child and adolescent psychiatry=)

[sky2007]

Hey all=) I will be starting my psychiatry residency in June, in general psych-Yeah!! I want to do child and adolescent psychiatry in the future. Can anyone provide some advice on getting into a good fellowship program?

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[Anasazi23]

Do well in your rotations. Do well on the PRITE. Develop a good working relationship with your attendings so that you get great letters. Hope that you have a good pedigree. Be competent and confident. Be a good interviewer. Try to publish something if you're not too busy. Lots of spots out there. You'll get something.

Before you commit yourself to child psych, do the rotation first. I found it to be hell.

 

[lusyd]

Child psych has a whole new set of rules and ethics, but is much more rewarding that the same old " I need my Xanax" population. Also it is more challenging both analytically and medically than adults. Those who avoid it probably should.

 

[raspberry swirl]

how important is having a lot of c&a exposure as a resident? the program that i matched at has no inpatient c/a unit, and just a few hours in 3rd year in an outpatient program, and no away elective time. im not sure how im going to know for sure if its really what i want to do, and i certainly wont feel like a competitive c&a fellowship candidate.... anyone else with a similar experience? any ideas or suggestions on how to make up for this?

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

how important is having a lot of c&a exposure as a resident? the program that i matched at has no inpatient c/a unit, and just a few hours in 3rd year in an outpatient program, and no away elective time. im not sure how im going to know for sure if its really what i want to do, and i certainly wont feel like a competitive c&a fellowship candidate.... anyone else with a similar experience? any ideas or suggestions on how to make up for this?

I don't know the answers to your questions, since I am a mere incoming intern myself. I ranked programs that didn't offer much child lower, since it was important to me to reality test working in that field, like it seems to be for you. Luckily I am at a program that has several months of inpatient child, but I can understand feeling a bit nervous if I didn't have that luxury. One option for you could be doing 4 years of general psych residency, and using a lot of the fourth year for child electives. You could also do away electives at other programs in which you are interested (I know a resident who got into a very good child fellowship that often fills with its own residents by doing this).

Is your PD someone who seems open to refining the curriculum? If so, perhaps an early meeting with him could be helpful.

 

[raspberry swirl]

i know .... this was part of my ranking dilemma - quality of program, c&a exposure, location blah blah ...

the fourth year thing is kind of an interesting thought though- i had always assumed that i would just go after my 3rd year. but if the extra year means another year of doing what (i think) i like, and getting a better fellowship, well then i suppose it might be worth it. maybe once i get settled into 1st year i'll start pressuring for some away electives ...

sorry sky for slightly high jacking your thread ...

 

[maranatha]

i know .... this was part of my ranking dilemma - quality of program, c&a exposure, location blah blah ...

the fourth year thing is kind of an interesting thought though- i had always assumed that i would just go after my 3rd year. but if the extra year means another year of doing what (i think) i like, and getting a better fellowship, well then i suppose it might be worth it. maybe once i get settled into 1st year i'll start pressuring for some away electives ...

sorry sky for slightly high jacking your thread ...

Another great way to improve your CV for a C&A fellowship is to do research in your 4th year in that area. That way you're learning about C&A psych and improving your chances for a good fellowship. Research always looks good....