Do you feel respected as a psychiatrist?

[moto_za]

Amongst other healthcare providers and non-medical people do you feel respected being known as a Psychiatrist?

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[Bartelby]

I do. Other healthcare providers know how difficult working with psychiatric patients can be, so they tend to have respect for psychiatrists (there will always be exceptions). Among non-medical people I am still a doctor (even if in a lower-prestige specialty), and my day-to-day work is really interesting to many/most laypeople.

 

[Doc1401]

The respect comes from the quality of your work and social skills, not from your specialty. I have met psychiatrists who I admire greatly because they demonstrate humility and healthy living in their personal lives (practice what they preach). I have also met doctors of other specialties who are narcissistic and cheat on their spouses, at the expense of their reputation.

 

[Merely]

Psychiatrist are not highly respected by the medical community nor the general population. While some psychiatrist may feel respected the fact is they definitely do not have the same respect and prestige as a cardiologist or surgeon. I’ve met many docs that talk **** about psych..but it also depends on where you work, who you associate with, etc.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I feel very respected by the medical community. At most physician events, I have peers asking for my cell number for future questions. I’m often asked to speak on interesting clinical topics. The “cool” factor of psychiatry is very much on the rise.

 

[SmallBird]

Psychiatrist are not highly respected by the medical community nor the general population. While some psychiatrist may feel respected the fact is they definitely do not have the same respect and prestige as a cardiologist or surgeon. I’ve met many docs that talk **** about psych..but it also depends on where you work, who you associate with, etc.

How have you made this determination? We all have our personal impressions, and there isn’t good data to inform this. But examples abound which illustrate the deep respect afforded to psychiatrists. The previous CEO of the Partners Healthcare System was a psychiatrist. There are psychiatrists who are deans and vice deans at many major medical schools. The NIMH has a larger budget then many other medical specialties. Salaries are increasing and have increased for psychiatrists. Mental health is a singular focus for college presidents and school systems across the country. Multiple large systems continue to accept financial losses from psychiatry departments, perhaps in part at lest reflecting an awareness of the necessity of the work. So to the extent that these institutions are supporting our work and showing an interest in our role, we are respected. We may not be according to some more nebulous and immeasurable metric but I’ve taken a position where I assume I am respected for the last 7 years and so far not had prominent experiences challenging this assumption. I can’t gaurantee that some surgical intern isn’t secretly laughing behind my back but when it comes to that measure of respect, honestly who gives a.

 

[wolfvgang22]

Yes.

 

[hamstergang]

I feel very respected. Other specialties/primary care find me very useful and appreciate my work. I don't know if they view me as a "real doctor" or whatever, but they find me important and know they can't do what I do. I feel I have a good relationship with other doctors around me.

 

[Sushirolls]

Psychiatrists are similar to lawyers. Lay people can at times be a bit awkward or surprised/reserved, or telling life story, or seeking free advice. But overall, lawyers and psychiatrists are not really valued until you need one or family member needs one.

With the addiction work and ECT/Neurostimulation work I've done, I've been blessed with written heart felt cards from patients or their family members thanking me for saving their life. I don't internalize my endeavors as life saving but more of being a tool applied for the right job at the right time. However you view it, I'm blessed to have made that type of difference in people's lives.

But as a whole psychiatry is not that respected. I've had work environments where psychiatry is relegated to the crap buildings, and admin just don't care - straight up Honey Badger. As in rats dead in toilets, heat busted and seeing breath in waiting room, or AC busted and sweat dripping down patients foreheads in office. I had the experience of advocating for expanded addiction services with a significant amount of hospital admin. Completely ignored, because this health system had yet to grasp the concept of spend some money here and save a lot of money there - they were still operating under old school black vs red budgets. I've also had hospital admin at different location minimize expressed pt safety concerns, and received back lash for possible pt transfer/admit I required imaging for in first break psychosis. I've also seen hospitals milk media attention for clinics visited by Senators and Representatives, only to not really giving a hoot about it beyond the headlines.

However, I've also had several various hospital admin call up personally to try to get their friend / loved one to the head of the line for an appointment.

Is psychiatry respected? Yes, absolutely, but in a different way than other fields.

Don't choose this field for respect. Choose it for the love of the specialty.

Personally, I've thrown off the shackles of poor work environments by striking out on my own. I've got a pep in my step, and life feels good. I respect myself more for pursuing a practice where I'm responsible for quality control. I'm looking forward to the next 30+ years.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Psychiatrists are similar to lawyers. Lay people can at times be a bit awkward or surprised/reserved, or telling life story, or seeking free advice. But overall, lawyers and psychiatrists are not really valued until you need one or family member needs one.

I think this is pretty true. Everyone likes to make lawyer jokes until they need a good lawyer.....

 

[ryerica22]

Nope and i couldn't care less.

 

[Dharma]

Yes.

This.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

An oxymoron is a term for a figure of speech. It is made up of two or more words that seem to be opposite to each other, or actually are opposite. ... The word oxymoron is an oxymoron; 'oxy' comes from the Greek word that means 'sharp', while '*****' comes from the Greek word that means 'dull'.
eg. "respected psychiatrist".
Really, the best defense is to get enough analysis to not care about what other doctors think. We know we rock and that is all that matters.

 

[nitemagi]

An oxymoron is a term for a figure of speech. It is made up of two or more words that seem to be opposite to each other, or actually are opposite. ... The word oxymoron is an oxymoron; 'oxy' comes from the Greek word that means 'sharp', while '*****' comes from the Greek word that means 'dull'.
eg. "respected psychiatrist".
Really, the best defense is to get enough analysis to not care about what other doctors think. We know we rock and that is all that matters.

The OP's question reveals more about them than it's ever going to reveal about us.

 

[Horners]

With the addiction work and ECT/Neurostimulation work I've done, I've been blessed with written heart felt cards from patients or their family members thanking me for saving their life. I don't internalize my endeavors as life saving but more of being a tool applied for the right job at the right time. However you view it, I'm blessed to have made that type of difference in people's lives.

Can I just quote this on my personal statement? This is the kind of impact worth working for.



Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[WisNeuro]

This is one of those other threads that just pops up every couple of months, it seems (people need to learn how to use the search function). After working in healthcare for a while, there is no single specialty/healthcare role that I respect or do not respect as a group. That's just silly. There are plenty of providers within those specialties who I respect or do not respect. I could care less about how "prestigious" one of the providers' specialties is who works with my patients, if they are a terrible doctor. If you're good at what you do, and can demonstrate your worth, you'll be respected regardless of your specialty area. At least by the people that matter (colleagues, patients you work with, referral sources). Plenty of psychiatrists in my area who are just pill mills for benzos, and I steer my patients clear of those. I have my list of people I really like and trust, and they'll get all of my referrals. I also have people in my own area of neuro that I don't trust to navigate their way out of a paper bag, let alone a complex neuropathological presentation, and will say as much to my referring neurologist colleagues if they need another referral source. Why worry about whether or not the specialty as a whole is arbitrarily "respected?" Seems like a huge waste of brain space and more of an internal self-esteem problem.

 

[Monocles]

Not sure about respect, but my co-horts (residents from other specialities, med school classmates) are definitely jelly when I tell them the hours I work and what I do at work (playing Switch when my patients no show)

From the other perspective, whenever I talk to a friend who is in surgery or medicine I always think "oh god you poor souls". The only specialities that I am jelly of are :

- derm ($$$$)
- PMNR (super chill)
- peds (enjoyable patient population)

 

[MedMan80]

Not sure about respect, but my co-horts (residents from other specialities, med school classmates) are definitely jelly when I tell them the hours I work and what I do at work (playing Switch when my patients no show)

From the other perspective, whenever I talk to a friend who is in surgery or medicine I always think "oh god you poor souls". The only specialities that I am jelly of are :

- derm ($$$$)
- PMNR (super chill)
- peds (enjoyable patient population)

Peds is bottom of the barrel reimbursement wise, in CAP i get to work with many children as well. You can maybe add IR to that list, super $$$ and needed in any hospital.

