Only Premed. But 100% going Psychiatry. Is that ok?

[nontradmomma]

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I am seriously ONLY interested in Psychiatry. If psychiatry as field were to "end" tomorrow (or somehow cease to exist), i would quit "being premed" and try to become a clinical psychologist instead. i have absolutely no interest in any other medical specialty what so ever. I'm ok with this fact, but i get the feeling from reading SDN that premeds arent supposed to know what specialty they want & that those that say they do know are silly or naive. but psychiatry is quite a bit different from the other possible specialties & i know what my interests are and they have always been in mental health.

i also get the feeling from reading SDN that some people would perceive my lack of interest in being a "regular doctor" (read: not psychiatrist) as a good indication that i should become a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist. but to me, although psychologist would be my second choice, why settle (for my second choice)?

so what's the big deal? i understand going into premed/med school hell bent on entering one of the more competitive specialties can be problematic & disapointing if you dont score high enough on your tests & dont match, etc. but since psychiatry is not too competitive, has a shortage, & post residency hours/lifestyle are more flexible (than say surgery), i feel that those concerns dont so much apply to me.

ideally, i should shadow some psychiatrists to make sure i know what it's really like. but do psychiatrists really allow that? seems like too sensitive a field in terms of privacy, perceived (or real) stigma, HIPPA, etc to allow that...? so instead i read stuff & would accept suggestions on how to secure psych shadowing or recommendations of good books or resources to give insight on what its like to be a psychiatrist, etc.

by the way, a little about me: i am 36 & have been interested in mental health and in psychiatry since i was a young teenager & this interest has never wavered. my BA is in psychology & my work experience has been more social-worky in nature. quit my job to go premed full time (a la carte style) & have a 2yr old & want to try for a second child early next yr.

I also wonder how i am supposed to approach med school interviews, personal statements, secondary essays, etc. Am i supposed to act like i'm more open minded than i really am? i am open minded in the sense that i am not afraid of change. if some other specialty were to sweep me away & really catch my attention, i would certainly look into it as a possibility. i just dont really see that happening...

 

[peppy]

The main problem with being a med student who only likes psychiatry is that the vast majority of med school training focuses on other specialties, so it will be a long, boring, and difficult 4 years of your life if you have no interest in those other specialties. I would definitely suggest looking for shadowing/volunteering opportunities in the other specialties to make sure you can tolerate it.
Shadowing psychiatrists is not as common due to the privacy concerns of the field, but you could certainly try contacting some psychiatrists in your area and see what they say, or check to see if there is a psychiatric unit at any of the local hospitals that accepts volunteers.

Some interviewers will judge you negatively for only being interested in psychiatry so I personally would suggest trying to keep things open. I feel that, in general, saying you like primary care is a pretty safe answer in interviews, but it's really hard to predict how any individual interviewer will react. While one might like that answer, another might see that answer as being insincere because it's so common.

 

[nontradmomma]

yeah, i guess i should clarify, i have no interest in making a career of any other specialty, but i dont hate the idea of learning a little about them.

when i was younger, i initially pursued psychology over psychiatry because i was less interested in the sciences. but i have sense grown & matured in all sorts of ways & my intellectual curiosity has expanded quite considerably. in highschool, i found H.S. Chem class torturous & boring. today, i find it interesting enough & totally "do-able". and i love the idea of learning more about the human body, disease, treatments, etc, as a whole, i just dont want to specialize in it (ie, primary care).

but my focus & primary interest is likely to always be mental health. and i feel like if i were to study psychology today (ie, going on to PhD in psychology) i would be missing part of the picture, like there's a whole chunk missing that psychiatry seeks to address (medical aspects as well as the psychosocial ones).

i do hate the idea of having to subdue my enthusiasm for psychiatry & mental health at interviews, essays etc. it feels like lying. why do i want to be a doctor? why do i want to go to med school? to become a psychiatrist. it is my only reason. how do i lie & say it is something else? i guess i understand that this might be reality. but it sucks. shouldnt adcoms be happy someone is showing interest in psych since there is a shortage?

i would love to hear from anybody, but especially from others who knew BEFORE med school that this was what they wanted...

 

[tobi44]

yeah, i guess i should clarify, i have no interest in making a career of any other specialty, but i dont hate the idea of learning a little about them.

when i was younger, i initially pursued psychology over psychiatry because i was less interested in the sciences. but i have sense grown & matured in all sorts of ways & my intellectual curiosity has expanded quite considerably. in highschool, i found H.S. Chem class torturous & boring. today, i find it interesting enough & totally "do-able". and i love the idea of learning more about the human body, disease, treatments, etc, as a whole, i just dont want to specialize in it (ie, primary care).

but my focus & primary interest is likely to always be mental health. and i feel like if i were to study psychology today (ie, going on to PhD in psychology) i would be missing part of the picture, like there's a whole chunk missing that psychiatry seeks to address (medical aspects as well as the psychosocial ones).

i do hate the idea of having to subdue my enthusiasm for psychiatry & mental health at interviews, essays etc. it feels like lying. why do i want to be a doctor? why do i want to go to med school? to become a psychiatrist. it is my only reason. how do i lie & say it is something else? i guess i understand that this might be reality. but it sucks. shouldnt adcoms be happy someone is showing interest in psych since there is a shortage?

i would love to hear from anybody, but especially from others who knew BEFORE med school that this was what they wanted...

