MS4 Having Second Thoughts about specialty

[New Memnber]

Hello everyone,
I created a new profile for this question to remain anonymous. I'm an MS4 currently interviewing at Psych Programs. However, I'm having doubts about my choice. I miss some parts of medicine. And am not too thrilled about a lot of medication management that goes on in psychiatry. I do have an interest in psychology and neuroscience and non medication ways of managing mental illness.

Anyways, is it too late in the year to switch residencies. Other interests of mine are general surgery, internal medicine, and EM. What have students done in my situation? Should I just push through and get 4th year done and see what I think of psych intern year? Or do a transitional year? Not sure what that entails. Any other advice?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[sloop]

I think that if you're anti-medication in psychiatry, you will either change your views on this quickly or have a miserable time.

Psychopharmacological management is pretty much the core of what we do. Psychotherapy is also important but if you didn't want to do the psychopharmacology, you should have been a psychologist or a social worker.

The people who wind up in a hospital for psychiatric reasons generally require medication in order to get better. Sometimes they even require medication despite their objections to taking medication. If you're not comfortable with medical treatment of psychiatric illness, psychiatry is not the field for you.

If this is not the field for you, you should try to figure out a way to not match into it, if for no other reason than it's going to really screw over the rest of whatever class you enter if you leave shortly thereafter and leave them a body short in the call pool.

 

[mymembernames]

You can still try applying to other specialties since the deadline is not until Nov 30th

 

[831929]

what do you not like about medical management in psych?

 

[shaosoldier]

I agree, psychiatry is heavy concerning psychopharmacology these days, psychotherapy has a place but when disease processes get severe you’re going to have to start a med potentially against your patients will. Otherwise, without initial stabilization there is no place for psychotherapy.

 

[Taddy Mason]

It depends where you train. There’s a spectrum of the emphasis placed on psychopharm v. psychotherapy across programs. Having a solid psychopharm foundation is critical to being competent psychiatrist, but you can always gain further training in psychodynamics or CBT during and after residency if therapy is more your thang.

 

[mymembernames]

.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile