Medicine vs Psychiatry subi/electives?

[psychoasis]

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I am applying to residency this fall, and I was wondering whether to prioritize medicine sub-i before my psychiatry application or perform more psychiatry rotations. I was not sure how integral it is to interview at psychiatry residencies. I looked at the roadmap to psychiatry residency on psychiatry.org and it does not have any information about medicine sub-internships. Thanks!

 

[shoomer]

From my own experience as part of the interview committee, we did not care about medicine sub-I's (unless we saw a disproportionately high amount of medicine compared to psych, in which case it would be a negative indicator of interest).

More psych sub-I's and/or psych electives in niche areas of interest (CL, forensics, child/adolescent etc.) would be more beneficial for your application and to have talking points during interview season.

 

[Celexa]

From my own experience as part of the interview committee, we did not care about medicine sub-I's (unless we saw a disproportionately high amount of medicine compared to psych, in which case it would be a negative indicator of interest).

More psych sub-I's and/or psych electives in niche areas of interest (CL, forensics, child/adolescent etc.) would be more beneficial for your application and to have talking points during interview season.

The places I have been involved in the process do want to see solid performance on non-psychiatry rotations and the advice is to have at least one LOR that isn't from psych. If you can get a good one from clerkship rotations that's fine but I wouldnt put off a medicine subi until post interview relevance if you don't have that.

 

[Sushirolls]

Want to have fun, do Neurosurgery elective. The hours will not be pleasant, but it will be informative. They might even view you positively in not being their usual type to rotate through.

Sleep Medicine is another peripheral to do, as not all residency programs require it. 2 weeks really is all that's needed, but if have to do 4 weeks. Just suck it up and feign interest as best as possible.

Headache Neurology rotation if you can find one. *Psychiatry can do this fellowship too, FYI

State psych hospital and especially the forensic unit if you can land it

Psych ED... and if you don't have one, try to create/carve one out. Be the student hanging out in ED to do all psych consults, that then get staffed by the C/L service. Might be able to custom create a flavor of this?

 

[splik]

Is this common? I did not know psychiatry could do this

it's not common. it is not a lucrative specialty (which is why there are openings for psychiatrists as most neurologists not interested in doing this fellowship). there are some procedures like botox, peripheral nerve blocks, SPG blocks, trigger point injections but most of it is long appointments with chronic pain patients which tends not to generate much revenue. not many people like working with pain patients.

 

[ObsequiousAplomb]

I agree with the above that it's important to show you did well on non-psych as well as psych rotations. I did my sub-I in pathology and it was one of my favorite rotations. It really helped me better understand hospital systems. Nobody cared that I didn't do one in psych since I had a number of psych electives.

 

[comp1]

I remember an attending telling me to do as much non-psych stuff as I could my 4th year because it would be my last chance. I did not take him up on that and have never once regretted it. The rest of medicine kinda sucks. 🙂