Psych vs Radiology vs IM?; The reality of Psych clinical practice.

[Cozaar33]

I'm a 4th year medical student trying to decide between Psychiatry, Radiology, and IM. I know these might be wildly different specialties that cover a very broad range of medical practice, but I have various motivations that attract me to each one. I'm also a very indecisive and easily impressionable person by nature, so I'm finding it very difficult to decide. I will describe my thought process regarding each field:

Psychiatry:
Pros: I simply adore the study of psychology and psychopharmacology. I focused on Biology in college, but took a Sociology and cultural anthropology classes on the side and really enjoyed them. I've read popular psych books and even introductory books about Jaqcues Lacan. I Honored my psych rotation, because studying for Shelf exam was not only easy, but pleasurable.
Cons: I did my Psych rotation at a county hospital inpatient unit. I found SOME of the patient interactions to be emotionally difficult and occasionally disturbing. In the CPEP, I encountered several patients that faked suicidal ideation to justify an inpatient admission, and found it irritating to try and decide whether to send them out or admit them. Then when dealing with patients that were not having a psychotic episode, I found that they can be very manipulative, they are often very stubborn (like many IM patients too) and it can be very hard to get them to cooperate with therapy.

-I feel that I get emotionally stressed out easily and I don't like confrontation, so I'm unsure if I can handle being a psychiatrist.

Radiology: I'm on a radiology rotation right now and I can see how it doesn't seem to mesh with my personality. It's highly detail oriented, very precise, and requires a very deep knowledge of pathology and disease process. I find this subject matter to be less than interesting. I almost feel like Radiology is a useless field, because for example Orthopods and Critical Care Pulmonoligsts read all of their own imaging and often discount radiology reports.
Unfortunately, I've structured my medical school career around radiology and am planning to apply this Summer.
I feel that I was influenced into going into the field mainly from hearing people say, "Oh Rads is such a good gig" or people saying how nice it is to NOT see patients, NOT have to deal with paperwork, leave your work behind you once you leave the hospital - NOT have patients call you at home etc... But the idea of radiology doesn't really sit too well with me, and I'm finding that I'm trying to convince myself I'm making the right decision: but I don't feel comfortable at all.

IM: I feel like a true doctor, one that I've always envisioned myself to be. But will have to once again deal with manipulative patients, difficult families, malingering pain med seekers, lots of (disability) paperwork, and possibly have to be available to patients 24/7.
However on my medicine rotations I saw how Attendings developed ways to deal with difficult patients and didn't let them affect them.

So it's a tough call for me. I'm really uncertain which way to go. I like looking at images, but I don't want to identify and measure each paratracheal lymph node and pulmonary nodule on 100 CT scans per day. I feel like I was influenced to apply into Radiology by a friend who said that it's an awesome field because of lifestyle, but he recently changed his mind and is applying to IM instead.

Any suggestions?

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[DrBowtie]

I'm a 4th year medical student trying to decide between Psychiatry, Radiology, and IM. I know these might be wildly different specialties that cover a very broad range of medical practice, but I have various motivations that attract me to each one. I'm also a very indecisive and easily impressionable person by nature, so I'm finding it very difficult to decide. I will describe my thought process regarding each field:

Psychiatry:
Pros: I simply adore the study of psychology and psychopharmacology. I focused on Biology in college, but took a Sociology and cultural anthropology classes on the side and really enjoyed them. I've read popular psych books and even introductory books about Jaqcues Lacan. I Honored my psych rotation, because studying for Shelf exam was not only easy, but pleasurable.
Cons: I did my Psych rotation at a county hospital inpatient unit. I found SOME of the patient interactions to be emotionally difficult and occasionally disturbing. In the CPEP, I encountered several patients that faked suicidal ideation to justify an inpatient admission, and found it irritating to try and decide whether to send them out or admit them. Then when dealing with patients that were not having a psychotic episode, I found that they can be very manipulative, they are often very stubborn (like many IM patients too) and it can be very hard to get them to cooperate with therapy.

-I feel that I get emotionally stressed out easily and I don't like confrontation, so I'm unsure if I can handle being a psychiatrist.

