Psychiatry Exposure

[sunkists]

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hey all, i'm an ms1 at ut-southwestern. i have a budding interest in psychiatry but i want to get some exposure before i really commit to signing up some "psychiatry-related research" at my school and announce to my family and friends that i'm pursuing psychiatry.

what are some good ways to get some exposure in the field without waiting till my psych rotation in ms3? i don't *think* it's one of those fields where you can call up a local doctor and ask them if you can shadow them for a few days (maybe i'm wrong?) but i can't really think of anything except from reading books and i don't think that's nearly good enough for me to call it "exposure." thanks.

ps - is the psych residency at ut-southwestern any good? i thought i might as well ask since i go here and i don't think i'd get an unbiased opinion if i asked anyone here.

 

[mdblue]

1. Be a APA member-u'll have lots of opportunity
2. It is a decent program(I interviewed there,though I didn't join due to geographical constraints.
Hope this helps 🙂

 

[JMD]

Sunkists,
Here's the link to join the APA. I think you'll need a signature from a faculty member. It's a good place to start if you're looking for opportunities.

You may be able to find some way to shadow. At my school we have a program set up for 1st/2nd years to spend some time in the Psych ER (as students, not as patients 🙂 ). There are a bunch of APA research opps. for the summer, too. Good luck.


http://www.psych.org/joinapa/medicalstudentbenefits.cfm

 

[OldPsychDoc]

hey all, i'm an ms1 at ut-southwestern. i have a budding interest in psychiatry but i want to get some exposure before i really commit to signing up some "psychiatry-related research" at my school and announce to my family and friends that i'm pursuing psychiatry.

what are some good ways to get some exposure in the field without waiting till my psych rotation in ms3? i don't *think* it's one of those fields where you can call up a local doctor and ask them if you can shadow them for a few days (maybe i'm wrong?) but i can't really think of anything except from reading books and i don't think that's nearly good enough for me to call it "exposure." thanks.

ps - is the psych residency at ut-southwestern any good? i thought i might as well ask since i go here and i don't think i'd get an unbiased opinion if i asked anyone here.

Try the public sector (your local county mental health service) that is, if there is any publically funded care in your state... 🙁
You may find a more dedicated doc with a lot of interesting patients who are willing to have you in the room for med checks, etc. and will let you hear some of their story. They may even be so busy as to actually be grateful for some of the scut work, quickie vital signs checks, paperwork assistance, etc., that a MS1 or 2 is great at! 😳

I've heard generally good things about UT-Southwestern, too.
Good luck