Community Psychiatry - Underserved

[TorMed]

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I enjoyed my psychiatry rotation a lot more than I expected at my home institution. I'm an MS 3. Obviously I have to try and figure out what I am going to do.
I'm trying to get into a selective at another hospital early in my 4th year. It is a rotation that is focused on the underserved and homeless (inner city). It is in a city I'd love to live in and there are reasonable career options in that area that seem pretty solid.
I'm a bit nervous because the selective might be intense and I don't have experience with hard core homeless of course, especially with concurrent mental illness. Part of the work is doctors, nurses and social workers on the street.
I'd love to hear from anyone who does this type of work. Is there much satisfaction? Do you feel you are making a difference?


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[Stagg737]

I enjoyed my psychiatry rotation a lot more than I expected at my home institution. I'm an MS 3. Obviously I have to try and figure out what I am going to do.
I'm trying to get into a selective at another hospital early in my 4th year. It is a rotation that is focused on the underserved and homeless (inner city). It is in a city I'd love to live in and there are reasonable career options in that area that seem pretty solid.
I'm a bit nervous because the selective might be intense and I don't have experience with hard core homeless of course, especially with concurrent mental illness. Part of the work is doctors, nurses and social workers on the street.
I'd love to hear from anyone who does this type of work. Is there much satisfaction? Do you feel you are making a difference?


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I'm also just finishing up third year, but the rotation you're looking at doing sounds like one of my psych rotations this year (high number of homeless people with mental illness). I thought it was a great experience and that combined with the amazing attending I had made me choose psych. The satisfaction was mixed on the rotation. There were more than a few homeless people that knew what they needed to say to get themselves a bed for the next few nights and probably had minimal or no pathology. Those were pretty frustrating cases (for a lot of reasons) and I could see why it would make some people jaded about that aspect of psych. On the flip side, there were some cases where the person really was in desperate need of help and the help we were able to provide, both in the mental health aspect and in helping them find placement after d/c, made it completely worth it. I heard more than one person say they didn't know if they'd be alive if they hadn't gotten the help, and knowing we could help them get to a better place made it completely worth it imo.

I'm sure the people here with more than a few months psych experience can give you a much better answer than that, but I think a rotation like you're describing will be essential for deciding if psych is the right route for you (and anyone interested for that matter).

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Careful you two, you might get bit and fall in love. You could be in serious danger of being happy and having a rewarding career. You better let your family know so they can ask you why not neurology.

 

[DrRedstone]

Careful you two, you might get bit and fall in love. You could be in serious danger of being happy and having a rewarding career. You better let your family know so they can ask you why not neurology.

Can I print this on a poster and plaster it on my wall? If I had $1 for ever time I was asked about or told to go for neuro instead, I might be able to pay for my tuition in cash (hyperbole, but still).

OP, I've talked to a number of people who work with the homeless, albeit not in a medical capacity, but they love it. Homeless individuals are a forgotten population and the stories you can hear by working with them will amaze you! I hope you find the path that suits you best.

 

[Merovinge]

I enjoyed my psychiatry rotation a lot more than I expected at my home institution. I'm an MS 3. Obviously I have to try and figure out what I am going to do.
I'm trying to get into a selective at another hospital early in my 4th year. It is a rotation that is focused on the underserved and homeless (inner city). It is in a city I'd love to live in and there are reasonable career options in that area that seem pretty solid.
I'm a bit nervous because the selective might be intense and I don't have experience with hard core homeless of course, especially with concurrent mental illness. Part of the work is doctors, nurses and social workers on the street.
I'd love to hear from anyone who does this type of work. Is there much satisfaction? Do you feel you are making a difference?
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I did a 4 week community psych rotation my 4th year with a founder of the ACT model and it was fantastic. We didn't roam the streets but I spent basically all day every day going to apartments/hotels with either a nurse or social worker to see patients. Very different insight to be gained seeing how people actually live as opposed to being in a clinic. To this day several years later it was one of the most interesting 4 weeks of my life.

Edit: Taking folks shopping or to ACT made community outings (e.g. bowling) is also a really worthwhile experience to see how patients interact with "general" society if you can fit that into your community month.

 

[WingedOx]

I enjoyed my psychiatry rotation a lot more than I expected at my home institution. I'm an MS 3. Obviously I have to try and figure out what I am going to do.
I'm trying to get into a selective at another hospital early in my 4th year. It is a rotation that is focused on the underserved and homeless (inner city). It is in a city I'd love to live in and there are reasonable career options in that area that seem pretty solid.
I'm a bit nervous because the selective might be intense and I don't have experience with hard core homeless of course, especially with concurrent mental illness. Part of the work is doctors, nurses and social workers on the street.
I'd love to hear from anyone who does this type of work. Is there much satisfaction? Do you feel you are making a difference?


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hard core homeless is an interesting choice of words.

 

[clausewitz2]

hard core homeless is an interesting choice of words.

I am just going to assume he's talking about people who prefer not to be housed because being transient makes it easier to go to all the best punk shows and/or have spent their entire paychecks on leather, Elmer's and safety pins.

 

[WingedOx]

I am just going to assume he's talking about people who prefer not to be housed because being transient makes it easier to go to all the best punk shows and/or have spent their entire paychecks on leather, Elmer's and safety pins.

Sigh... and I've been treating the emo homeless this whole time.

 

[TorMed]

Sorry if that was a poor choice of words. I'm talking about people who are homeless long term.


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