Radiology: I'm on a radiology rotation right now and I can see how it doesn't seem to mesh with my personality. It's highly detail oriented, very precise, and requires a very deep knowledge of pathology and disease process. I find this subject matter to be less than interesting for me. I almost feel like Radiology is a useless field, because for example Orthopods and Critical Care Pulmonoligsts read all of their own imaging and often discount radiology reports.
Unfortunately, I've structured my medical school career around radiology and am planning to apply this Summer.
I feel that I was influenced into going into the field mainly from hearing people say, "Oh Rads is such a good gig" or people saying how nice it is to NOT see patients, NOT have to deal with paperwork, leave your work behind you once you leave the hospital - NOT have patients call you at home etc... But the idea of radiology doesn't really sit too well with me, and I'm finding that I'm trying to convince myself I'm making the right decision: but I don't feel comfortable at all.

IM: I feel like a true doctor, one that I've always envisioned myself to be. But will have to once again deal with manipulative patients, difficult families, malingering pain med seekers, lots of (disability) paperwork, and possibly have to be available to patients 24/7.
However on my medicine rotations I saw how Attendings developed ways to deal with difficult patients and didn't let them affect them.

So it's a tough call for me. I'm really uncertain which way to go. I like looking at images, but I don't want to identify and measure each paratracheal lymph node and pulmonary nodule on 100 CT scans per day. I feel like I was influenced to apply into Radiology by a friend who said that it's an awesome field because of lifestyle, but he recently changed his mind and is applying to IM instead.

Any suggestions?

Well based on what you said the most obvious thing is that you shouldn't do Rads. That removes one piece of the puzzle.

 

[SomeDoc]

I made a few posts several years back on choosing between these fields. You just have to do what you enjoy. I have seen several residents and attendings switch out of a specialty, (and into psych from my experience) because they were miserable doing what they were doing, and enjoyed psych to begin with. Aside from doing what you enjoy, pay attention the important practical issues related to the fields- ie issues of oversupply, lifestyle (or myth thereof), commoditization of services, reimbursement, flexibility, length of training, need for fellowships to maintain competitiveness (or worse, a source of income), job market, midlevel encroachment, to name a few.

Browse auntminnie (more doom and gloom, but important [dare I say barometric] issues discussed by attendings) and SDN's forums; residents will have a limited idea about some of the realities of the fields they will ultimately practice in (senior residents being somewhat of an exception). Ultimately no one will be able to make the decision for you, but yourself. The satisfaction from making such a big decision lies in knowing that you chose what you enjoy, and that you made the best decision with what factual information was available (and there is a lot out there if you choose to look for it).

 

[Leo Aquarius]

Just wanted to add that much of psychiatry is done in an outpatient setting. Inpatient psychiatry constitutes a small subset of practicing psychiatrists.

In terms of Radiology, it sounds like you are not passionate enough about it to survive a career in it. By the way, the radiologists I've talked to say it's intense and hard work and they are busy their entire shifts.

As for IM, go for it if you can identify a specialty you are passionate about. If after much research you find a deep interest in Heme Onc then go that route. Why? You connect with feeling like a real doctor which IM will give you, and because you can always switch out of an IM program into psych but will have a harder time going from psych to IM.

 

[Cozaar33]

I appreciate the responses. And I agree with most. As for Auntminnie.com, I have been reading that website for several months now and I'm well aware of the dangers that radiology faces as a profession.

I think that internal medicine has a greater threat from mid level providers than does radiology.

I also agree with the comments of Leo Aquarius that I may not be passionate enough about radiology to survive in it.

 

[nitemagi]

Psych patients are everywhere, with the exception of rads and pathology.

 

[Nasrudin]

Going into IM is a mistake. Unless you realize it sucks and want to go forward for specific and practical reasons. Going into it to feel like a real doctor is a sabotage.

 

[dl2dp2]

Going into IM is a mistake. Unless you realize it sucks and want to go forward in for specific and practical reasons. Going into to feel like a real doctor is a sabotage.

Totally agree with above. In my head the first and foremost consideration is being actually engaged in the material and the daily practice. My suggestion is to do a rotation at an outpatient program for an elective and get a better sense of what psychiatry is like. Try to match into a big name at an affluent area if you can. Regardless, I cannot even begin to tell you how sweet this gig can be. I used to think that this job is pretty good as a resident, now that I'm an attending I'm literally bathing in satisfaction--things just keep getting better and better. I literally have control myself so I don't seem too happy in public. Let's hope this is not short-lived...

 

[vistaril]

It is pretty clear to me you should go with IM. You don't seem to like radiology very much. IM no doubt.

