Do Psychiatry Professors (MDs) get summers off?? lol

[blueadams]

Regardless of what I end up doing for a living, I would like to have some time off (like, an entire summer) to relax, travel, and do my own thing each year. So, naturally, I've been looking into the lifestyles of various professors.

If I was to go the medical route, I'd probably go the psychiatry route, and I'd probably want to be more research than practice oriented...so...academia, professor, etc.

So, my question is - - - Do medical school professors, and psychiatry professors in particular, get the summers off like regular professors do? (business school, law school, social sciences, humanities, etc). Or are they working year round because of their hospital duties?

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[billypilgrim37]

Unless your only job is teaching undergraduates during the winter and spring semesters, none of the above have summers off.

However, if you don't mind making a very small salary, there is lots of flexibility in the world.

With a research career, you'd be lucky to have weekends off, nevermind a whole summer.

 

[blueadams]

Unless your only job is teaching undergraduates during the winter and spring semesters, none of the above have summers off.

However, if you don't mind making a very small salary, there is lots of flexibility in the world.

With a research career, you'd be lucky to have weekends off, nevermind a whole summer.

thats sort of what i was guessing was the case - the reason that med school profs salaries are so high is bc they are full time practicioners in addition to teachers/researchers.

 

[Manicsleep]

You can have summers off.
Just do locums work.

 

[Doc Samson]

You can have summers off.
Just do locums work.

... or college mental health clinic.

 

[maranatha]

With a research career, you'd be lucky to have weekends off, nevermind a whole summer.

I think that depends on the research and how hardcore of a researcher you are--i.e. is it by choice or is your job dependent on largely on how many papers you publish? I'm sure if you're working at a place like Hopkins or Pitt, you're expected to have a high turn out of papers. I could be wrong, but I don't this this is as true at other places where you're more valued as a clinician. I certainly know researchers who are not working weekends at my institution. The one's that do, seem to do by choice.

 

[michaelrack]

Old school psychiatrists used to take a month off during the summer, usually august. not many are able to do this any more

 

[The Long Way]

This thread reminds me of the scene from Office Space where Peter and Lawerence are talking about what they each would do if they had a million dollars...lol At the end of the scene, Peter says that if he had a million dollars, that he would do nothing. Lawerence replies that you don't need a million dollars to do nothing and gives the example of his cousin who doesn't do anything and is broke...

While I am but a lowly resident, I have run into very few practicing physicians (in any specialty) that are able to take extended periods of time off. In general it is just not practical. First off, most practices (not all) have some call associated with them. During your leave, your partners will end up covering your call. Second, summers are a popular vacation time and your partners will likely want some time off during the summers as well. Also, depending on the nature of your practice, you taking 3 months off at a time will not be appealing to your patients and they will likely move on to someone who is able to see them 12 months a year.

As for the research thing... for anyone considering research as an easy road, think again. If one is to make a living as a researcher (rather than just dabble as a hobby), the production pressure is intense. If this were a forum populated by active researchers and someone suggested that one could maintain an active research lab and still take summers off on a regular basis, I suspect that the person making the suggestion would be laughed at/berated/scorned/etc.

Anyways if you haven't seen Office Space, look it up. Great film. And if you are looking for a cush schedule and an easy lifestyle, I'd consider something other than medicine.

 

[carlosc1dbz]

thats sort of what i was guessing was the case - the reason that med school profs salaries are so high is bc they are full time practicioners in addition to teachers/researchers.

I was not aware they were that high.

 

[carlosc1dbz]

Old school psychiatrists used to take a month off during the summer, usually august. not many are able to do this any more

Why is that? All I can think of, is that people are living paycheck to paycheck, and need that month of work, or else they will lose the huge house and the nice car? Would you agree?

 

[maranatha]

Why is that? All I can think of, is that people are living paycheck to paycheck, and need that month of work, or else they will lose the huge house and the nice car? Would you agree?

I believe this was when psychoanalysts were more prominent. They worked in private practice and could set their own schedule. They also brought in a lot of $$ and could afford a month off.

It reminds of a funny line in an old Woody Allen movie where he comments that August is the worst time to be in a city because everyone's therapist is away for the month.

 

[michaelrack]

Why is that? All I can think of, is that people are living paycheck to paycheck, and need that month of work, or else they will lose the huge house and the nice car? Would you agree?

My guess, at least in private practice psychiatry, is that overhead is increasing. Few psychiatrists these days see only 20-30 patients a week (some several times a week for psychoanalytic therapy). Modern psychiatrists need office staff for scheduling etc. It's hard to pay the office staff if you are off in the Hamptons for a month. also, patients today aren't going to put up with their doc being gone for a month

 

[Fitzgerald]

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[cleareyedguy]

Medical school faculty are very different from undergrad faculty, and no one gets a summer off. You're lucky to get 2 weeks in a row, particularly since summers are when residents start, and we generally need to be more observant of the new folks.

If you're in private practice, you can take off as much time as you want, though you will need to arrange coverage.

If you are willing to make the same income as a college professor and engage in meaningful writing on your own, you can do private practice 3 or 4 days a week and take 3 or 4 days off each week, and also take off 6 weeks in the summer and serveal in the winter. Very do-able. It's interesting, however, how much money becomes necessary to live once you start making it, and very few of my colleagues work that schedule unless they're raising children and their spouse makes a lot more....

 

[maranatha]

If you are willing to make the same income as a college professor and engage in meaningful writing on your own, you can do private practice 3 or 4 days a week and take 3 or 4 days off each week, and also take off 6 weeks in the summer and serveal in the winter. Very do-able. It's interesting, however, how much money becomes necessary to live once you start making it, and very few of my colleagues work that schedule unless they're raising children and their spouse makes a lot more....

Curious what you mean by "...and engage in meaningful writing on your own..."?

 

[michaelrack]

Medical school faculty are very different from undergrad faculty, and no one gets a summer off. .

There are a few psychiatry profs in their 60's/early 70's who do get a month off.

Nobody going into academic psychiatry these days is going to get a month off, however.

 

[maranatha]

There are a few psychiatry profs in their 60's/early 70's who do get a month off.

Nobody going into academic psychiatry these days is going to get a month off, however.

Maybe they should given the paucity of residents deciding on a research career. If you're going to get paid less, at least the offer of other "perks" may help.

 

[MDhasbeen]

A bit delayed of a response, but:

Depending on how much the OP would be willing to travel, they could potentially enjoy a locum tenens career of some sort. I hear there's beaucoup bucks in LT work. Obviously gotta be a super flexible person to want to switch employers fairly frequently, though.