Opinion on combined FP/psych

[benjee]

hi all,
Does anyone here know about combined FP/psych?I mean the prospect, advantages, disadvantages,setting in practice...etc?Any response will be appeciated.Thanx in advance.

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[Non-Trad DO]

Hello..... anybody there?
BUMP

 

[Peeshee]

I've never heard about this combined program....How does it work, and how many years is it? Would you practice as both a family practitioner and a psychiatrist? Maybe, this is a common program, but I personally have not heard about it..I would like info. also.
thanks

 

[Pilot]

One of my classmates will be starting a combined FP/Psych program in July. Sounds like a very good idea economically. Every patient seen with depression/anxiety/etc can be billed at a higher specialist rate.

 

[benjee]

To pilot:
By any chance, do u know what kind of setting or type of practice he/she will be working in future?I mean the one who will start FP/psych. this Yr.

 

[Pilot]

I do not know. His wife will be starting a peds residency, so I imagine they will open a private clinic in Tulsa or surrounding area when done. I believe they are from the Tulsa area originally.

 

[benjee]

Thanx pilot for getting back to me so soon.I guess not too many ppl know about this combination, but I still considering it,maybe finish on after another if I don't get in the combined one.Anyway, happy holidays.

 

[lowbudget]

I asked one of my psych/neuro profs during 2nd year and one psychiatrist said that these double boards like med/psych and fp/psych or triple boards like peds/psych/child psych only serve to make you a better psychiatrist. She said psychiatrists are specialists and so have better payment rates and lifestyle compared to primary docs. She also said because the curriculum is top heavy towards psych in any program, you're going to end up being a psychiatrist who can better rule out/manage medical problems. It really makes sense because why else would you go through specialist training if you want to do primary care?... You're qualified to do primary care after a FP or IM program. If you add Psych in, chances are you'll end up practicing more Psych than primary care... this of course is from a psychiatrist and so it's biased. I haven't heard about too many of these double psych boarded people. I'm wondering if they only exist in academics.

 

[GeddyLee]

Geez..FP/Psych. So now you guys will be doing like, every specialty except neurosurgery? There must be some limit to the amount of "expertise" a person can have...

 

[alina_s]

I thought about the FP/psych residencies- there are only 7 or so nationwide- but I want to practice as a psychiatrist and I didn't think that the programs spent enough time on psych. You can find links to all of the programs from the FREIDA site. I have talked to people from the CWRU and UC San Diego programs. One of the residents at CWRU felt that the program did spend enough time on psych; however, the only grad he knows is working in a FP group practice, taking on the patients who have psych issues. I spoke with the director of the UCSD program, who said that she is careful to select residents who have had no academic issues (despite the low competitiveness of both fields) because the two fields include a huge amount of material. The FP part of the UCSD program is conducted at a rehabilitation community for the homeless- one of the only situations I can think of that would require equal parts FP and psych. Dual-certification programs are pretty new and there isn't a big sample of grads to look at but my impression is that most either work in medical education positions or practice mainly one field.

 

[deleted6669]

on the issue of a limit to knowledge..
our em chief is boarded in 5 fields....he gets bored easily...
( fp, em, im, pulmonology, anesthesiology). em is the only 1 that he didn't do a residency or fellowship in( he took the practice pathway to board certification while it was still available).

 

[benjee]

Hey emedpa,
WOW, the chief must be busy! I just wonder how did he/she maintain to practice in all fields? This is really amazing.The reason I want to go into FP/psych is that FP gives me different favour-- diff. population of patients on daily basis and psych which I enjoy it but sometimes I get bored too.