 

[oracle2]

The IM residents where I work are the most beaten down looking, sullen people in the hospital. I see a lot of them on smoking breaks outside the hospital, which I find completely ironic. One told me he started smoking more during residency because he's that stressed and depressed. The happiest looking residents are rads, peds and psych it seems . Oh yeah... and the ridiculously well paid, well rested administration and general counsel.

 

[oracle2]

Totally agree with above. In my head the first and foremost consideration is being actually engaged in the material and the daily practice. My suggestion is to do a rotation at an outpatient program for an elective and get a better sense of what psychiatry is like. Try to match into a big name at an affluent area if you can. Regardless, I cannot even begin to tell you how sweet this gig can be. I used to think that this job is pretty good as a resident, now that I'm an attending I'm literally bathing in satisfaction--things just keep getting better and better. I literally have control myself so I don't seem too happy in public. Let's hope this is not short-lived...

What is the nature of your practice environment as an attending, if you don't mind sharing? Nice to hear something positive.

 

[vanfanal]

Totally agree with above. In my head the first and foremost consideration is being actually engaged in the material and the daily practice. My suggestion is to do a rotation at an outpatient program for an elective and get a better sense of what psychiatry is like. Try to match into a big name at an affluent area if you can. Regardless, I cannot even begin to tell you how sweet this gig can be. I used to think that this job is pretty good as a resident, now that I'm an attending I'm literally bathing in satisfaction--things just keep getting better and better. I literally have control myself so I don't seem too happy in public. Let's hope this is not short-lived...

Love it.

 

[dl2dp2]

What is the nature of your practice environment as an attending, if you don't mind sharing? Nice to hear something positive.

Solo subspecialty private practice. The control. The money. The low overhead. The patients. The work is really interesting, patients really like you and think you are an expert and the money isn't half bad, especially on a per hour basis. No I'm not making radiology money, but I'm definitely making radiology money per hour (likely more). And radiologists can NEVER work as few hours as I am or have as much control over when/where/how they work. Such a job does not exist.

Radiology is really for suckers.

From a lifestyle perspective, if you can match into a good program in psych and practice in a wealthy area and have some modicum of business sense, this job is pretty much as good as derm...and way more interesting.

Vis, now that I examined insurance/Medicare more carefully, I'm pretty confident that there are LOTS of attendings out there who are in group private practice and make >250k at 40 hours a week and laughing all the way to the bank. Given that 99214 is, what, $120 by Medicare now? And 90833 is $60. Even if you have half therapy cases, 90836 is like $80. It's not hard to make >300k if you are committing to a 60 hour week--that's how much the average radiologist works. The average salary is pulled down because there are a lot of people working for the VA and CMHC for 160-180k. But that's because they actually want to work in that population. I can give you a formula today and you'll fill in 2-3 months pretty much EVERYWHERE in the US--I think that's what you should do to be honest instead of whining about how badly the specialty gets paid. I think it's sort of a secret how WELL it gets paid...Do you know how much a 71010 gets reimbursed for professional fee? $10. I guess you can try to read 20 of those in a half an hour to match my 99214+90833. And tell me they have a better job.

LOL

 

[bronx43]

The IM residents where I work are the most beaten down looking, sullen people in the hospital. I see a lot of them on smoking breaks outside the hospital, which I find completely ironic. One told me he started smoking more during residency because he's that stressed and depressed. The happiest looking residents are rads, peds and psych it seems . Oh yeah... and the ridiculously well paid, well rested administration and general counsel.

Lol, no idea where you guys are doing your prelim years, but this is NOT true for most IM programs... maybe in some sweat shop in NYC, but DEFINITELY not the norm. I am at a large academic center (not in NYC) and I have only approached 80 hours one week during my entire residency, and that was on cardio. We only do 6-7 service months per year during the first two years, and third year is mostly electives where I'm in at 8:30am and out by 3pm. And I get my weekends off. Well, scratch that. I don't get that many weekends off, since I'm greedy and I rather make $2700 a night on the weekend to sit in the ICU and babysit.
Out of the 20 or so IM ppl that I keep in contact with at other academic institutions, only about 3-4 are at "old school" places where they routinely break hours. You simply have to avoid these spots. And no, the happiest looking residents are derm and rad onc , but you might not know that if you're at some crappy prelim place.