I do think its good to show interest in other fields of medicine, not just one in particular. Mostly because adcoms want someone who is going to be a good doctor first. Someone who will be able to handle the rigor of learning the material as well as being excited in taking advantage of all the great resources the school has to offer. Lets say you apply to a medical school with the best urology, oncology, and OBGYN departments in the state. The dean of admissions (a pediatrician) is the one reading your application, and your essay says you only want to do psychiatry (but you are willing to learn a little about everything else). Do you think the admissions officer will think you are a good match for their program? A potential danger for you would be to pigeon hole your interest into one corner of medicine instead of advertising yourself as the real deal.

Besides, its not really lying if you express interest in other fields of medicine. Maybe you will surprise yourself and once rotating on the wards you will discover a over-whelming interest in neurology or family medicine. Its been known to happen.

But at the end of the day, I think the main concern on your application will be your MCAT/GPA. If those are competitive and you can prove experience in medicine then you are mostly there.

 

[nontradmomma]

sounds like down playing my interest in psychiatry may be a necessary evil.

having said that, since shadowing a psychiatrist will be difficult &/or unlikely, does anyone have any suggestions on ways i can become more familiar with the day to day of a psychiatrist? i will shadow other specialties mostly because it is expected of me. but since my decision to apply to med school revolves around psychiatry, i wont really be doing it in order to see it's like to be a "x" doctor, since i dont much care about the day to day work of a primary care phys (or whatever), but i very much care about the day to day of a psych. i will look into volunteering in places where i might be exposed to psychiatrists but that might not be easy either.

so i think my question now is, are there any books or something that might give me insight? or should i start a new thread for that? the psych books sticky, though still interesting, isnt exactly what i'm looking for here. i already know i am fascinated by psychiatry as a whole, i am currently more interested in something that might show me what it's like to WORK in psychiatry.

 

[Smokemont]

sounds like down playing my interest in psychiatry may be a necessary evil.

having said that, since shadowing a psychiatrist will be difficult &/or unlikely, does anyone have any suggestions on ways i can become more familiar with the day to day of a psychiatrist? i will shadow other specialties mostly because it is expected of me. but since my decision to apply to med school revolves around psychiatry, i wont really be doing it in order to see it's like to be a "x" doctor, since i dont much care about the day to day work of a primary care phys (or whatever), but i very much care about the day to day of a psych. i will look into volunteering in places where i might be exposed to psychiatrists but that might not be easy either.

so i think my question now is, are there any books or something that might give me insight? or should i start a new thread for that? the psych books sticky, though still interesting, isnt exactly what i'm looking for here. i already know i am fascinated by psychiatry as a whole, i am currently more interested in something that might show me what it's like to WORK in psychiatry.

I don't think it's a big deal at all to say that your primary interest is in mental health. However, I certainly wouldn't offer the information that you aren't interested in anything else. Your psych degree, social work experience, and non-trad experiences should provide you a great story for your personal statement. You need to focus on the MCAT and your GPA in order to get interviews/acceptances. What we really need more of is people who are passionate about the specialty they choose, instead of choosing based on things like salary. You definitely have this going for you, so don't let anything stop you.

 

[michaelrack]

Try to shadow a primary care doc. Then if you can honestly say that you have an interest in treating the mentally ill- leaning towards psychiatry but also have an interest in possibly being a primary care doc for those with mental illness, you should have a good shot at admission (if your gpa/mcat's are good).

 

[MedYEP]

I am seriously ONLY interested in Psychiatry. If psychiatry as field were to "end" tomorrow (or somehow cease to exist), i would quit "being premed" and try to become a clinical psychologist instead. i have absolutely no interest in any other medical specialty what so ever. I'm ok with this fact, but i get the feeling from reading SDN that premeds arent supposed to know what specialty they want & that those that say they do know are silly or naive. but psychiatry is quite a bit different from the other possible specialties & i know what my interests are and they have always been in mental health.

i also get the feeling from reading SDN that some people would perceive my lack of interest in being a "regular doctor" (read: not psychiatrist) as a good indication that i should become a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist. but to me, although psychologist would be my second choice, why settle (for my second choice)?

so what's the big deal? i understand going into premed/med school hell bent on entering one of the more competitive specialties can be problematic & disapointing if you dont score high enough on your tests & dont match, etc. but since psychiatry is not too competitive, has a shortage, & post residency hours/lifestyle are more flexible (than say surgery), i feel that those concerns dont so much apply to me.

ideally, i should shadow some psychiatrists to make sure i know what it's really like. but do psychiatrists really allow that? seems like too sensitive a field in terms of privacy, perceived (or real) stigma, HIPPA, etc to allow that...? so instead i read stuff & would accept suggestions on how to secure psych shadowing or recommendations of good books or resources to give insight on what its like to be a psychiatrist, etc.

by the way, a little about me: i am 36 & have been interested in mental health and in psychiatry since i was a young teenager & this interest has never wavered. my BA is in psychology & my work experience has been more social-worky in nature. quit my job to go premed full time (a la carte style) & have a 2yr old & want to try for a second child early next yr.

