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http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/choosing-psych-over-fm.1056385/
They need a bit of FM flavor over there.
They need a bit of FM flavor over there.
I'm really glad you put this up! I have been lurking around the FM forums for the last couple days trying to figure out how to duplicate the thread without violating forum rules
Hello all,
I'm a 3rd year Carib med student applying for the 2015 Match. I'm interested in psych but also torn by the idea of turning away from FM.
I enjoy being able to walk into the hospital or clinic and being able to take care of the physical ailments people bring in, work through puzzling cases and using my hands occasionally to provide treatment. I enjoy longitudinal relationships with my patients but also get a rush out of acute cases. I enjoy working with people of all age groups, particularly kids and the elderly.
On the other hand, I hate the overbearing weight of administrative/political nonsense that hangs over primary care docs heads and realize that the type of practice I want to run will clash with the financial/legal/political realities of medicine in the U.S. On top of that, I've found in my rotations that we med students sometimes romanticize the impact medical services have on our patients. For many people getting their illness treated is like getting a burger from McD when you're hungry; you eat it and move on, life doesn't really change for the better, except you're no longer in acute pain/hunger.
This is where pysch comes in. The work is often interesting, cases can be super esoteric at times, the patients are turning out to be interesting and rewarding to work with and every pysch resident/attending I've worked with seem so happy with life in general, especially relative to their counterparts in IM/FM. On top of that, through my limited experience with psych I find that the work that psychiatrists do generally has a greater ability to improve people's experience of life, which to me is a core part of what I want to accomplish with the care that I provide to patients.
So now I'm torn between FM and Pysch, and could use some advice. Anyone feel the same way before making the leap to psych? Any "rose-tinted views" shattering information about practice after residency to share with me? And any advice about reading materials, journals etc one could look into to further explore psych as an option for residency?
Look forward to your responses!
@SXMMD was asking about FM vs Psych in the psych forums: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/choosing-psych-over-fm.1056385/So I am totally confused. What do you want to know???