OP, I'm not going to bad mouth any other field, but just know that IM isn't what these folks are describing. I totally agree that internists are "true doctors," and also keep in mind that doing IM at an academic institution allows you to have the versatility that no other field provides. If you discover that you like an intense and "exciting" career, then there's interventional cardiology or critical care. These aren't my cup of tea, but I can see the appeal for some people. Pulm/CC is really up and coming and hospitals are practically throwing money at these people to cover their ICUs as more and more facilities want closed units. My buddy who just finished fellowship got offered $375k for week in the unit, week off, week on consults, week off, week in clinic, week off, and repeat. If you like some procedures, some clinic, some consults, and a ton of money without the call, there's GI. If on the other hand, you enjoy laid back outpatient lifestyle with a myriad of potentially fascinating cases, then you have your allergy&immunology, rhematology, heme/onc. Then, there's everything in between. Best of luck.

 

[bronx43]

I appreciate the responses. And I agree with most. As for Auntminnie.com, I have been reading that website for several months now and I'm well aware of the dangers that radiology faces as a profession.

I think that internal medicine has a greater threat from mid level providers than does radiology.

I also agree with the comments of Leo Aquarius that I may not be passionate enough about radiology to survive in it.

Surgery and radiology are the two last frontiers for mid level encroachment, and will likely never happen. But, depending on specialization in IM, you should be very insulated from true encroachment as well.

 

[vistaril]

Vis, now that I examined insurance/Medicare more carefully, I'm pretty confident that there are LOTS of attendings out there who are in group private practice and make >250k at 40 hours a week and laughing all the way to the bank. Given that 99214 is, what, $120 by Medicare now? And 90833 is $60. Even if you have half therapy cases, 90836 is like $80. It's not hard to make >300k if you are committing to a 60 hour week--that's how much the average radiologist works. The average salary is pulled down because there are a lot of people working for the VA and CMHC for 160-180k. But that's because they actually want to work in that population. I can give you a formula today and you'll fill in 2-3 months pretty much EVERYWHERE in the US--I think that's what you should do to be honest instead of whining about how badly the specialty gets paid. I think it's sort of a secret how WELL it gets paid...Do you know how much a 71010 gets reimbursed for professional fee? $10. I guess you can try to read 20 of those in a half an hour to match my 99214+90833. And tell me they have a better job.

LOL

You can run the same numbers for a busy outpt IM practice....but multiple the volume(ad thus revenue) by 3-4x for pt volume...subtract more for overhead but add some for ancillary rev.

 

[dl2dp2]

You can run the same numbers for a busy outpt IM practice....but multiple the volume(ad thus revenue) by 3-4x for pt volume...subtract more for overhead but add some for ancillary rev.

Agreed. I suspect PP outpatient IM with a good mix pay at a higher side of general IM salary (i.e. 250k+). But, again they bill for 99213 but they have to see a LOT of patients. Plus, the overhead is high enough that it's really not practical to scale up and down your practice with ease. There's definitely money to be made...it's more about being efficient, and savvy.

Early career people sort of have their hands tied because there's a lot of student loans and not enough money to startup, but you could take out a loan. It's risky but it pays off. Psych is ideal for early career because you can scale up your PP later and take a CMHC or some other public job to start.

 

[vistaril]

Agreed. I suspect PP outpatient IM with a good mix pay at a higher side of general IM salary (i.e. 250k+). But, again they bill for 99213 but they have to see a LOT of patients. Plus, the overhead is high enough that it's really not practical to scale up and down your practice with ease. There's definitely money to be made...it's more about being efficient, and savvy.
.

I could make 450k tomorrow doing hospitalist work and have a decent amunt off time off as well(so no I don't mean stacking two 7 on/7offs).....no outpt included. You just need to get the right contracts and set up your schedule the right way.

And yes, you do have to see a lot of patients. That's what pays the bills. That's why psych doesnt pay much. Although I know that many of them push coding as well......just because they see a patient for 3 minutes doesn't mean they aren't upcoding a bunch.

the basic reality is that if a psychiatrists can make good money billing medicare rates at 2 patients an hour in a theoretical model, then an internist who sees 8-9 pts an hour can make really really really really good money. 8 or 9 is greater than 2. That's simple math.

As for increased overhead, I'll take that in exchange for all the other ancillary revenue potentials.....especially the lab contracts.

 

[Armadillos]

I could make 450k tomorrow doing hospitalist work and have a decent amunt off time off as well(so no I don't mean stacking two 7 on/7offs).....no outpt included. You just need to get the right contracts and set up your schedule the right way.