I also wonder how i am supposed to approach med school interviews, personal statements, secondary essays, etc. Am i supposed to act like i'm more open minded than i really am? i am open minded in the sense that i am not afraid of change. if some other specialty were to sweep me away & really catch my attention, i would certainly look into it as a possibility. i just dont really see that happening...

My experience is similar to yours. I've been interested in psychiatry and mental health since I was in high school. I went to med school specifically because I wanted to be a psychiatrist. Psychology was also my second choice, but I wasn't really interested in doing too much teaching or research and I wanted more than psychology had to offer. I'm currently a 4th year matching into psychiatry. When I was pre-med, most of my research, volunteer, and shadowing experience were in psychiatry. I shadowed both an adult and child psychiatrist and was able to do so through my research contacts. When I applied to medical school, it was pretty clear from the experiences in my application that I was interested in mental health and my personal statement was psychiatry related. During my interviews, I did not hide that I was interested in psych, but I also made sure that I expressed an interest in medicine as a whole. Going through medical school with such a specific interest can be tough at times (surgery months were brutal for me), but I've tried to make the best of it, and have encountered patients with mental health problems or psychosomatic complaints on most of my rotations.

 

[nancysinatra]

Try to shadow a primary care doc. Then if you can honestly say that you have an interest in treating the mentally ill- leaning towards psychiatry but also have an interest in possibly being a primary care doc for those with mental illness, you should have a good shot at admission (if your gpa/mcat's are good).

This is a great idea. Both for the sake of your application and your own clarification. If you can't stand being around primary care (or the ER or surgery or whatever), then I wonder how medical school is going to be for you. Is there a specific reason you'd rather be a psychiatrist than a psychologist?

 

[shan564]

I think my main concern would be that you may find psychiatry to be different from what you expected. Honestly, I think that psychiatry is more similar to primary care than psychology (but that's coming from somebody with no training in psychology). The science may be more similar to psychology, but the approach to patients is more similar to general medicine. Just like the difference between neurology and neuroscience, or the different between orthopedics and physical therapy.

 

[NYCMS2]

You are crazy to go to med school with your stated goal. Go the psychology route instead and save yourself a ton of time and grief.

I attended med school to become a physician. I had no preconceptions about specialties, but pre med school I was interested in mental health, and also neurology. Turns out I hated my neurology clerkship, loved psychiatry. Everything else was meh. Medicine was horrible - I would drop out of med school if medicine was my only choice.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone the psychology route. But the truth is, I really didn't know it. But it sounds to me like you do.

Don't go to medical school just for the prestige, to make your folks happy, to impress friends.

 

[JourneyAgent]

I think the OP's reasoning is sound. It's a gamble for one interest in medicine.

But I don't know what I'd be doing if I didn't discover psychiatry. Nothing else seems like the right fit. So, if I already knew that. I still think medicine would be worth it. I'm constantly working with psych patients on my medicine rotation. And I really enjoy making sure they get good medical care.

Many of the workers--dr's, nurse's, everybody--is scared of one of my current patients. He has AMS of unknown etiology. Everyone is writing him off. As if his psychiatric condition--itself unknown--explains his unresponsive condition. But his sister and his case worker say otherwise. I know this patient better than anyone. And I constantly push and shepherd his care through a mediocre county-like system that seems perfectly willing to let him suffer.

I feel honored and impassioned to do this. Everything I've done in my education so far has prepared me to begin doing this. A psychology degree would not.

If the OP is confident with their self-assessment, I say go for it.

 

[Dkr]

I am seriously ONLY interested in Psychiatry. If psychiatry as field were to "end" tomorrow (or somehow cease to exist), i would quit "being premed" and try to become a clinical psychologist instead. i have absolutely no interest in any other medical specialty what so ever. I'm ok with this fact, but i get the feeling from reading SDN that premeds arent supposed to know what specialty they want & that those that say they do know are silly or naive. but psychiatry is quite a bit different from the other possible specialties & i know what my interests are and they have always been in mental health.


There is a big difference between telling a med school that you have no interest in any other medical specialty vs. telling them you are excited about mental health. The former is bad because it makes you sound limited (and frankly rather naive since psychiatry is so different from people's perceptions of it). Go ahead and write your essays about your interest in mental health, just don't make it sound like you would never consider any other branch of medicine.

