Combined MED-PSYCH

[DO-Riz]

Hey Everyone,
Im an MS-!V just about to start the ERAS process and still have some confusion regarding my career ;(
Anyways I narrowed it down to either Psychiatry or the combined IM-Psych program
I wanted to know if there were any people familiar with the advantage/disadvantage of doing IM/Psych..... it would really be helpful if some actual IM/Psych residents could reply or if ppl know of these residents
Thanx alot for any input

Riz

-some points Id like clarified are; can u subspecialize in either specialty if u do IM/PSych e.g. could i do child psych afterwards, or even say Neurology...

- What about the income discrepancy if there is any

-Competitiveness of Im/Psych programs vs Psych

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[OldPsychDoc]

Hey Everyone,
Im an MS-!V just about to start the ERAS process and still have some confusion regarding my career ;(
Anyways I narrowed it down to either Psychiatry or the combined IM-Psych program
I wanted to know if there were any people familiar with the advantage/disadvantage of doing IM/Psych..... it would really be helpful if some actual IM/Psych residents could reply or if ppl know of these residents
Thanx alot for any input

Riz

-some points Id like clarified are; can u subspecialize in either specialty if u do IM/PSych e.g. could i do child psych afterwards, or even say Neurology...

- What about the income discrepancy if there is any

-Competitiveness of Im/Psych programs vs Psych

I thought about this--briefly--but as far as disadvantages go, just compare the lifestyles of PGY3 IM residents to PGY 3 Psych residents!

 

[atsai3]

I thought about this--briefly--but as far as disadvantages go, just compare the lifestyles of PGY3 IM residents to PGY 3 Psych residents!

Just as OldPsychDoc mentioned -- some people have argued that, if you're planning on doing C-L Psych, then doing combined Med/Psych is equivalent in years to doing Psych followed by a C-L fellowship. That is true, but with Med/Psych you are a resident for five years. That's a long time. With Psych, you are a resident for only four years (and only 2 inpatient years, usually, at that) and a fellow for one.

That said, I've been thinking about Med/Psych myself.

As to your other queries:

-- I have been told that some of the Med/Psych programs suffer from a lack of high quality applicants. This may decrease the 'competitiveness' especially if there are minimum quotas.

-- I have also been told that most Med/Psych graduates end up practicing one or the other, i.e., they end up being general internists who can capably take care of the psychiatric needs of their patients, or they end up being C-L psychiatrists. I can imagine that keeping up with the literature on both fields would be a formidable task.

Cheers
-AT.