Do you consider psychiatry specialty when applying for med school?

[bananaking]

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I'm just curious. How many of you want to become a doctor because you want to become a psychiatrist? 🙄 Do you think it's an easy profession???

 

[loveoforganic]

I don't really get what your motives are, but yeah, psychiatry is definitely my chosen profession at the moment, and has been for a while, although there's obviously a good chance of that changing in med school.

 

[Bacchus]

Regardless of if its "easy" or not, you still have to make it through medical school and do satisfactorily on your boards. No small task.

 

[apumic]

I'm just curious. How many of you want to become a doctor because you want to become a psychiatrist? 🙄 Do you think it's an easy profession???

Psychiatry is one of a few possible specialties I would like to enter, but certainly not because it's "easy" ...I mean, have you ever actually worked with psych px? They are generally amongst the least cooperative kind of patient! They can be great, but I wouldn't really call psych an "easy" career. More like a somewhat unique branch of medicine as it is really medicine's contribution to mental health.

 

[nick_carraway]

Psychiatry is one of a few possible specialties I would like to enter, but certainly not because it's "easy" ...I mean, have you ever actually worked with psych px? They are generally amongst the least cooperative kind of patient! They can be great, but I wouldn't really call psych an "easy" career. More like a somewhat unique branch of medicine as it is really medicine's contribution to mental health.

That's an excellent point! No one actually enjoys talking to their psychiatrist when they're sitting in the room. Talk about compliance issues!

 

[BlueElmo]

That's an excellent point! No one actually enjoys talking to their psychiatrist when they're sitting in the room. Talk about compliance issues!

Perhaps why it's not as competitive a specialty as surgical specialties, or rad, or derm, etc.

 

[CoolWhipp]

There are many people that want and will become psychiatrists. Nothing in medicine is easy.

 

[FuturaDocta]

EASY?! The mind is not easy one bit my friend. Psychiatry/neurology is still somewhat new, which is one reason I would love to enter the field. I appreciate the brain and all the complexities that may come with it such as some of those major neuro diseases.

Anyway, I have been wondering about the quality of the specialty in some schools as well. Any suggestions?

 

[loveoforganic]

Perhaps why it's not as competitive a specialty as surgical specialties, or rad, or derm, etc.

Low income and not much desire to work with the mentally ill I think are the biggest factors.

 

[BlueElmo]

Low income and not much desire to work with the mentally ill I think are the biggest factors.

Yes, I agree.

 

[LizzyM]

Yale has always produced a relatively large number of psychiatrists, IIRC.

The school has an unsual grading system and requires a thesis so it isn't for everyone.

I can't think of a field of medicine that requires more patience, empathy and "people skills". There is also the general level of frustration with reimbursement that makes it easier to schedule 15 minute "medication checks" than to provide the kind of care that requires a longer visit... not unlike so many other specialties in that regard.

Many of the diseases treated by psychiatrists are deadly if untreated (and sometimes deadly despite treatment).

 

[FuturaDocta]

Perhaps it is low income (which isn't low at all from what I saw the other day😀), but I think the real factor would be the personality skills. Most people are attracted to surgery because they don't want to the patient-doctor relationship (and the $$$x100000), whereas psychiatry is quite the opposite.

I remember wanting to be a cardiac surgeon because I grew up always hearing about the heart and it interested me, but my parents knew I would soon be deterred by the lack of patient contact.

 

[BigRedBeta]

Psych...easy? Not really.
Psych...easy schedule? Yes.

That's the difference. While there are exceptions to every stereotype, Psych gets it's "easy" label because of the hours worked, and how busy you are during those hours. That's not to say psychiatrists don't work, just that in comparison to most other fields of medicine it's not "busy". Psychiatric patients can't be helped with 15 minute office visits. Their problems are more complex than "give tylenol 325mg PRN q 4hours for fever greater than 38.3". Thus you need 30 minutes or an hour to make any progress. To those in pediatrics or surgery or internal med or OB/GYN, the idea of spending that much time with each and every single patient is incomprehensible and the services/clinics seem so tame, thus psych is given the easy label. But certainly, psychiatrists have highly developed skills and a vast knowledge base to master, along with difficult patients who are often dependent on social safety nets which only adds to the complexity of their care.