 

[nontradmomma]

wow. a lot of great responses while i was away from my computer.

i would like to reiterate that although i have no interest in the other specialties as a career choice, i believe i have enough interest in medicine in general to get me through med school without getting too disgruntled (at least not too much more than the typical med student)

i think one benefits of being a nontrad student is that i have experienced enough crappy dead end thankless jobs that i can think of med school, no matter how grueling, as only a temporary stepping stone to something better. it's not like i gave up a great future at a great job to go to med school. i woulda left that place no matter what. & i have never earned as much as even a resident so even residency is a step up from what i was doing before. and as far as impressing friends, etc. well, the fact that i graduated from college at all already puts me ahead of most of "my crowd" so med school just to impress would be overkill. and my family is supportive of whatever i choose.

i am confident in my self assessment. however, i would love to shadow a psychiatrist in order to get a better understanding of what it is like in practice (rather than just theory) but i'm still not sure if that will ever happen (though i will try). but i wonder why some people think, "go psychology". getting into clinical psychology programs isnt easy either, they last 4 yrs as well, i'm not interested in academia, research, etc, so who's to say i would like that any better? if i was hell bent on being a primary care doctor or bust, would people feel the same way? would they encourage me to find an "easier alternative"? maybe i'm wrong about this but it just seems there's something about psychiatry that seems to bring that response out in people sometimes? i find it curious.

but thanks for the great feedback. i obviously planned on being more diplomatic with adcoms about my goals but am glad to read that some think i can be honest & enthusiastic about my interests as long as i remain open to other specialties & show interest in medicine as a whole...

i am definitely taking premed seriously in order to meet gpa/mcat/ec requirements, etc though i am only just beginning.

 

[kindasorta]

Sounds like you have a genuine interest in psychiatry. I say go for it. It's not like med school is enjoyable for anyone save for the most Asperger's among us. I can say without question that med school made me want to impale myself with a sprinkler head, but I got through it. So will you.

 

[nontradmomma]

the reason i didnt pursue psychiatry when i was younger is because i was afraid it might be "too hard". but that was the 20yr old me. i am much more confident in my intellect & my abilities now & much more aware of my strengths. hard? sure. but taking the easy way out wasnt very fulfilling either. does that surprise anybody?

besides, if med school is the hardest thing a person ever has to experience, then that is truly a blessed life. med school is the type of hard i am willing to endure, i believe i am up for the challenge. (death, poverty, homelessness, war, divorce, violence, abuse, mental illness...life can be so much harder than med school or residency)

This is a great idea. Both for the sake of your application and your own clarification. If you can't stand being around primary care (or the ER or surgery or whatever), then I wonder how medical school is going to be for you. Is there a specific reason you'd rather be a psychiatrist than a psychologist?

i have no interest in teaching or in research. i think that psychology mainly addresses the psychosocial aspects of mental health while psychiatry is more inclusive (physical/biological/medical causes of illness as well as psychological/social aspects) & is therefore more well rounded. why learn only half of the subjects, perform only half the tx, & then refer out the rest to someone else (a psychiatrist)? i will seek out pri care shadowing experiences & probably volunteer at my local hospital as you & others have suggested.

 

[nontradmomma]

Sounds like you have a genuine interest in psychiatry. I say go for it. It's not like med school is enjoyable for anyone save for the most Asperger's among us. I can say without question that med school made me want to impale myself with a sprinkler head, but I got through it. So will you.

🙂

i appreciate the concerns some have expressed. i posted hoping for a well rounded variety of responses. but special 👍 for those who seem to understand or relate to where i am coming from & have expressed encouragement! it is much appreciated. no matter how sure you are of what you wanna do with your life, there are always days that make you wonder...

good night y'all.

 

[billypilgrim37]

There are plenty of people who enter med school who think they only want to do X. There are plenty of people who wind up doing Y instead because they like it better and never expected it. Hell, I went to med school explicitly saying I didn't even really want to be a doctor, I wanted to be a writer. Now here I am. There are plenty of miserable people in medicine, many who achieved exactly what they wanted. I'm not sure you're in such a different boat. But if you can do something else that will provide a fairly reliable livelihood (clinical psychology) and be happy, I don't know that there's a compelling reason to go to med school. But there's not a compelling reason to play the banjo either, and everybody wants to be an Avett brother nowadays.

 

[shan564]

It's not like med school is enjoyable for anyone save for the most Asperger's among us. I can say without question that med school made me want to impale myself with a sprinkler head, but I got through it. So will you.

Ha, that's a good point.

 

[bashir]

I'm a second year med student who applied with the explicit intention of becoming a psychiatrist. This attitude does seem to be frowned upon in the medical establishment for some reason that I still haven't quite figured out. Like you, I acknowledge the possibility that another specialty might lure me away, but I don't find it a likely one. When I was in your shoes I was a bit worried about getting through med school, as the conventional wisdom (as displayed in this thread) is that it's harder for people whose primary interest is psychiatry. For the preclinical years at least, that has not been my experience. For the most part I enjoy learning about the different organ systems, and even in my least favorite subjects I'm aware that I'm building a knowledge base which will inform my practice of psychiatry one day, so it's usually rewarding even when it's not fun. Except anatomy. That just sucked.

To answer your question directly, yes, you are supposed to act like you're more open-minded than you really are. This will be a good habit to have when rotating through other specialties in the clinical years, so you might as well get used to it now. Your enthusiasm for and experience in mental health should be an asset when applying, but it may become a liability if you flatly state (to the wrong person) that you intend to become a psychiatrist. When people ask me what specialties I'm interested in, I always reply "I'm thinking about psychiatry, but they say third year changes a lot of minds, so I guess we'll see." I'd like to say "I want to be a psychiatrist" but my pragmatism makes me mealy-mouthed. My advice is to be honest, but spin when necessary.

