risk of residency interview with your own psychiatrist

[pedisurg23]

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Dear all,

I am under the care of a psychiatrist who is on the faculty at a residency program I am highly interested in for many reasons (including their philosophy, clinical and research focus, and geographic location). I unfortunately have also been admitted to one of this residency program's psychiatric inpatient units for severe depression, so know several of their other faculty as a patient.

I am being recruited by this program due to some research they found out I am involved with, and received a phone call by a senior administrative faculty there the other day encouraging me to apply to the residency program, and telling me that I am "the type of applicant they are looking for," so I suspect I will receive an interview there.

Whether it is appropriate to do your residency at a program where you receive(d) psychiatric care has already been discussed recently on this forum. I am posting here because I am concerned about how to manage the interviews, because I am afraid I could be scheduled to interview with one the physicians who took care of me on the inpatient unit (who might not remember my name, but would definitely remember my story if they spoke with me in an interview), or with my personal psychiatrist.

How would you manage this situation?

Once an interview is offered, would it be considered acceptable to request in advance to the residency program coordinator that I not interview with particular physicians "because I have known them as their patient?" If so, how would you phrase this email? I am concerned with this approach because I may be disclosing too much information, and that it could also be annoying, as I would need to request that I not interview with several physicians.

Another alternative might be to ask to see who I am interviewing with before the interview day and then politely request to change interviewers if I know them personally. Is this something a residency would do, and not be too annoyed by?

I really appreciate any feedback or advice anyone can offer.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

If your psychiatrist is on faculty and you are still in treatment, I would mention this to your psychiatrist the next time you see him/her. It would be inappropriate to interview you while treating you and this faculty will probably insure this doesn’t happen. If you want to be sure, just tell him/her “I’m interviewing at your program this year. I’m counting on you to make sure you are not assigned to interview me.”

 

[nancysinatra]

I agree with MacDonaldTriad. I think you have every right to interview at this program if you want to. And you have every right to expect that the psychiatrists who treated you there will not interview you in that capacity. So you could contact the ones you were seen by, and explain the situation, and they should comply. It is their responsibility to maintain your confidentiality. You don't need to say a word to the program coordinator. The only reason you actually might need to say anything is because those faculty psychiatrists that treated you in the past might have forgotten your name in the meantime.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Agree with above, and your proposal:

ask to see who I am interviewing with before the interview day and then politely request to change interviewers if I know them personally.

is a reasonable alternative as well, if the more proactive steps fail.