did you have intention to practice psychiatry before attending medical school?

[psych22]

I am very curious whether any psychiatrists knew that psych was a passion of theirs before entering medical school... or whether they decided that psych is the most interesting of specialties during their clinicals.. or whether they just went into it because they disliked medicine (I've heard this last argument on one of the other threads, even though they still dispense medication).

Probably one of the most successful psychiatrists that I've met only decided towards the end of medical school that he would choose that specialty because he felt a little outcasted from the rest of his medical school classmates, and he was more accepted amongst other psychiatry students. He was a psychiatrist in his mid 50's, graduated from Columbia, working private practice in Washington, DC and really helped me out in a time of my need. I don't really know many other psychiatrists so I was hoping the community here could help answer these questions.

I am an Engineer, interested in a career change, really believe in a psychotherapy for healing, and am considering medical school to pursue psychiatry. I was considering Psy.D. programs but want to be able to prescribe medications.

Thanks for your time!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Doc Samson]

Where's the "as a fourth year medical student having already started to fill out ERAS for medicine programs but then discovering CL psychiatry" option?

 

[sunlioness]

None of these apply to me. I chose it halfway through my internship in internal medicine.

 

[whopper]

I decided in college, though in high school, after reading Erickson's Young Man Luthor, did I consider becoming a psychiatrist. Just that I really really decided in college.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

And how about those of us who decided after college, before medical school--but with an 11 year gap between the two?

 

[luft]

I thought I was going to hate psychiatry, did the rotation in med school and loved it. Nothing else even came close. In retrospect it seems rediculously obvious looking back at my fasination of how people work.

 

[psych22]

hey, thanks, I really appreciate your replies. I've been reading your posts on other threads and the people who replied to this thread are mainly the ones I was interested in hearing from anyway because of the quality of content you contribute to SDN's Psychiatry threads.

sorry about the poll missing options.. but I just haven't gone far enough in the medical process to know that you still have the option to choose to a specialty during internship.. now I know.

Oldpsychdoc, your situation sounds the most like mine.

Cheers!

 

[Still Kickin]

Psych was on my "differential" when I entered medical school, but I didn't really make my mind up until after doing most of my core rotations in 3rd year of medical school. (I'd dropped pathology & radiology off of my differential long before 3rd yr, spent 3rd yr debating between Psych & Surgery. I loved my Psych rotation but hadn't done my surgery rotation yet at that time so still wasn't sure...) (I don't know why I wasted mental energy on the "Psych vs. Surgery" debate... In retrospect it all seems to obvious that I would go into psych [even based on some of my activities before college & the fact that my med school essay is about my Grandfather's Alzheimer's disease...].) Once I finally felt that I'd "made my decision" I felt so happy and really knew it was the right choice...

And how about those of us who decided after college, before medical school--but with an 11 year gap between the two?

I love knowing other people who took awhile to find their way to medicine. (Wow. 11 years. I "only" worked 7 yrs between college & med school.)

Where's the "as a fourth year medical student having already started to fill out ERAS for medicine programs but then discovering CL psychiatry" option?

DS, is that your story? Wow!

 

[Faebinder]

None of these apply to me. I chose it halfway through my internship in internal medicine.

They don't apply to me either. Chose it after surgery.