As for exposure to the field, you're right that it's not easy to shadow a psychiatrist and you're probably better off checking that box on your application through another specialty. That being said, I think shadowing is overrated anyway. Try seeing if any psychiatrists in your community would be willing to let you take them to coffee to discuss their careers and answer your questions. I haven't read it, but Weekends at Bellevue is supposed to be a pretty good memoir about running a psych ER. Blogs are always good; maybe others have specific recommendations...

 

[AleisterCrowley]

I feel exactly the same way as you do, OP.

Psychiatry is the only field of medicine that I truly could see myself getting into.

I have personally experienced the positive effects that psychiatry has had on my family and I.

 

[touchpause13]

im in the same boat as OP as well. Both my parents are psychologists, I've been around the mental health field my whole life and I can't imagine doing anything else (yes I have shadowed a psychiatrist)
I did say I was interested in child and adolesent psych during my interviews and had positive reactions to that.

Sent from my SCH-I405 using SDN Mobile

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I

I also wonder how i am supposed to approach med school interviews, personal statements, secondary essays, etc. Am i supposed to act like i'm more open minded than i really am? i am open minded in the sense that i am not afraid of change. if some other specialty were to sweep me away & really catch my attention, i would certainly look into it as a possibility. i just dont really see that happening...

If I'm 100% honest with myself, I'd have to say that I entered medical school thinking I'd probably do psychiatry. I moved back in forth in that thought throughout training but wound up dead set on psychiatry for the latter half of my clinical years. Looking back, I think being a mental health physician opens more doors for you than being another type of provider, and medical school really isn't that horrible imo, so I think I'd do it this way again. From my perspective, the one downside of medical training is the debt, but I imagine PsyDs have a lot of debt, too.

The application part, though, I think could be tricky. You want to be authentic in your application, but only wanting to do psychiatry might raise some eyebrows. I think at least you should convey interest in learning the things you'll have to learn in medical school (pathology, physiology, etc). Doing well in your sciences in maybe a good way to convey this.

 

[nontradmomma]

I'm a second year med student who applied with the explicit intention of becoming a psychiatrist. This attitude does seem to be frowned upon in the medical establishment for some reason that I still haven't quite figured out. Like you, I acknowledge the possibility that another specialty might lure me away, but I don't find it a likely one. When I was in your shoes I was a bit worried about getting through med school, as the conventional wisdom (as displayed in this thread) is that it's harder for people whose primary interest is psychiatry. For the preclinical years at least, that has not been my experience. For the most part I enjoy learning about the different organ systems, and even in my least favorite subjects I'm aware that I'm building a knowledge base which will inform my practice of psychiatry one day, so it's usually rewarding even when it's not fun. Except anatomy. That just sucked.

im sure med school anatomy is different than undergrad anatomy, but i actually enjoyed it. got an A. been getting A's in Bio & Gen Chem too, even though i have no desire to be a chemist, i can still appreciate the value in learning about a wide range of things.

i check out that book though i probably wont have to read it til spring break...

 

[nontradmomma]

There are plenty of people who enter med school who think they only want to do X. There are plenty of people who wind up doing Y instead because they like it better and never expected it. Hell, I went to med school explicitly saying I didn't even really want to be a doctor, I wanted to be a writer. Now here I am. There are plenty of miserable people in medicine, many who achieved exactly what they wanted. I'm not sure you're in such a different boat. But if you can do something else that will provide a fairly reliable livelihood (clinical psychology) and be happy, I don't know that there's a compelling reason to go to med school. But there's not a compelling reason to play the banjo either, and everybody wants to be an Avett brother nowadays.

I understand many people go into med school with one specialty in mind & then end up in a different one. but i wondered how many people knew exactly what they wanted, got it & are happy as hell. that was part of why i posted this. not just for advice or insight (though that too) but i was also hoping to find out if there were others out there who were in the same place as me as premeds, got into med school, became psychiatrists & are glad they did.

though, i think i'm beginning to understand that some peoples concern may be the perception that the person who only wants to be a psychiatrist is more likely to be miserable learning about "all the other stuff" in med school, more so than the person who thinks they only want to do primary care. and for some that may be the case. but with the right attitude, it doesnt seem hard to wrap my head around the idea that it is a great & necessary foundation for psychiatry, just like any other specialty. if i didnt want the foundation in medicine then i would just become a psychologist, right? and that is kinda my point. I dont really want to be a psychologist...

but i'm curious, why did you go to med school if you thought you wanted to be a writer? that seems weird ?

 

[DOC PENGUIN]

I understand many people go into med school with one specialty in mind & then end up in a different one. but i wondered how many people knew exactly what they wanted, got it & are happy as hell. that was part of why i posted this. not just for advice or insight (though that too) but i was also hoping to find out if there were others out there who were in the same place as me as premeds, got into med school, became psychiatrists & are glad they did.

though, i think i'm beginning to understand that some peoples concern may be the perception that the person who only wants to be a psychiatrist is more likely to be miserable learning about "all the other stuff" in med school, more so than the person who thinks they only want to do primary care. and for some that may be the case. but with the right attitude, it doesnt seem hard to wrap my head around the idea that it is a great & necessary foundation for psychiatry, just like any other specialty. if i didnt want the foundation in medicine then i would just become a psychologist, right? and that is kinda my point. I dont really want to be a psychologist...

but i'm curious, why did you go to med school if you thought you wanted to be a writer? that seems weird ?

Pre-pre med to pre med, I always had a fascination with mental illness, but it is helpful to start liking or dwelling on things like cardiology or oncology. It would make you more well rounded. Read Anasazi's FAQ on psychiatry. But also inform yourself on other facets of medicine. To be a good doctor, you must know the fundamentals of everything like: How to deliver a baby, how to see if someone is bipolar, how to spot a brain tumor, how to stitch ETC ETC. I suck.

 

[billypilgrim37]

but i'm curious, why did you go to med school if you thought you wanted to be a writer? that seems weird ?

Idealistic reasons. My undergrad thesis was on William Carlos Williams. I liked some other physician writers. I had romantic notions of what it would be like to be with people at their worst and most dramatic moments. So, compared to me, you probably have great reasons to go to med school!

 

[splik]

I went to medical school to write too. quite frankly, rather than cultivate creativity with all the rich experiences you are exposed to, it saps away at them. You are a lot less critically engaged, a lot stupider, and a lot less interesting after medschool. Given that drama school or art college were my other alternatives I think I saved myself from unemployment, but you know you're probably not completely content when you're attending tells you stop composing the notes in iambic pentameter...

 

[nontradmomma]

I went to medical school to write too. quite frankly, rather than cultivate creativity with all the rich experiences you are exposed to, it saps away at them. You are a lot less critically engaged, a lot stupider, and a lot less interesting after medschool. Given that drama school or art college were my other alternatives I think I saved myself from unemployment, but you know you're probably not completely content when you're attending tells you stop composing the notes in iambic pentameter...

Idealistic reasons. My undergrad thesis was on William Carlos Williams. I liked some other physician writers. I had romantic notions of what it would be like to be with people at their worst and most dramatic moments. So, compared to me, you probably have great reasons to go to med school!

🙂

my brother has a masters in fine arts. he teaches p/t as an adjunct prof & has to have another p/t at a "regular" job & his wife is a high school english teacher. together they do fine, i guess. i looked up to my brother growing up & wanted to be one of the more creative types like him (his is painting & drawing, dabbling in photography), but alas i never really had it in me.

i have tons of respect for artists of all sorts, but as it turns out, i think this is more "me".

 

[vistaril]

I think my main concern would be that you may find psychiatry to be different from what you expected. Honestly, I think that psychiatry is more similar to primary care than psychology (but that's coming from somebody with no training in psychology). The science may be more similar to psychology, but the approach to patients is more similar to general medicine. Just like the difference between neurology and neuroscience, or the different between orthopedics and physical therapy.

The 'approach' may be more similar to general medicine(this is sorta vague so Im not sure exactly what you mean here), but you're still dealing with someones mood, anxiety, attention/concentration, cognitive issues and behavior, etc.....JUST LIKE psychologists.

In terms of similarity of day to day work, a psychiatrist is going to have much more in common with a psychologist(in most settings, obviously there are exceptions) than they would a.....nephrologist. To suggest otherwise defies logic and common sense

Your examples aren't very good for a number of reasons. Neurologists are clinicians, whereas 'neuroscientists' aren't neccessarily. Orthos are surgeons and physical therapists obviously arent. Those distinctions are obviously much more fundamental than the difference between what a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist do.

 

[m1345]

Just to repeat what others have said, I would look aggressively into shadowing. The concepts and actual practice/daily life are so different. I think this is true in any field, but I know I experienced this first hand in med school. I thought I wanted to be a surgeon. The idea of really "fixing" things, loved anatomy, the excitement, the ideas behind surgical procedures intrigued me. Then I got to the OR and realized I wanted nothing to do with being there all day..although I enjoyed reading about the procedures and learning anatomy, I had no desire to actually do anything with my hands/cut and sew for 12hrs/day. Similarly, being interested in reading research articles and actually doing the research (from running gels to writing IRB proposals) are two totally different things.

Ideally, I would shadow 1. a psychiatrist (obviously), 2. a psychologist, 3. a physician in another/several other fields (this is the vast, vast majority of med school and a sizable portion of residency!)

 

[m1345]

Just to repeat what others have said, I would look aggressively into shadowing. The concepts and actual practice/daily life are so different. I think this is true in any field, but I know I experienced this first hand in med school. I thought I wanted to be a surgeon. The idea of really "fixing" things, loved anatomy, the excitement, the ideas behind surgical procedures intrigued me. Then I got to the OR and realized I wanted nothing to do with being there all day..although I enjoyed reading about the procedures and learning anatomy, I had no desire to actually do anything with my hands/cut and sew for 12hrs/day. Similarly, being interested in reading research articles and actually doing the research (from running gels to writing IRB proposals) are two totally different things.

Ideally, I would shadow 1. a psychiatrist (obviously), 2. a psychologist, 3. a physician in another/several other fields (this is the vast, vast majority of med school and a sizable portion of residency!)

Just realized I didn't even get to my main point haha. I don't think being set on being a psychiatrist is a contraindication to going to med school by any means; however, this mindset in the setting of lack of exposure to the practice of psychiatry vs psychology vs other types of medicine makes me nervous!

 

[vistaril]

One thing that I've been told numerous times in re: to psychiatry: you're a physician first (and that sort of turned me off)

In private practice, it really isn't like this at all(for most practitioners)....there are some similarities- for example you will have to keep an active medical license, have malpractice insurance, keep a dea and controlled substance#, etc.....and of course in medical school and half of your internship you will be very much in the medical/physician world.

But after this, your day to day responsibilities are going to feel MUCH more mental health than physician/medicine. IOW, what you do on a day to day basis is going to have much more in common with a psychologist in your office building than with the nephrologist, obgyn, opthalmologist, surgeon, internist, etc. I know that's sort of a duh statement, but some people have a difficult time seeing outside the medical school window....

 

[shinystar2014]

Your story reminds me somewhat of my own. Prior to starting medical school I knew I wanted to be involved in mental health and psychiatry. I knew that was always my passion, though events throughout medical school actually helped me better understand why it was the "chosen" path for me.

It is definitely ok to have a field picked out, but I urge you strongly to understand that becoming a good psychiatrist will mean understanding all of medicine. Your psychiatric patients will not exist in a bubble - they will have hypertension, diabetes, cancer, rare genetic diseases. To better treat them you will need to understand the pathophysiology of these diseases. I've approached medical school as being the only time I will get to learn about many of these diseases, so it's probably even more important that I learn about them than my classmates who will pursue medicine, etc. I've found much of the coursework to be extremely interesting and challenging, and while certain fields are not for me I can appreciate them and am learning them to help my patients in the future because I will be a doctor.

It is absolutely fine to express on interviews that you are interested in psychiatry but I think you need to also be ready to explain why you do want to go to medical school and what medical school has to offer you for your career goals. In preparing your personal statement and thinking about interviews, answering this question will hopefully help you understand if medical school is the "right" path to reaching your mental health goals.

 

[shan564]

One other point that we haven't mentioned yet - med school admissions seem to be getting tougher every year. It would really suck if you go through all this effort and have trouble getting into med school. You mention that you're "pre med" - how far along are you? Have you gotten a good MCAT score yet? Is your GPA above 3.6? If so, then go for it. Otherwise, you might be investing a lot of extra time and effort that you don't need to spend.

 

[nontradmomma]

Just saw this last post. I haven't taken my mcat yet. I'm a year into 2 yrs of pre-reqs (so half way thru) & I have gotten all A's so far. I know there are no guarantees but I have done my research to determine if it is a realistic goal for me (& i think it is), beyond that I just have to believe in myself. And so I do.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using SDN Mobile

 

[Lokhtar]

Sure it's OK. You will change your mind multiple times. Thats OK too.

 

[tortuga87]

Just want to chime in and say I am in the same about as you (just a little farther along) - went into med school knowing that I wanted to do psychiatry 100%, was a psych major, etc.

Ended up shadowing psychiatrists, doing psych research, told the adcoms I was interested in something neuroscience related though I wasnt sure (even though I knew I wanted to do psych) - I know 2 other people who did the same at my school

Med school is hard but bearable - you will be studying things all day that are very unrelated to psychiatry but I think all for a better long-term cause

 

[shan564]

Just saw this last post. I haven't taken my mcat yet. I'm a year into 2 yrs of pre-reqs (so half way thru) & I have gotten all A's so far. I know there are no guarantees but I have done my research to determine if it is a realistic goal for me (& i think it is), beyond that I just have to believe in myself. And so I do.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using SDN Mobile

That's good. All the best. It's a realistic goal, as long as you have realistic expectations. But at this point, just focus on getting a good MCAT score and maintaining a high GPA. At interviews, be honest, but don't act closed-minded (that generally appears naive)... i.e. "I really like psychiatry, but I'll work hard to be a good overall med student so that I can give the other specialties a fair chance."

 

[markglt]

psychology UG, same story as u in premed..now a psych resident...wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[HenrikFuture]

Hey just wanted to say that you shouldnt be worried, i went into medical school for the sole reason of becoming a psychiatrist, ive completed 3.5 years of Medical school (and since im in Denmark i have 2.5 left) and im still very determined.

You dont need to be interested in 3 different specialties, all you need is 1 goal that you truly are passionate about.

People may say that such things change, but for me it hasnt, i care deeply about helping in psychiatry, and it hasnt changed in the last 4 years, im passionate about the science and improving the care.

 

[image187]

Very much the same as you OP except that I came to med school right after college at 22. Basically, Ive wanted to go into psych since I was 17, majored in psychology, blah blah blah, and even wanted to go into clinical psych before deciding to pursue medicine. I think a difference between us, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that Ive always been very much so interested in the basic science part of it. I knew that I should keep an open mind and not jump the gun deciding on a career specialty as a pre-med, I shadowed surgeons in my summers, I got involved in benchwork lab research pipetting stuff into vials all day. Still, I knew I wanted to go to medical school and knew I would truly enjoy learning all the science stuff even though I was basically set on psych. So far, medical school has been a blast. I've been open minded on every rotation, and at the end of every rotation I still want to do psych. One of the most joyous moments this year so far has been delivering a baby on OB, yet this doesn't compare to the feeling I get in psychiatry.

