is it worth the time/effort to enroll in medical school to become a psychiatrist? Any opinions welcome.

I apologize if this was asked before but I couldn't find anything relevant.

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[nitemagi]

Honestly I've never met a PA in psychiatry. A lot of NP's, but no PA's.

 

[235750]

PAs can specialize in psychiatry, and there are several post grad programs (ie 'residencies') for this purpose. You can see one here.

As an older non-trad student, I had a difficult time choosing between PA and med school to become a psychiatrist. I went the med school route because I felt spending 12 months in a PA psychiatry training program would not be enough to satisfy my interest in the field.

That said, I believe that PAs have a pretty good understanding of medicine and exceed NPs (or DNPs) in their training curriculum.

I don't mean to pick fights by saying this. I am just commenting that the OP's decision to become a PA is a potentially a good one, and in my opinion, better than going the traditional NP route. To the OP: the decision between PA/med school is not a simple one, and a question you must ask yourself is, how much do you like general medicine?

Good luck

 

[OldPsychDoc]

We have a PA "fellowship" program in mental health also--very good people.

A PA + specialty training such as this is certainly a shorter path (with far less direct costs and opportunity costs than the MD) for someone seeking to expand on a current career in mental health, as the OP indicates. I would not discourage it.

 

[AboroClinician]

Thank you. I appreciate the replies. I am just in the process of getting information together and so I expect that I have a while before I decide which direction to go.

Additionally, I currently have an LPA and have been generally dissatisfied with the way the supervision process occurs. I feel as though there is a lack of individual practice opportunity despite my appreciate of the information gained through supervision. I know this is a regular complaint on many with my level of license in the field.

Are problems/complaints with and about supervision common with those who have a P.A.? Is employment for a PA with a specialization in psychiatry a problem- I have never encountered one, but I have mostly lived in rural areas that completely lack any psychiatric coverage.

 

[whopper]

With your experience I assume you're not someone in their early 20s. IMHO a PA is an option several people overlook because they think doctor or bust. IMHO becoming a medical doctor can be very trying experience. The PA route is shorter and may not involve as much sacrifice but may still allow you to be a competent prescriber and mental health provider.

I would consider that route if you think your professional and personal needs would be met in that field. IMHO, if you already know what you want to do and it's psychiatry, you might find medical school somewhat uninteresting given that so much of it focuses on physical, not mental health.

I would have no problem with a PA prescribing so long as the person showed they were competent. I've met too many people with M.D.s who didn't seem to know what was going on. They may have had more training than the NPs, but they didn't seem to be doing much better. (Wellbutrin or Depakote for panic disorder?)

As for the pay and job opportunities for a PA specializing in psychiatry, that I cannot answer.

 

[kugel]

the PA school in my area of Southern CA provides 5 weeks psychiatry training in second year (which seems to be more than avg), and the students are VERY well prepared before they enter the clinical rotation. In addition, they are about to begin a psychiatry post-grad training for PA's here. the program is fairly inexpensive and the training seems to be excellent. I'm very happy with the PA students and I wouldn't think twice about working with them in practice.

A friend is about to open a private practice and planning on hiring a PA soon after. However, overall, opportunities for PA's in psychiatry seem rare. I'm hoping that will change.

 

[235750]

I found 3 PA psychiatry training programs yesterday and was amazed to find that the stipend is between 60-70k! That beats the pants off a PGY1 pay.

Also, when you look at jobs posted on paworld.net you can see that PAs are eligible to apply to most NP psych jobs. It might be that most PAs like to stick with higher paying specialties, like surgery, etc, and that as a group they are less likely to work in psych.

You should probably go to a PA specific forum to discuss job prospects/satisfaction of psych http://www.physicianassistantforum.com/forums/forum242.html

Let us know what you decide AboroClinician

 

[Manicsleep]

You won't have trouble finding a job.

 

[msdaisy]

the PA school in my area of Southern CA provides 5 weeks psychiatry training in second year (which seems to be more than avg), and the students are VERY well prepared before they enter the clinical rotation. In addition, they are about to begin a psychiatry post-grad training for PA's here. the program is fairly inexpensive and the training seems to be excellent. I'm very happy with the PA students and I wouldn't think twice about working with them in practice.

A friend is about to open a private practice and planning on hiring a PA soon after. However, overall, opportunities for PA's in psychiatry seem rare. I'm hoping that will change.

Hi, would you mind sharing the name of this program? Thanks!

 

[demayette]

@AboroClinician ... I am usually bias when it comes to giving these type of advice... If you will be less than 35 years old when you start med school and won't have other constraints, go to med school... I think most PA schools require the same prereqs as med school... In addition, PA school is also expensive, but training appears cheaper because it's 2 1/2 to 3 years... PA school expansion is real and I think they are heading the way pharmacy did... I had to make that decision 2 years ago as a nontrad and I am glad i chose med school because I think I will have more opportunity as a physician (or psychiatrist)...

 

[vistaril]

I know plenty of pas who work in psych....most without any post pa training(apart from otj experience)....it may take a couple months to really be fully up to speed, but input psychiatry is not brain surgery.

 

[demayette]

Gee! I wonder why they make med students go thru 4-year residency to become psychiatrists..

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Honestly I've never met a PA in psychiatry. A lot of NP's, but no PA's.

I work in a VA setting, so things may be a bit different here, but I actually just had a patient the other day whose primary MH provider (at a community outpatient clinic) was a PA. I also know of a few PAs who work in mental health here at the main hospital, but again, this is all in the VA.