FP doc Switching to Psych

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lucy2

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Hi all,
I'm Board Certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine. Been out of residency for about a year, practicing temporary positions in Maine. I have realized during and since residency that I really love psychiatry. FP is burning me out big time and I want to specialize. PGY2 positions in psych are hard to come by. I do not relish the idea of doing internship over again! Any advice? Anyone? Bueller?
Blessings,
L2

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Hi all,
I'm Board Certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine. Been out of residency for about a year, practicing temporary positions in Maine. I have realized during and since residency that I really love psychiatry. FP is burning me out big time and I want to specialize. PGY2 positions in psych are hard to come by. I do not relish the idea of doing internship over again! Any advice? Anyone? Bueller?
Blessings,
L2

Hi,
Totally understand your situation. But as a family doc, I believe you can see psych pts without any retraining since FP basically can see everybody.
 
Hi,
Totally understand your situation. But as a family doc, I believe you can see psych pts without any retraining since FP basically can see everybody.

yeah you can see psych pts. But without good training in psychopharm. And basically none in psychotherapy.

There are a few programs that actually have bigger PGY-2 classes than PGY-1 classes...intentionally.

Yale has 4 open PGY-2 spots every year. There are others, but they are the only ones who come immediately to mind.
 
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Dartmouth has extra PGY-2 spots built into their program.

Same at Univ New Mexico last I knew.
In my 2nd year we took in an Int Med resident and one who completed surgical residency, but wanted to switch.
 
Same at Univ New Mexico last I knew.
In my 2nd year we took in an Int Med resident and one who completed surgical residency, but wanted to switch.

Interesting switches to psych, were they just burnt out in their other fields?
 
Interesting switches to psych, were they just burnt out in their other fields?

Mostly just realized they really wanted to do Psych much more than those other fields. One had completed intern year in Med, the other completed 5 yrs gen surg residency, and realized he liked interacting with conscious patients and that he would have to become a jerk to get along in surgery and to get anything done. I'm not saying all surgeons are always jerks, but that was his realization about himself in that place.
 
Hi all,
I'm Board Certified in Family Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine. Been out of residency for about a year, practicing temporary positions in Maine. I have realized during and since residency that I really love psychiatry. FP is burning me out big time and I want to specialize. PGY2 positions in psych are hard to come by. I do not relish the idea of doing internship over again! Any advice? Anyone? Bueller?
Blessings,
L2

UW has open PGY2 positions, and they are frequently filled by former FP residents and attendings. Stanford, AFAIK also has open PGY2 positions.

-AT.
 
MN programs have open PGY2 spots not infrequently. If you can handle the winter, the Twin Cities is a great place to live and the training is good.
 
USC (SoCal, not South Carolina) has a couple PGY-2 spots every year.
 
Getting into a PGY 2 position is not an easy thing. Very few programs have them, and when they are available, the program often times gives them to candidates without announcing it to the public. As a former program director of mine put it, if he were to just ask everyone in the department if they knew anyone wanting a PGY-2 position, he'd get about 15 good people. If he put it out to the public, he and the program coordinator would be inundated with applications, and the PC would get annoying phone calls from several people begging to get in.

There are websites that will announce which programs have PGY-2s open. I don't remember any offhand, but if you find it, you will be against several applicants.

My suggestion is to call up several programs. If you have to call a hundred or more then do it. At least email them. This will be easier because you can send a form letter. Ask if they have a position open, and if they do, ask what you need to do to get into that program. I wouldn't push the issue too hard. Reason being is that you want the PC on your side. I've seen several cases where applicants called the PC several times a day with annoying requests because that person was scared, anxious and frustrated. Several applicants do not see the PC as a person in power. Dead wrong. In business the secretary is usually the gatekeeper to the boss. You tick off the PC, that PC is going to tell the PD that the "applicant seems to have issues. We got plenty of other people who want this position. I say throw this candidate out."

Most PCs I've seen in programs are the Scotty (Trek reference) of the department. No the person is not a doctor, but the PC is usually the lynchpin of the residency program's operations.

As for FP, yes you can do some psychiatry in it, but the extreme and sophistication will most likely not be on the same order as that of a psychiatrist.
 
...Most PCs I've seen in programs are the Scotty (Trek reference) of the department. No the person is not a doctor, but the PC is usually the lynchpin of the residency program's operations.
....

APD: Klingon applicants uncloaking from ERAS sector, keptain. Incoming Emails! Brace for Impact! Shields at 20%, Keptain!

PD: We need...those...interview dates...now...Scotty.

PC: I'm givin' it all I've got captain...but the PGY2 interface is out of sync with the applicant intake manifold, and if I bypass the main Chief Resident manipulator we'll be havin' a call schedule warp core breach and be burnin' out the attending dilithium prescription modules...


(OK, the whisky's definitely kicking in right now...:laugh:)
 
APD:

(OK, the whisky's definitely kicking in right now...:laugh:)

Aye, it's kickin' in, Kiptin. But it's difinitly nut whiskey yur drinkin' now. It's Romulan Ale!

(2 drinks later)
Ya great stupid Git. I luuv YOU!
 
I am an osteopathic family doc who went back for psych, and now I am in my third year. I can very easily say that going back was absolutely the best thing I ever did, and I am very happy at my Virginia based residency program. You should be prepared for doubts and second guessing from family, but stand resolute, and they will respect you for it. I can go on and on, but feel free to e-mail me privately. I would be happy to talk.
 
Check UMD, Hopkins, Stanford, and Yale for sure. They all have dedicated PGY2 transfer slots, some up to 5 per year. Make sure to call other programs as well as they often have someone that may drop out for one reason or another...
 
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