But that's the great thing about medicine is that it takes all kinds. Whatever your personality, whatever you like to do, there's a specialty that will fit your needs.

 

[picklespin]

The ONLY reason that I want to go to medical school for is so that I can become a psychiatrist. Maybe that's closed minded or whatever because at this point I'm not open to any other specialties, but if I could help mentally-ill people that would be the most rewarding job ever.

To me, I'd much rather be hit by a car anyday then go through some kind of severe emotional turmoil. Psychiatrists are heros to me 👍. I don't understand why people don't see that. I think maybe it's just the bad rap around mental-illness to begin with.....people are 'embarrassed' to be working in the field. What a load of ****.

 

[neuro1986]

I am interested in neuropsychiatry residencies. Does anyone know of good programs in the US? I am from Canada...

Also, is it to your benefit to discuss your specific career aspirations if you already have a very good idea of the specialty you are interested in or is it important that ad committees perceive you as someone who has an open mind and is flexible to being wooed by any area of medicine?

For those of you who want to go into psych, is there anything specific you have been doing in this area in terms of ECs or volunteering to prepare?

 

[Brent8927]

Lately I've been more interested in psych. A biopsych (and later on a neurobio) course got me really interested in the brain and nervous system, and I was leaning towards neurology because of that. But, after working as a case manager for homeless people suffering from mental illness and/or HIV/AIDS, I've been leaning a lot more heavily towards psych. Part of the reason I went into medicine was to help/serve marginalized communities, and there aren't too many communities more marginalized than the mentally ill--especially those that are homeless.

One thing that also appeals to me is it's nice to know there's still a specialty where the art of medicine is still a critical and important part of the field.

As far as pay goes, I had wanted to be a park ranger before choosing medicine, so even a family physician has a very nice salary, in my eyes. 🙂

 

[loveoforganic]

Case manager is a sucky job, is it not? 😛 Lots of people needing nonexistant resources!

 

[MossPoh]

Lately I've been more interested in psych. A biopsych (and later on a neurobio) course got me really interested in the brain and nervous system, and I was leaning towards neurology because of that. But, after working as a case manager for homeless people suffering from mental illness and/or HIV/AIDS, I've been leaning a lot more heavily towards psych. Part of the reason I went into medicine was to help/serve marginalized communities, and there aren't too many communities more marginalized than the mentally ill--especially those that are homeless.

One thing that also appeals to me is it's nice to know there's still a specialty where the art of medicine is still a critical and important part of the field.

As far as pay goes, I had wanted to be a park ranger before choosing medicine, so even a family physician has a very nice salary, in my eyes. 🙂

The movie "The Soloist" does an excellent job in illustrating mental health issues amongst the homeless. It really is quite depressing and I personally respect anyone that devotes their life to helping people with such issues. Part of the lack of appeal is that it isn't as hands on as a lot of specialties. Even family medicine gets to do little procedures and a large variety of stuff. It is a very intellectual field with fairly fuzzy answers. Unlike an appendicitis, aneurysm, or whatever else, the answers are not quite as definitive. You'll notice that many of your classmates have a tough time with anything that is not clear cut. Most of my friends that are interested in psych tend to be the ones that love literature, philosophy and just thinking about those complex yet fluid things. (Not all....but many)

 

[MaryLennox]

If psych was so easy, wouldn't everyone want to do it???? 😕 everyone loves easy money!!

seriously though, i have considered it too. the main drawbacks i think of are that it seems like it would be really emotionally/mentally draining, and also what LizzyM said about the emphasis on 15-min med checks instead of 'real' appointments. i am looking forward to doing a psych rotation to see what it's really like.