During interviews when they asked "what sort of doctor do you want to be?" I told them I didn't really know. Which was true I guess... I didn't REALLY know, but I wanted to sound like I had an open mind (which was actually true). It was believable that neurology was a possibility given my college career in psych/neuro type stuff, or "some sort of surgery" given my history of shadowing and doing research with surgeons. These are the things they like to hear. Not psych for some reason.

 

[wolfvgang22]

I am seriously ONLY interested in Psychiatry. If psychiatry as field were to "end" tomorrow (or somehow cease to exist), i would quit "being premed" and try to become a clinical psychologist instead. i have absolutely no interest in any other medical specialty what so ever. I'm ok with this fact, but i get the feeling from reading SDN that premeds arent supposed to know what specialty they want & that those that say they do know are silly or naive. but psychiatry is quite a bit different from the other possible specialties & i know what my interests are and they have always been in mental health.

i also get the feeling from reading SDN that some people would perceive my lack of interest in being a "regular doctor" (read: not psychiatrist) as a good indication that i should become a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist. but to me, although psychologist would be my second choice, why settle (for my second choice)?

so what's the big deal? i understand going into premed/med school hell bent on entering one of the more competitive specialties can be problematic & disapointing if you dont score high enough on your tests & dont match, etc. but since psychiatry is not too competitive, has a shortage, & post residency hours/lifestyle are more flexible (than say surgery), i feel that those concerns dont so much apply to me.

ideally, i should shadow some psychiatrists to make sure i know what it's really like. but do psychiatrists really allow that? seems like too sensitive a field in terms of privacy, perceived (or real) stigma, HIPPA, etc to allow that...? so instead i read stuff & would accept suggestions on how to secure psych shadowing or recommendations of good books or resources to give insight on what its like to be a psychiatrist, etc.

by the way, a little about me: i am 36 & have been interested in mental health and in psychiatry since i was a young teenager & this interest has never wavered. my BA is in psychology & my work experience has been more social-worky in nature. quit my job to go premed full time (a la carte style) & have a 2yr old & want to try for a second child early next yr.

I also wonder how i am supposed to approach med school interviews, personal statements, secondary essays, etc. Am i supposed to act like i'm more open minded than i really am? i am open minded in the sense that i am not afraid of change. if some other specialty were to sweep me away & really catch my attention, i would certainly look into it as a possibility. i just dont really see that happening...

Well, if it helps I'm a fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and I went to medical school with the express goal of becoming a psychiatrist after being a mental health case manager. I was an older non-traditional med student as well. It's been a tough, but also rewarding road so far. I did matriculate into a graduate psychology program before med school but gave it up because I wanted to be able to prescribe with competence, as well as do psychotherapy work some. I never made it any secret I was going to be a psychiatrist from day one, and most people have been cool with that, so long as I was tactful about it.
As a med student I initially hated internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, Ob/Gyn and so on but came to appreciate them as I grew into a house officer. You probably will too. Go for it! 🙂

p.s. - I don't recommend telling an uptight Ob/Gyn attending who is post-call who is trying to show you a pomeroy suture technique that you just wanna be a psychiatrist and have no interest in Ob/Gyn

 

[nontradmomma]

Well, if it helps I'm a fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and I went to medical school with the express goal of becoming a psychiatrist after being a mental health case manager. I was an older non-traditional med student as well. It's been a tough, but also rewarding road so far. I did matriculate into a graduate psychology program before med school but gave it up because I wanted to be able to prescribe with competence, as well as do psychotherapy work some. I never made it any secret I was going to be a psychiatrist from day one, and most people have been cool with that, so long as I was tactful about it.
As a med student I initially hated internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, Ob/Gyn and so on but came to appreciate them as I grew into a house officer. You probably will too. Go for it! 🙂

p.s. - I don't recommend telling an uptight Ob/Gyn attending who is post-call who is trying to show you a pomeroy suture technique that you just wanna be a psychiatrist and have no interest in Ob/Gyn

this does help, actually. thanks 🙂

 

[nontradmomma]

Hey just wanted to say that you shouldnt be worried, i went into medical school for the sole reason of becoming a psychiatrist, ive completed 3.5 years of Medical school (and since im in Denmark i have 2.5 left) and im still very determined.

You dont need to be interested in 3 different specialties, all you need is 1 goal that you truly are passionate about.

People may say that such things change, but for me it hasnt, i care deeply about helping in psychiatry, and it hasnt changed in the last 4 years, im passionate about the science and improving the care.

i didnt actually mean to revive this thread when i posted a couple of days ago. but i've gotten several more encouraging responses these past couple of days from people who went to med school already knowing they wanted psych, so i guess i am glad i did. it helps hearing from people that came from that same perspective.

thanks to all who have posted. 🙂