C/L vs CA psych

[BabyPsychDoc]

Hello all,

So, I am halfway through my FM residency in the UK, and now firmly decided that a) I want to train in psych and b) my family will relocate to the US. So, I am looking into applying for psych residency next year or so. I have 4 months experience in Adult Psych (mixed inpatient/outpatient, because this is how things work in this country) and 3 months of solid experience in C/L. I also have 10 months experience in Peds - because I love it - and a Diploma in Child Health from the Royal College of Pediatrics in the UK. I love both peds and psych, and briefly considered triple-boarding, but then decided against it, because I think I already have more than enough experience in peds, and I am not bothered about (not) being board certified in peds in the US. However, I am considering applying to Adult/CA integrated programs, as well as straight Adult programs.

The problem is that I have not actually had any experience in kiddie psych, so I do not even know if I am going to like it or not. So, I wonder if it is worth my while applying for integrated Adult/CA programs, and risk sacrificing a year of training for something I may or may not like? Or, would it be better to apply for Adult programs and then apply for CA fellowship IF I like my child psych rotation in residency?

Another problem is that I also love C/L psych, and with my extensive general medical training I would be very comfortable as a C/L psychiatrist (once I complete the psych residency, of course). Would a CA fellowship or an integrated Adult/CA residency be of any disadvantage when applying for C/L fellowship?

Finally, is it possible to practice as a C/L CA psychiatrist - ie, is there any demand for them? Or, would I ultimately have to choose between the two of them (in which case, I might as well just think hard what I like most and only do one fellowship instead of two)?

Sorry for the long post.

I would appreciate any insights.

P.S. As this is not a "what are my chances post", I left all the personal info (like my USMLE scores, years of experience, etc) out, as I do not consider them relevant. If you think they are relevant, I could post them, too.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Doc Samson]

Hello all,

So, I am halfway through my FM residency in the UK, and now firmly decided that a) I want to train in psych and b) my family will relocate to the US. So, I am looking into applying for psych residency next year or so. I have 4 months experience in Adult Psych (mixed inpatient/outpatient, because this is how things work in this country) and 3 months of solid experience in C/L. I also have 10 months experience in Peds - because I love it - and a Diploma in Child Health from the Royal College of Pediatrics in the UK. I love both peds and psych, and briefly considered triple-boarding, but then decided against it, because I think I already have more than enough experience in peds, and I am not bothered about (not) being board certified in peds in the US. However, I am considering applying to Adult/CA integrated programs, as well as straight Adult programs.

The problem is that I have not actually had any experience in kiddie psych, so I do not even know if I am going to like it or not. So, I wonder if it is worth my while applying for integrated Adult/CA programs, and risk sacrificing a year of training for something I may or may not like? Or, would it be better to apply for Adult programs and then apply for CA fellowship IF I like my child psych rotation in residency?

Another problem is that I also love C/L psych, and with my extensive general medical training I would be very comfortable as a C/L psychiatrist (once I complete the psych residency, of course). Would a CA fellowship or an integrated Adult/CA residency be of any disadvantage when applying for C/L fellowship?

Finally, is it possible to practice as a C/L CA psychiatrist - ie, is there any demand for them? Or, would I ultimately have to choose between the two of them (in which case, I might as well just think hard what I like most and only do one fellowship instead of two)?

Sorry for the long post.

I would appreciate any insights.

P.S. As this is not a "what are my chances post", I left all the personal info (like my USMLE scores, years of experience, etc) out, as I do not consider them relevant. If you think they are relevant, I could post them, too.

No, a CA fellowship wouldn't hurt you in terms of getting a CL fellowship (probably help, in fact), and yes, you can practice as a CA CL psychiatrist.

 

[cleareyedguy]

what's a CA?

 

[BabyPsychDoc]

what's a CA?

sorry - Child Adolescent.

Thanks, DocSamson! Are CA/CL psychiatrists in demand - or, are they too esoteric and so uncommon that physicians do not ask for a consult because they would not think they can get one?

 

[Doc Samson]

sorry - Child Adolescent.

Thanks, DocSamson! Are CA/CL psychiatrists in demand - or, are they too esoteric and so uncommon that physicians do not ask for a consult because they would not think they can get one?

Medical centers with sizeable peds populations pretty much have to have a CL service dedicated to kids. As a CL doc, I know I have no business treating kids (in fact, I'm actively trying to recruit a CA psychiatrist to work with me on my CL service for this very reason). The Children's Hospitals that I'm familiar with (Children's Boston, Shriner's Boston, Children's Phoenix) all have dedicated CA CL services, and I know MGH has one also.

 

[alina_s]

A fair number hospitals have no inpatient CA psych services, so their CA psychiatrists do only consult work (Stanford comes to mind). I would guess that the CA fellowship is much more necessary for this job than a C/L fellowship.

 

[BabyPsychDoc]

A fair number hospitals have no inpatient CA psych services, so their CA psychiatrists do only consult work (Stanford comes to mind). I would guess that the CA fellowship is much more necessary for this job than a C/L fellowship.

Yeah, that is what I gather. Would probably make more sense to do CA fellowship and then consider doing CL one, if necessary.