And yes, you do have to see a lot of patients. That's what pays the bills. That's why psych doesnt pay much. Although I know that many of them push coding as well......just because they see a patient for 3 minutes doesn't mean they aren't upcoding a bunch.

the basic reality is that if a psychiatrists can make good money billing medicare rates at 2 patients an hour in a theoretical model, then an internist who sees 8-9 pts an hour can make really really really really good money. 8 or 9 is greater than 2. That's simple math.

As for increased overhead, I'll take that in exchange for all the other ancillary revenue potentials.....especially the lab contracts.

It baffles me that the one forum poster who is so obsessed with finances that he has become an expert in the financial details of GI clinics, pathology, outpatient internal medicine, inpatient internal medicine, pharmacies and slum lording is the one poster who is determined to make the lowest income of any attending on this board.

 

[Sporadicus]

It baffles me that the one forum poster who is so obsessed with finances that he has become an expert in the financial details of GI clinics, pathology, outpatient internal medicine, inpatient internal medicine, pharmacies and slum lording is the one poster who is determined to make the lowest income of any attending on this board.

Truer words never spoken. Personally, I weep for the pediatricians.

 

[Cozaar33]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, has been useful.

 

[helm222]

I'm interested in psych but I agree that the confrontational aspects do scare me a bit. I have a very visceral response to people, especially men, yelling or cursing at me... triggers bad past memories I guess.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I'm interested in psych but I agree that the confrontational aspects do scare me a bit. I have a very visceral response to people, especially men, yelling or cursing at me... triggers bad past memories I guess.

I have been working in a variety of settings for quite a few years and have not had any patients yelling or cursing at me. I have seen some out of control on the unit or in the ER for a variety of reasons but it is rarely directed at us. Even when very upset or disturbed the patients generally realize we are there to help. An awareness of our pasts and how that affects us in our work is also a key component of developing expertise in this field so your communication of this being a concern is a positive sign. I worry more when someone has no worries!

 

[msbbc833]

Totally agree with above. In my head the first and foremost consideration is being actually engaged in the material and the daily practice. My suggestion is to do a rotation at an outpatient program for an elective and get a better sense of what psychiatry is like. Try to match into a big name at an affluent area if you can. Regardless, I cannot even begin to tell you how sweet this gig can be. I used to think that this job is pretty good as a resident, now that I'm an attending I'm literally bathing in satisfaction--things just keep getting better and better. I literally have control myself so I don't seem too happy in public. Let's hope this is not short-lived...

Can you name some of the big name psych programs in affluent areas?

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Can you name some of the big name psych programs in affluent areas?

If you name an affluent area, there is almost always a big time training program located there. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle… The magic of psychiatry is that there are obtainable trainings that are of very high quality in less desirable places and this is truer in psychiatry than other specialties. New Haven, Cleveland, Pittsburg, Portland, Saint Louis, not that these places don’t have affluence, they are just smaller in general.

As far as being disturbed by patient interactions or fearing confrontation, 4 years of psych training will beat that right out of you, or it will not and you will be changing specialties. It will go one way or the other very quickly. It is a matter of survival and you will not avoid this dilemma in any specialty save Path or Rads. One of the things that is really cool about psychiatry is that we learn to handle this better than most because it is our bread and butter. There are a lot of doctors who never develop these skills and it dogs them their whole career. It is simply a matter of volume, we run into difficult people at every turn; and then there are the patients, don’t get me started.

 

[michaelrack]

I have been working in a variety of settings for quite a few years and have not had any patients yelling or cursing at me. I have seen some out of control on the unit or in the ER for a variety of reasons but it is rarely directed at us.

The key to survival as a psychiatrist is to not be any where near a patient who is out of control. Write your orders for IM Haldol/geodon/ativan/whatever from behind the glass of the enclosed nurse's station.

 

[beezley]

"It is simply a matter of volume, we run into difficult people at every turn; and then there are the patients, don’t get me started"

Truer words have never been spoken....

 

[beezley]

I can't believe sometimes how calm I am when people are freaking out. I'm not sure when that happened to me, maybe after my 30th overnight in-house call, but with all the behind me...confrontations with patients do not get to me at all.