 

[Shufflin]

IR is very demanding. These are the guys who get called in at 3am to do an emergent life-saving procedure. Very demanding IR is. They work very hard for their $$.

 

[mymembernames]

Not sure about respect, but my co-horts (residents from other specialities, med school classmates) are definitely jelly when I tell them the hours I work and what I do at work (playing Switch when my patients no show)

From the other perspective, whenever I talk to a friend who is in surgery or medicine I always think "oh god you poor souls". The only specialities that I am jelly of are :

- derm ($$$$)
- PMNR (super chill)
- peds (enjoyable patient population)

Not EM?

 

[Salpingo]

This is one of those other threads that just pops up every couple of months, it seems (people need to learn how to use the search function). After working in healthcare for a while, there is no single specialty/healthcare role that I respect or do not respect as a group. That's just silly. There are plenty of providers within those specialties who I respect or do not respect. I could care less about how "prestigious" one of the providers' specialties is who works with my patients, if they are a terrible doctor. If you're good at what you do, and can demonstrate your worth, you'll be respected regardless of your specialty area. At least by the people that matter (colleagues, patients you work with, referral sources). Plenty of psychiatrists in my area who are just pill mills for benzos, and I steer my patients clear of those. I have my list of people I really like and trust, and they'll get all of my referrals. I also have people in my own area of neuro that I don't trust to navigate their way out of a paper bag, let alone a complex neuropathological presentation, and will say as much to my referring neurologist colleagues if they need another referral source. Why worry about whether or not the specialty as a whole is arbitrarily "respected?" Seems like a huge waste of brain space and more of an internal self-esteem problem.

This. Although to be honest, while GOOD psychiatrists get a decent amount of respect, if you just tell someone you’re a psychiatrist, you’ll get relatively less respect than other specialties. And yes, there will always be other doctors who don’t think you’re a real physician, but there are also surgeons who think internists aren’t real doctors, or that breast surgery isn’t real surgery, etc.

It’s like seeing someone drive a nice car. We’d be lying to ourselves if we said we weren’t filled with a little admiration/envy. That feeling disappears when we learn that the person got the car from their parents, or that they have no idea how to drive it. Alternatively, we see a person driving an average a car and don’t think twice about them, but then we learn they put it together themselves from a kit, or they’ve kept it in shape since they were a teenager, when they bought it after months of work and saving. Similarly, people will always be impressed by an Ivy League diploma, but would you rather work with someone who got into a Harvard as a legacy and got by taking the easiest classes, or a someone who got a free ride at their state school, graduating at the top of their class in a tough major?

When you go into psychiatry, you have to accept the fact that you’re not getting into the Tesla or Lambo specialty, but I find as I get further along in life, I care less about those things. Even though at one point there seemed like nothing more important than the college I went to (then med school, then residency...), those names are now mostly words on a resume and don’t define me. It’s ultimately up to me and what I do that determines whether I’m a respectable person or doctor.

Which I’ll try to remind myself when I hit my midlife crisis, start looking for Porsche’s and threatening to disown my kids for getting less than a 1600 SAT.

 

[Armadillos]

I definitely feel respected. It’s not like I feel that I’ve “earned respect” through pure grit like a neurosurgeon taking q3 call or whatever, I have a special level of respect/awe for people who can survive that physically/mentally.

However I definitely feel respect from other docs, patients and patient families when it comes to the medical care I provide. Honestly everyone else always seems more impressed with our work than we are. I’m frequently left wishing things could have improved more, but the patient/family are thrilled with me.

 

[NickNaylor]

I generally feel respected. There are always the occasional folks who demean psychiatry generally, but I think this simply reflects broader attitudes about psychiatry in the culture.

 

[Monocles]

Not EM?

