Psych - the salaries, prospects, ect?

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Gear

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Can any of you heading for/doing Psych residencies comment on slaries, future job prospects, need for Psychiatrists in the future, where you think the specialty is heading, or any other relevant info based on your interviews or residency? Thanks!

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Don't get your hopes up for a response on this thread. It seems like people on this site avoid psych discussions like the plague...that is, of course, unless they can somehow lead into an argument.

In the event of an argument, however, people will come from everywhere like hillbillies on Sunday morning.
 
I'm not really qualified to answer, but that's never stopped me before, so here goes! I am an undergrad senior currently applying to med school and my dad is a psychiatrist, so I may have some insight...

Salary - not great, but not bad considering the lifestyle. My dad works for the state hospital (with the REALLY crazy people) and his schedule is pretty much M-F 9-5 with one night call per week and one weekend call a month. He makes approx 170K - though keep in mind he is senior staff.

Job prospects - very, very good. Demand for psychiatrists is strong pretty regardless of where you are in the country. My dad thinks it will remain this way and it makes sense that it will. As the stigma surrounding mental health issues gradually goes away, the need for services that only psych can provide will be there.

Where the specialty is heading - again I am not well qualified to answer but you know as well as I do that pharmacology revolutionized psych and there will not be any going back. Therapy, in the pure sense, will increasingly be a thing of the past - for better or worse.

Hope this helps! :)
 
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Thanks Jargon124 - those were very helpful answers! It'll be interesting ot see if your comments spark a bit more activity on this thread.
 
I think if clinical psychologists eventually get the right to prescribe (and some already do), the role of psychiatrists would likely be diminished. It's a shame too, because psychotherapy can be a godsend for those with emotional difficulties where pharmacotherapy can really miss the boat.
 
My dad is a pharmacist, and as far as future demand goes, he says the field with the most potential is geriatric psych. With all of the medications geriatrics take, it takes a lot of skill to determine what is an organic psychological deficit, medication side effect, or "normal" aging. He knows of one doc that takes care of nursing homes only-- he pretty much sets his own hours, gets paid 130k+, and is doing an amazing job with the patient population.

take it easy

homonculus
 
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