Also, when i started thinking of med school i didn't really know the difference between psychiatry and psychology. now i know that if you want to be a psychologist, you get a PsychD, not an MD. even though i wish i had known that, though, i am pretty sure i still would have chosen to pursue MD . . . so i have time to decide if i wanna be a surgeon or not! 🙂

 

[Brent8927]

Case manager is a sucky job, is it not? 😛 Lots of people needing nonexistant resources!

Overall it was a wonderful and rewarding job, but yes, it has it's down points. Sometimes a service doesn't exist, and sometimes even when it does, it either isn't available, or for some reason, the person isn't eligible for it.

 

[loveoforganic]

Yeah, I was never officially a case manager, but did some case management when needed, and it's a sucky feeling when someone needs something and you just sort of have to say there's nothing available for that, or they wouldn't qualify for it, etc. It's nice when you manage to pull something off though.

 

[Brent8927]

Yeah, I was never officially a case manager, but did some case management when needed, and it's a sucky feeling when someone needs something and you just sort of have to say there's nothing available for that, or they wouldn't qualify for it, etc. It's nice when you manage to pull something off though.

I agree--it's one of the best feelings in the world 🙂.

 

[DeadliestSnatch]

I think psych is fascinating. I'd love to become a Psychiatrist and do my part to improve psychiatric care in the U.S.; the state of it is pretty appalling, but I'll spare everyone rant on that subject. 😀

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

Low income and not much desire to work with the mentally ill I think are the biggest factors.

I concur. There is a chance to make good money but then you have to listen to rich people whine about their problems all day, and that would get really tiresome after a while. Getting poop thrown at you in a public facility isn't exactly a stellar alternative.

I love psychology, majored in it, and find the science extremely interesting and a true love, but one thing that holds be back with psychiatry is the tendency to over-medicate. My feeling as a patient with psychiatrists vs psychologists has overwhelmingly confirmed this mentality. I can't speak for psychiatry as a whole but my impression is that psychiatrists attempt to treat most psychological problems as if they were medical problems...ie: with meds, and that's just not the way it should be done. The thinking brain has an amazing capacity to "heal" itself unlike, say, your kidneys or broken bones. There are exceptions..like scizophrenia...but these pt's are usually impossible to cure, difficult to treat, and come with a host of other behavioral issues that would make your daily life less than ideal. Just my $0.02

I guess the only reason I'd go into psych is to do research.

 

[MrBurns10]

I can't speak for psychiatry as a whole but my impression is that psychiatrists attempt to treat most psychological problems as if they were medical problems...ie: with meds, and that's just not the way it should be done. The thinking brain has an amazing capacity to "heal" itself unlike, say, your kidneys or broken bones. There are exceptions..like scizophrenia...but these pt's are usually impossible to cure, difficult to treat, and come with a host of other behavioral issues that would make your daily life less than ideal. Just my $0.02

From my perspective, I couldn't agree with you less. With the exception of personality disorders, mental illness is a medical problem. Sure, sometimes all it takes is therapy to help someone with depression or anxiety, and a lot of times both meds and therapy are necessary to maximize effectiveness. But there is a biochemical basis to mental illness and, more often than not, medication helps improve quality of life tremendously. It's the very belief that psychiatric illness is not a medical problem that causes so much of the stigma.

More on topic, psych is a great field in my opinion. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to, even though I've always had an interest in mental illness, and actually considered going into it for awhile. Many of the patients will be the most interesting ones you will have the entire year.

 

[shiftingmirage]

I'm not really interested in psych because you can't get your hands dirty. I need blood and guts. Also, you don't solve the problem in one setting. I have a short attention span and want people to come in, me to fix them up, then boot them out and on to the next person. Extended care isn't up my alley.

I wouldn't say it's an easy profession since you are going to hear a lot of bad stuff. Being molested by a parent, rape, seeing a loved one murdered. You'll have to develop a tough shell where you don't take it home with you. If a patient I was treating committed suicide, I would feel like complete crap for a long time.