No way haha. No amount of money in the world is worth the hectic setting (unless you're an adrenaline junkie who lives for that stuff ) and endless violent/aggressive/assaultive patients

 

[Doc1401]

I just read about a doctor who got recognized in his state for outstanding clinical care and leadership. People shake his hand as they greet him in the hallways. He graduated from a program that is not considered prestigious but he became the embodiment of prestige by his day to day practice.

 

[ridethecliche]

Forgive for becoming disenchanted when someone compares teslas to lambos.

Also come on y'all... Ditch the Porsches and get on the Lotus train. Add lightness.

 

[clausewitz2]

Forgive for becoming disenchanted when someone compares teslas to lambos.

Also come on y'all... Ditch the Porsches and get on the Lotus train. Add lightness.

They all involve ludicrous conspicuous automotive consumption, only really differ in which specific subculture placing a high value on flamboyant displays of wealth you affiliate with.

 

[ridethecliche]

They all involve ludicrous conspicuous automotive consumption, only really differ in which specific subculture placing a high value on flamboyant displays of wealth you affiliate with.

It actually depends. The label recognition factor is totally different, though it's hard for a car like this to not come off as ostentatious because of the body shape.

This probably applies more to watches where everyone knows Rolex but brands like JLC and IWC are known to a smaller group of people. I guess with cars things like Alfa and maybe Maserati might be more applicable because the average person won't know what they are...

There's still a log difference between tesla and lambo though haha. I've seen the cost analysis for a few early adopters of tesla and the numbers weren't that bad.


But I digress...

 

[Dharma]

Not EM?

No way! The burnout is real!

 

[deleted736562]

I remember when I was a third year medical student I was treating the family of a prominent cardiologist at our med school. When they knew I wanted to be a psychiatrist, they sort of burst out laughing and then with a sort of pitiful ook on their faces. I thought that was cute at the time.

You'll definitely encounter people in day life who may look down at your choices, but in day yo day work people respect you if you do good work. We play a critical role in the ED and in the hospital setting, where most of our encounters with other medical providers occur.

 

[Amygdarya]

I remember when I was a third year medical student I was treating the family of a prominent cardiologist at our med school.

There’s something wrong with this statement.

 

[deleted736562]

There’s something wrong with this statement.

I meant on the treatment team of a family member of a prominent cardiologist. It's just quicker to write on a phone. You read too much into things.

 

[MedMan80]

Honestly I did feel that psychiatrist had less respect during my MS days, but moving up the ranks its something I care less about/notice less. Psych is a great gig, with pay that is finally getting into the level that we deserve, most of us get weekends off still, call is light compared to our medicine colleagues, my family/non psych physician colleagues still feel that I am a physician. I feel a medical student would probably feel this the most, in the end do what you makes you happy/content and you can't go wrong.

 

[ridethecliche]

I meant on the treatment team of a family member of a prominent cardiologist. It's just quicker to write on a phone. You read too much into things.

Said to a shrink, this made me laugh.

 

[deleted736562]

Said to a shrink, this made me laugh.

Shrinks need to be especially careful about their transference/projections.

 

[FlowRate]

It's med students, PGY 1's, and 2's who still most closely identify specialty choice with step scores and clinical grades, even though they probably chose their field in some part (hopefully in large part) for love of the field. Once you build clinical skill and see how you differ from others with different skills, I think these thoughts move further to the back of your mind.

Also, those med students should see some of the applicants we're getting these days... There are definitely people who choose their specialty because it's what they want to do, despite having the option to do literally anything else.

 

[Wilf]

This probably applies more to watches where everyone knows Rolex but brands like JLC and IWC are known to a smaller group of people. I guess with cars things like Alfa and maybe Maserati might be more applicable because the average person won't know what they are...

And brands like Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne and Vacheron Constantin are even better and known by an even smaller group of people.

 

[ridethecliche]

And brands like Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Sohne and Vacheron Constantin are even better and known by an even smaller group of people.

Yes, I could have gone on lol but didn't see the need.

I think more people recognize Patek now though because it's been written about more. Not sure I'd ever want to own one but I've handled one and it was stunning.