4 years

[Celexa]

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After four years including a pandemic, I am not a resident anymore.

Residency was a mixed bag and by the end I was practically clawing at the walls to get out, but I've never regreted choosing psychiatry.

Celebrate with me, class of 2022.

I'm making the questionable choice to do fellowship so I'll still techncially be a trainee, but also moonlighting as an attending, so feel free to lay on advice for that first year of independent decision making, PGY5+s!

 

[deleted1100659]

congrats, now you can make some actual money and do nice things for yourself, lol

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Most programs look better in the rear view mirror and it is July 1st. Give it a little time and you might find more appreciation of the experience you had even if painful in some places. Being a PGY-V may delay this perspective, but glad you are passed it and sorry it wasn't what you hoped for.

 

[Celexa]

Most programs look better in the rear view mirror and it is July 1st. Give it a little time and you might find more appreciation of the experience you had even if painful in some places. Being a PGY-V may delay this perspective, but glad you are passed it and sorry it wasn't what you hoped for.

I am very well trained and I appreciate and am close with many of my attendings and coresidents. Unfortunately, the bad parts almost entirely had to do with poor leadership in the department and the parent instition that are unlikely to look any better with hindsight--I say this as someone with significant employment experience prior to medical school.

But I'm optimistic about my fellowship and happy with my career choice, which I hope is the important part.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Then best of luck and move forward with confidence. I hope your PGY-5 is a good experience.

 

[Monocles]

but also moonlighting as an attending, so feel free to lay on advice for that first year of independent decision making, PGY5+s!

Try to live below your means even though you'll be starting to make attending money. There's anecdotal evidence that how you spend/save during your 1st attending year is a good predictor of financial outcomes even decades later.

Give yourself a small raise (like +20%) but don't go overboard. Once you start lifestyle-creeping it's hard to go back.

 

[hallowmann]

There's a lot to complain about in training, but the worst part of it is the lack of autonomy and self determination. As a trainee you are simply locked in at the whim of a lot of people who either don't recall what training was like or have been out of it so long that it truly was different then.

Congratulations OP! 🎊 👏 I hope you enjoy your fellowship. At least with fellowships, you can walk away if you don't like it