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...looks pretty interesting to me. Would there be any benefit to a forensic psychiatrist getting a JD?
Forensic psych...
- Thread starter DD214_DOC
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I really don't have enough knowledge to answer your question, but I did ask A Forensic psychiatrist this question during a grand rounds.
He said there's such a strong demand for FPs that if you just want to be a successfully practicing FP you don't need to worry. However if you want to become eminent in the field, put that feather in the cap, and make history, by all means pursue one.
Another FP told me at a grand rounds that sometimes combined JD-FPs strongly overdo 1 vs the other, and if you're working with a good lawyer, they're going to fill in the gap for you anyway, so don't worry.
Aside from my age (33) and my desire to just start making money, & stop cramming for exams, I wouldn't want an FP (edit: meant to say JD) because not working in clinical medicine for some time makes you forget clinical medicine. If you got a JD, I'd think that you'd forget most of your clinical skills, to the point where you'd have a tough transition back to clinical work if you wanted to do a combined clinical practice in addition to working as a FP. Heck, when I take a week off, I start to forget stuff that I think is common knowledge on the hospital floor.
He said there's such a strong demand for FPs that if you just want to be a successfully practicing FP you don't need to worry. However if you want to become eminent in the field, put that feather in the cap, and make history, by all means pursue one.
Another FP told me at a grand rounds that sometimes combined JD-FPs strongly overdo 1 vs the other, and if you're working with a good lawyer, they're going to fill in the gap for you anyway, so don't worry.
Aside from my age (33) and my desire to just start making money, & stop cramming for exams, I wouldn't want an FP (edit: meant to say JD) because not working in clinical medicine for some time makes you forget clinical medicine. If you got a JD, I'd think that you'd forget most of your clinical skills, to the point where you'd have a tough transition back to clinical work if you wanted to do a combined clinical practice in addition to working as a FP. Heck, when I take a week off, I start to forget stuff that I think is common knowledge on the hospital floor.
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I'm admitting up front - I'm not a psychiatrist! But, I have a good friend who is a forensic dentist - on the side. His practice is general dentistry, but he took training to become a forensic dentist - thru the FBI I think.
He is called upon to be an expert witness - doesn't function as a JD. It expands his practice to an interesting aspect of dentistry for him.
Perhaps that would work for you as well....
He is called upon to be an expert witness - doesn't function as a JD. It expands his practice to an interesting aspect of dentistry for him.
Perhaps that would work for you as well....
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I communicated with an MD/JD forensic psychiatrist and he thought the JD was more for academic reasons but overkill in needing to practice as a forensic psychiatrist.
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I am interested in going into forensics as well. I do not think that a JD would really be helpful in being a good forensic psychiatrist. When you are testifying as a FP you are not there to win or lose the case for the side that you were hired by. You are there to give your medical opinion. I think that if you get into the mindset of a lawyer you will loose sight of your intended purpose.
