How important are colleagues starting out?

[Attending1985]

I got offered a job that I really like in a clinic associated with a medical hospital. I pretty much like everything about it but the fact that there is only one other psychiatrist who works there. He works 3 days per week. There are 2 psych NPs as well who work 4 days per week. I worry that as far as advice/consultation I'll be pretty limited in that there's so few people. Do you guys think this is a big deal or not something to worry about. How much help did you need starting out on your own?

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[MacDonaldTriad]

I think everyone grows and learns after residency. The degree to which this happens depends on two things, the amount you learned in residency, and the richness of your post training environment. It is hard to answer your question without knowing anything about your program. All we can conjecture for sure is that someone wrote a sentence that says you are ready to practice independently. It is likely that this is true, but it is also true that everyone can benefit from a good mentor. There are lots of programs that do prepare people well enough to then practice in relative isolation, there are also many that are not good enough in my opinion.

 

[northernpsy]

As a relatively young attending myself, I do think it is helpful to have well informed and friendly colleagues who you can bounces ideas off of when you get a case that is challenging or involves complex legal/ethical issues. In the group of docs I work with, we do curbside each other or get second opinions from each other from time to time.
However, I think it is extremely hard to predict in advance whether or not your future colleague will actually be a worthwhile mentor. There are a lot of mediocre or crappy psychiatrists out there unfortunately, and even if someone is a good psychiatrist that might not mean that they have any time to teach - or interest in teaching.
Personally, I'd probably take the job but also try to think about if there is a friend or faculty member from residency who might be ok with it if you reach out to them in the future to get some guidance.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I've really valued having people I can learn from at work although this is dropping off at my job which is unfortunate. Honestly though from talking to my friends and from looking at jobs out there in the world, it seems like mentorship/collaboration with colleagues is pretty rare, especially in outpatient jobs. I wouldn't not take a job you're otherwise into because of this, but it's definitely a downside.

 

[TexasPhysician]

My resident friends and I still have group texts to bounce ideas off of each other. Could you do the same?

 

[Jules A]

My past/present colleagues and former classmates have been invaluable over the years for insight, collaboration, job opportunities and salary expectations. Perhaps my area is unusual as most have remained here but we continue to cultivate our unique connection. We get together periodically for happy hour, invite each other to facility functions, personal celebrations etc. This camaraderie has likely been my favorite part of this journey.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Consider reaching outside of your hospital, as having a range of perspectives can be really helpful. State associations can be helpful in this regard.