 

[svst]

I made a few posts several years back on choosing between these fields. You just have to do what you enjoy. I have seen several residents and attendings switch out of a specialty, (and into psych from my experience) because they were miserable doing what they were doing, and enjoyed psych to begin with. Aside from doing what you enjoy, pay attention the important practical issues related to the fields- ie issues of oversupply, lifestyle (or myth thereof), commoditization of services, reimbursement, flexibility, length of training, need for fellowships to maintain competitiveness (or worse, a source of income), job market, midlevel encroachment, to name a few.

Browse auntminnie (more doom and gloom, but important [dare I say barometric] issues discussed by attendings) and SDN's forums; residents will have a limited idea about some of the realities of the fields they will ultimately practice in (senior residents being somewhat of an exception). Ultimately no one will be able to make the decision for you, but yourself. The satisfaction from making such a big decision lies in knowing that you chose what you enjoy, and that you made the best decision with what factual information was available (and there is a lot out there if you choose to look for it).

Regarding Radiology x Psychiatry. I am in the same situation.
I have built everything in Radiology, but I wonder if that is for me. I am very confused though. The reasons are:
- I feel like my main strengths are related to my interpersonal skills, intuition and observation.
- I dont love the daily life of a "standard" physician. I had a tough time in medical school convincing myself that it was worth memorizing so many unnecessary things.
- I really would like to have a job that I like and it is flexible. Ultimately, my own practice. I wonder sometimes if I would become a employer/slave of private practices in Radiology. But when I think of being a slave of an employer, I guess I would prefer to be a radiologist slave than a psychiatrist one.
- I have great contacts in Radiology, which could help me a lot later.
- I would prefer to be a radiologist than an internist, pediatrician, anesthesiologist, surgeon, etc. I can imagine myself being a psychiatrist though.
- The image that I picture of myself as a psychiatrist is happier - considering that I will have my outpatient practice, but it is so sad if I think of myself working for clinics and doing inpatient work.
- I dont want too much stress/pressure in my life.

All I want is to like my field/job, be very good at it, be able to manage my hours the way I need (my life outside Medicine is very important). Salary is not a main priority. I guess if you are happy with what you do, you will end up doing such a great job that you will be well rewarded financially.

What do you guys think?
Was anyone in similar situation?

Thank you soooo much.

 

[Leo Aquarius]

Regarding Radiology x Psychiatry. I am in the same situation.
I have built everything in Radiology, but I wonder if that is for me. I am very confused though. The reasons are:
- I feel like my main strengths are related to my interpersonal skills, intuition and observation.
- I dont love the daily life of a "standard" physician. I had a tough time in medical school convincing myself that it was worth memorizing so many unnecessary things.
- I really would like to have a job that I like and it is flexible. Ultimately, my own practice. I wonder sometimes if I would become a employer/slave of private practices in Radiology. But when I think of being a slave of an employer, I guess I would prefer to be a radiologist slave than a psychiatrist one.
- I have great contacts in Radiology, which could help me a lot later.
- I would prefer to be a radiologist than an internist, pediatrician, anesthesiologist, surgeon, etc. I can imagine myself being a psychiatrist though.
- The image that I picture of myself as a psychiatrist is happier - considering that I will have my outpatient practice, but it is so sad if I think of myself working for clinics and doing inpatient work.
- I dont want too much stress/pressure in my life.

All I want is to like my field/job, be very good at it, be able to manage my hours the way I need (my life outside Medicine is very important). Salary is not a main priority. I guess if you are happy with what you do, you will end up doing such a great job that you will be well rewarded financially.

What do you guys think?
Was anyone in similar situation?

Thank you soooo much.

- I feel like my main strengths are related to my interpersonal skills, intuition and observation.

You may miss this in Rads. Psych capitalizes on these talents.

- I dont love the daily life of a "standard" physician. I had a tough time in medical school convincing myself that it was worth memorizing so many unnecessary things.

Toss up between Rads and Psych. Probably more memorizing in Rads.

- I really would like to have a job that I like and it is flexible. Ultimately, my own practice. I wonder sometimes if I would become a employer/slave of private practices in Radiology. But when I think of being a slave of an employer, I guess I would prefer to be a radiologist slave than a psychiatrist one.

Psych wins here. A Rads slave is high stress and high volume.

- I have great contacts in Radiology, which could help me a lot later.

Psych is in such high demand that you don't need any contacts. Open positions abound across the country, in high and low places.

- I would prefer to be a radiologist than an internist, pediatrician, anesthesiologist, surgeon, etc. I can imagine myself being a psychiatrist though.

