Psych shadowing

[ElizabethMD]

I am a premed and want to eventually go into Psychiatry. How do you shadow a psychiatrist? It's obviously not quite as easy as shadowing in the ER or watching surgery. Do you have any ideas?

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[PsychMD]

I would start first by trying to find out whether the local Med school's dept. of Psychiatry has any affiliations with any local Community Mental health clinics where their Med students and Psych. residents already rotate through. Then try to contact them about whether they might have any mechanism in place for a shadowing pre-med.

 

[purpledoc]

I am a premed and want to eventually go into Psychiatry. How do you shadow a psychiatrist? It's obviously not quite as easy as shadowing in the ER or watching surgery. Do you have any ideas?

I agree with PsychMD -- contact the local medical school's Psychiatry department, or the head of any psychiatry residency program. They're usually very flattered and happy to help, though they will be limited by restrictions regarding confidentiality. You may be limited to attending case conferences with the medical students at which a patient is interviewed, since that patient has already agreed to allow students to be present. Overall, it is easiest to shadow a psychiatrist on the wards or in a psych ED, but that does mean that you'll be seeing the sickest patients.

It's harder to shadow in individual sessions; a community mental health center *might* have a way for you to do this, but I wouldn't count on it. That part might be best done through simply talking to psychiatrists or reading books about psychiatrists' experiences in doing psychotherapy.

Hope this helps.

 

[ElizabethMD]

Thanks so much for your help so far. I greatly appreciate it. I definitely understand the whole confidentiality thing and knew that it might be a barrier. Trying a Psych ED might be a good idea. Thanks for suggesting that. Do you know if they ever hire volunteers or any kind of (undergraduate) student workers in EDs? Also, are there any specific books that you'd recommend about the mental health profession. I'm definitely a big reader and would love to try anything that you suggest.

 

[kchan99]

Of Two Minds: The Growing Disorder in American Psychiatry
by T. M. Luhrmann

Also check "books about residency" thread in this forum

 

[purpledoc]

Thanks so much for your help so far. I greatly appreciate it. I definitely understand the whole confidentiality thing and knew that it might be a barrier. Trying a Psych ED might be a good idea. Thanks for suggesting that. Do you know if they ever hire volunteers or any kind of (undergraduate) student workers in EDs? Also, are there any specific books that you'd recommend about the mental health profession. I'm definitely a big reader and would love to try anything that you suggest.

I've never seen undergraduates in psych EDs, sorry, but I would imagine that if you can find someone at your institution to recommend you to a Director of Psychiatry somewhere, you could probably swing it, at least a couple of times if not for a prolonged period. Again, psychiatrists are usually flattered to be asked.

As for reading, I love stories written by psychiatrists or therapists about working with their patients. Most people have heard about or read Oliver Sacks' tales about his neurology patients, but there is a whole world of books out there about psychiatric patients as well.

Here are just a few, if you're interested: The Patient Who Cured His Therapist by Stanley Seigel and Ed Lowe. Hearing Voices by Scott Haas. Confiding by Susan Baur. And two of my personal favorites: The Taboo Scarf and Invisible Masters by George Weinberg. And there are so many more -- this is just a starter list.

If you find these tales interesting, then you'll enjoy psychiatry. Even if you don't, you might still enjoy it, but I think it's not a bad way to find out more about therapists'/psychiatrists' relationships with patients.

 

[ElizabethMD]

Thanks again! I'm going to most likely be in Cleveland next summer (where my dad lives). Do you know about any psych opportunities I could find around Cleveland? There's the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital (Case). How far in advance would I need to start e-mailing these doctors? Thanks!

 

[purpledoc]

Thanks again! I'm going to most likely be in Cleveland next summer (where my dad lives). Do you know about any psych opportunities I could find around Cleveland? There's the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospital (Case). How far in advance would I need to start e-mailing these doctors? Thanks!

Next summer? Well, you don't need to rush off to send them right now. I'd check into the psychiatry residency programs and medical school psychiatry departments -- whatever you can find in the AMA guides to this stuff -- and sometime at the end of this year or beginning of next year (not too close to Match Day in March -- I think?) send out some e-mails or make some telephone calls.

Sorry I don't know more about the Cleveland area. Anyone else know?