I was a RMOP in this position for 14 years, with numerous overseas appointments as well as a Wash DC leadership tour.
1. This is a great and exciting career, but it's not for everybody. The work is challenging and varied. It requires extensive (50-60% or more) regional travel, so this career path is very hard on one's family. Tour lengths are 2-3 years, and the first 2 assignments are directed, most often to hardship posts in the Middle East, Africa, Russia, China, India, or Latin America. Travel to war-zones (e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq), other unaccompanied posts, conflict zones, and disaster/crisis areas (e.g. Haiti, Ebola-impacted countries, Nepal) is common. There are approx. 20+ regional psychiatrists based overseas; the program is managed in Washington DC; most regional psychiatrists make this into a career. The clinical work involves practicing psychiatry in integrated clinical settings with nurses, mid-level independent practitioners (e.g. NPs, PAs), local physicians, and regional medical officers (mostly Family MDs); telemedicine is used a lot. The diplomatic workforce and its dependents - often made up of 40+ overseas federal agencies - is fairly healthy, but the clinical work involves a large amount of child/adolescent psychiatry, as well as advising children/families with special educational needs. Basic medical skills (including BLS, ACLS, ATLS, TCCC) are an asset, as are broad-based , solid psychiatric skills. A large part of the job involves disaster/crisis response and consultation to senior leadership, so the ability to interact diplomatically with other colleagues, patients, and locals is very important. Good writing and public-speaking skills are also important, as well as flexibility and a high tolerance of ambiguity, and the ability to make practical decisions independently with often-limited information. Because we exist solely to support the US diplomatic mission overseas, a strong interest in foreign affairs and in foreign cultures is also important. While the positions are not language-designated, Spanish is useful for the positions in Mexico and Bogota, and French is useful for several of the positions in Africa.
2. Similar positions in other international agencies are less common, and hard to come by. CIA has similar positions, with more secrecy and requiring additional pre-employment screening (e.g. polygraph). CIA starting pay now at $306K.
3. Clinically-strong residency programs prepare one well for such work. Several regional psychiatrists have been boarded in child/adolescent psychiatry, and others are boarded in other sub-specialties such as geriatric, addiction, psychosomatic, or forensic psychiatry. Back issues of Psychiatric News have had articles about regional psychiatrists. Also, there is generally a recruiting booth at the APA meeting.
1. This is a great and exciting career, but it's not for everybody. The work is challenging and varied. It requires extensive (50-60% or more) regional travel, so this career path is very hard on one's family. Tour lengths are 2-3 years, and the first 2 assignments are directed, most often to hardship posts in the Middle East, Africa, Russia, China, India, or Latin America. Travel to war-zones (e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq), other unaccompanied posts, conflict zones, and disaster/crisis areas (e.g. Haiti, Ebola-impacted countries, Nepal) is common. There are approx. 20+ regional psychiatrists based overseas; the program is managed in Washington DC; most regional psychiatrists make this into a career. The clinical work involves practicing psychiatry in integrated clinical settings with nurses, mid-level independent practitioners (e.g. NPs, PAs), local physicians, and regional medical officers (mostly Family MDs); telemedicine is used a lot. The diplomatic workforce and its dependents - often made up of 40+ overseas federal agencies - is fairly healthy, but the clinical work involves a large amount of child/adolescent psychiatry, as well as advising children/families with special educational needs. Basic medical skills (including BLS, ACLS, ATLS, TCCC) are an asset, as are broad-based , solid psychiatric skills. A large part of the job involves disaster/crisis response and consultation to senior leadership, so the ability to interact diplomatically with other colleagues, patients, and locals is very important. Good writing and public-speaking skills are also important, as well as flexibility and a high tolerance of ambiguity, and the ability to make practical decisions independently with often-limited information. Because we exist solely to support the US diplomatic mission overseas, a strong interest in foreign affairs and in foreign cultures is also important. While the positions are not language-designated, Spanish is useful for the positions in Mexico and Bogota, and French is useful for several of the positions in Africa.
2. Similar positions in other international agencies are less common, and hard to come by. CIA has similar positions, with more secrecy and requiring additional pre-employment screening (e.g. polygraph). CIA starting pay now at $306K.
3. Clinically-strong residency programs prepare one well for such work. Several regional psychiatrists have been boarded in child/adolescent psychiatry, and others are boarded in other sub-specialties such as geriatric, addiction, psychosomatic, or forensic psychiatry. Back issues of Psychiatric News have had articles about regional psychiatrists. Also, there is generally a recruiting booth at the APA meeting.