Great.

- The image that I picture of myself as a psychiatrist is happier - considering that I will have my outpatient practice, but it is so sad if I think of myself working for clinics and doing inpatient work.

Psych wins again. We are happier by all surveys. You don't have to touch inpatient work as a psychiatrist.

- I dont want too much stress/pressure in my life.

Psych wins here! Don't touch Rads if you don't want too much stress or pressure. You will be in shock in Rads private practice.

 

[Leo Aquarius]

I use the Museum Test (invented by me).

If you're the type who walks through a museum pretty steadily, looking at the paintings but not stopping very long to analyze them, then you're probably not a psychiatrist.

If you find yourself standing for a while pondering paintings when you go into a museum, then psychiatry can be very satisfying for you.

 

[hamstergang]

If you're the type who walks through a museum pretty steadily, looking at the paintings but not stopping very long to analyze them, then you're probably not a psychiatrist.

What if I just don't like art?

 

[Leo Aquarius]

What if I just don't like art?

Not to fret. The Museum Test only applies to those who like art.

 

[clausewitz2]

I used to be the plow through the museum type, but I started playing a little game - pretend you are an art thief and have to pick one, and only one, piece in this room to steal. Which one will it be? Suddenly I spent a lot more time weighing the merits of various works of art.


Not sure how this interacts with the museum test...

 

[svst]

- I feel like my main strengths are related to my interpersonal skills, intuition and observation.

You may miss this in Rads. Psych capitalizes on these talents.

- I dont love the daily life of a "standard" physician. I had a tough time in medical school convincing myself that it was worth memorizing so many unnecessary things.

Toss up between Rads and Psych. Probably more memorizing in Rads.

- I really would like to have a job that I like and it is flexible. Ultimately, my own practice. I wonder sometimes if I would become a employer/slave of private practices in Radiology. But when I think of being a slave of an employer, I guess I would prefer to be a radiologist slave than a psychiatrist one.

Psych wins here. A Rads slave is high stress and high volume.

- I have great contacts in Radiology, which could help me a lot later.

Psych is in such high demand that you don't need any contacts. Open positions abound across the country, in high and low places.

- I would prefer to be a radiologist than an internist, pediatrician, anesthesiologist, surgeon, etc. I can imagine myself being a psychiatrist though.

Great.

- The image that I picture of myself as a psychiatrist is happier - considering that I will have my outpatient practice, but it is so sad if I think of myself working for clinics and doing inpatient work.

Psych wins again. We are happier by all surveys. You don't have to touch inpatient work as a psychiatrist.

- I dont want too much stress/pressure in my life.

Psych wins here! Don't touch Rads if you don't want too much stress or pressure. You will be in shock in Rads private practice.

LeoAquarius, Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate it.
Just one more question. What are the moments in your daily practice that you would reconsider Psychiatry as a career?

 

[Dharma]

LeoAquarius, Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate it.
Just one more question. What are the moments in your daily practice that you would reconsider Psychiatry as a career?

Check out the new thread about what folks "hate" about psych. Think it's all pretty much laid out there.

 

[Shikima]

Check out the new thread about what folks "hate" about psych. Think it's all pretty much laid out there.

Link?

 

[Dharma]

Link?

My bad: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-do-you-guys-hate-about-psychiatry.1139927/

 

[Shikima]

My bad: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/what-do-you-guys-hate-about-psychiatry.1139927/

Mine too. I thought you were talking about a different thread. Thanks for posting this.

 

[smalltownpsych]

LeoAquarius, Thank you for your reply! I really appreciate it.
Just one more question. What are the moments in your daily practice that you would reconsider Psychiatry as a career?

Of course, the thread about what is hated about psychiatry appears to be posters who are displaying their passion for improving psychiatry. I have been reading these threads for over a year and have yet to see a psychiatrist sound even remotely close to saying they really wished they had chosen another specialty. Of course, the posters here are devoting their free time to talking about their field so the survey is a bit skewed. The psychiatrists who hate the field are probably out there somewhere pining away for the chance to replace hips for a living.

 

[phonyreal98]

I used to be the plow through the museum type, but I started playing a little game - pretend you are an art thief and have to pick one, and only one, piece in this room to steal. Which one will it be? Suddenly I spent a lot more time weighing the merits of various works of art.


Not sure how this interacts with the museum test...

So wait....your goal in life is to....steal patients? I think that's called kidnapping.