For a variety of reasons, I might not be able to be board certified for a year after residency. Will this affect my job prospects?
When do most people take their boards?
When do most people take their boards?
Board Certification for first job?
- Thread starter BobA
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Most people take them during their first year or two out of residency. You apply for jobs as "Board Eligible". (Also--you might want to keep your eyes open for jobs where they will pay your fees for you. It can save you a huge chunk of change!)
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As long as you become board certified within 5 years of completing psych residency, it's not a big problem
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It may be too late for you, but IMHO if your program was like mine, take your exam during for 4th year. Reason being is that PGY IV at most places as far as I know is easy. You'll most likely have the time to study for it.
Taking the exam during your first year as an attending has disadvantages. You might not be in an academic setting to ask professors about questions you may have. It's also frustrating to make yourself studying after a full day of working hard.
If you work at a new job, it's going to be like doing a completely new rotation. You're not going to know how to do a lot of easy things that became 2nd nature in residency. E.g. putting orders into the specific institution's system, etc.
IMHO forget about studying for the boards for the first few weeks you do your new job, unless you work at a place where you already are familiar with the setting.
Another issue that may limit the jobs you seek are several places want a psychiatrist with at least 2 years of post residency experience before they are hired.
Taking the exam during your first year as an attending has disadvantages. You might not be in an academic setting to ask professors about questions you may have. It's also frustrating to make yourself studying after a full day of working hard.
If you work at a new job, it's going to be like doing a completely new rotation. You're not going to know how to do a lot of easy things that became 2nd nature in residency. E.g. putting orders into the specific institution's system, etc.
IMHO forget about studying for the boards for the first few weeks you do your new job, unless you work at a place where you already are familiar with the setting.
Another issue that may limit the jobs you seek are several places want a psychiatrist with at least 2 years of post residency experience before they are hired.
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Couldn't you just take a part-time gig, make more than a fellow, and study the remainder of the time? Unless, of course, you're actually wanting to do the/a fellowship.
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Seriously, you can do whatever you darned well please. There is no one "right way", and a lot of pre-med/med student/resident anxiety would remit if you all could just appreciate that fact...
I didn't find I needed to study that hard, and I DID want to do the fellowship.
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If you are in a difficult fellowship, it will be hard to study for the boards.
Some fellowships are easy. Some aren't.
My own fellowship IMHO is a good mix of work and free time. Despite this, I don't find myself having much time to study for the oral board exam. A problem for me is that I'm moonlighting. I'm not blaming my program because the moonlighting is voluntary.
(I figured with real estate prices and interest rates possibly being at the lowest point they will ever be in my lifetime, I decided to buy a house even though it'd be a lot of stress to do fellowship and moonlight.)
My point is at least in a forensic fellowship, you're going to download a lot of low yield data for the boards. Memorizing the Dusky or M'Naughton case not likely to help you on the board exam even though they are 2 of the highest yield court cases for the written board exam.
Memorizing Kum Ho Tire or Frendak v. the U.S. is not going to help you at all.
Another aspect of forensic fellowship is you see some disorders a lot more than others. Almost everyone I've seen for a forensic evaluation had either one or more of the following: psychosis, bipolar, mental ******ation and/or substance abuse. In fact some disorders I saw regularly in residency I barely encountered in a forensic setting. E.g. people with generalized anxiety disorder usually don't attack people because of it. I only had a small handful of people in an entire year with an anxiety disorder or depression in a forensic setting.
It does make you rusty on some aspects. (Which is why I'm loving moonlighting. Aside from the money, I get to see some people with disorders I missed treating.)
Though I very much do agree with OPD in every aspect aside from this.
I wouldn't worry too much. There's plenty of jobs to be had. So what if you have to work at a place for 2 years that was not your first pick? That's life.
As for fellowship, I'd recommend anyone with a love of psychiatry to go into one if there is a fellowship that catches your interest. IMHO, the knowledge I've obtained from forensic psychiatry has made me a better general psychiatrist. In fact several of the things I've learned from fellowship are things that IMHO should be taught in general psychiatry....but aren't. E.g. use of tests to detect malingering and expert witness training (any psychiatrist working on an involuntary unit will have to go to court now and then).
Otherwise, have some active participation in an academic or professional society that keeps you learning. This field is ever changing, and IMHO residency does not teach you everything you need to know.
Some fellowships are easy. Some aren't.
My own fellowship IMHO is a good mix of work and free time. Despite this, I don't find myself having much time to study for the oral board exam. A problem for me is that I'm moonlighting. I'm not blaming my program because the moonlighting is voluntary.
(I figured with real estate prices and interest rates possibly being at the lowest point they will ever be in my lifetime, I decided to buy a house even though it'd be a lot of stress to do fellowship and moonlight.)
My point is at least in a forensic fellowship, you're going to download a lot of low yield data for the boards. Memorizing the Dusky or M'Naughton case not likely to help you on the board exam even though they are 2 of the highest yield court cases for the written board exam.
Memorizing Kum Ho Tire or Frendak v. the U.S. is not going to help you at all.
Another aspect of forensic fellowship is you see some disorders a lot more than others. Almost everyone I've seen for a forensic evaluation had either one or more of the following: psychosis, bipolar, mental ******ation and/or substance abuse. In fact some disorders I saw regularly in residency I barely encountered in a forensic setting. E.g. people with generalized anxiety disorder usually don't attack people because of it. I only had a small handful of people in an entire year with an anxiety disorder or depression in a forensic setting.
It does make you rusty on some aspects. (Which is why I'm loving moonlighting. Aside from the money, I get to see some people with disorders I missed treating.)
Though I very much do agree with OPD in every aspect aside from this.
I wouldn't worry too much. There's plenty of jobs to be had. So what if you have to work at a place for 2 years that was not your first pick? That's life.
As for fellowship, I'd recommend anyone with a love of psychiatry to go into one if there is a fellowship that catches your interest. IMHO, the knowledge I've obtained from forensic psychiatry has made me a better general psychiatrist. In fact several of the things I've learned from fellowship are things that IMHO should be taught in general psychiatry....but aren't. E.g. use of tests to detect malingering and expert witness training (any psychiatrist working on an involuntary unit will have to go to court now and then).
Otherwise, have some active participation in an academic or professional society that keeps you learning. This field is ever changing, and IMHO residency does not teach you everything you need to know.
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