Can anyone speak about advocacy during your psychiatry training?

[futureherooftime622]

I was having a look at the AACAP website (I want to specialise in child and adolescent psychiatry), and there is something called the trainee advocate program (TAP). Would anyone be able to speak about this? It said that it gives trainees an opportunity to start their own advocacy projects. How much time can they devote to these projects during training? Can you pick your own project to work on? Do you have someone to mentor/guide you? How does this whole thing work?

I'm a final year medical student and I have figured out the path for my life, and this is mental health advocacy for vulnerable populations. Obviously, it's very unclear as to how I will go about it. I know things take time and patience, but, I was hoping I'd get started on my journey during training and slowly build my way up to when I begin practicing. Hopefully someone can answer my questions!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[futureherooftime622]

Tell me if I'm wrong but I feel with psychiatry compared to any other specialty there's a lot of opportunity for advocacy.

 

[Armadillos]

If I remember correctly APA has several training grants/“fellowships” related to advocacy that residents can apply for.

 

[ridethecliche]

I don't think anyone expects you to have this all planned out when you start...

At interviews, talk about your interests and ask to connect with faculty that do similar work. Rank the places with strong programs and start doing the work when you get there.

 

[wolfvgang22]

Sadly my experience with "advocacy" as a resident and attending amounted to organizations needing the me to work a second full time pro bono job on my own malpractice coverage with no support. Nobody was interested in anything else. I got the feeling they are oversaturated with young go getters who want to do advocacy projects. Anyone here have a different experience?

 

[TexasPhysician]

Advocacy is a broad term.

Most programs are more superficial as most incoming residents don’t know how systems work yet or where they want to fit in the advocacy world. As you gain experience and an understanding of where you want to focus your attention, your effectiveness/influence will likely increase. Everybody’s path is different.

A friend of mine recognized that her culture had a lot of mental health stigma. Advocacy for this person began with making connections in the community. This led to people that ran a local tv station (aired in a non-English language of this culture). She developed and pitched an idea for a mental health tv show focused on education. It’s still 100% pro-bono, but she really enjoys it.