Should I Not Discuss These Career Interests in PS/Interview?

[uhmocksuhsillen]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm applying psych and have an interest in psycho oncology and working with hospice patients. Will mentioning that I'm more interested in working with these populations be a bad thing in an interview or personal statement? It's not that I don't find other psychiatric cases interesting, I just feel more passionate about the above mentioned patients .

I remember applying to medical school and being cautioned against saying I'm interested in X specialty...wondering if this is a similar scenario now in mentioning a specific subspecialty I want to do work in.

 

[Celexa]

I'm applying psych and have an interest in psycho oncology and working with hospice patients. Will mentioning that I'm more interested in working with these populations be a bad thing in an interview or personal statement? It's not that I don't find other psychiatric cases interesting, I just feel more passionate about the above mentioned patients .

I remember applying to medical school and being cautioned against saying I'm interested in X specialty...wondering if this is a similar scenario now in mentioning a specific subspecialty I want to do work in.

Interviewers like to see passion. Being interested in a specific subfield of your specialty as an m4 comes from a much more informed place than it does as a premed. You can acknowledge that you're looking forward to the exposure to different areas you'll get in residency and talk about your specific interests at the same time.

There's going to be variance in how robust programs' psych onc and palliative opportunities are, you'd be doing yourself a disservice in choosing a residency if you didn't ask about opportunities in an area you deeply care about.

 

[clausewitz2]

I'm applying psych and have an interest in psycho oncology and working with hospice patients. Will mentioning that I'm more interested in working with these populations be a bad thing in an interview or personal statement? It's not that I don't find other psychiatric cases interesting, I just feel more passionate about the above mentioned patients .

I remember applying to medical school and being cautioned against saying I'm interested in X specialty...wondering if this is a similar scenario now in mentioning a specific subspecialty I want to do work in.

At this level if you are at an interview and they react poorly to you expressing interest in a specific area of the field, the program in question would be a very bad fit for you. Being very passionate about a particular area might indeed hurt you at a place where you are never going to really be able to do much to pursue that interest, but that is for the best.

 

[uhmocksuhsillen]

At this level if you are at an interview and they react poorly to you expressing interest in a specific area of the field, the program in question would be a very bad fit for you. Being very passionate about a particular area might indeed hurt you at a place where you are never going to really be able to do much to pursue that interest, but that is for the best.

That make sense. Though, with the way things are going in competition for psych spots, I don't want to needlessly close doors. I'd rather put those career interests on hold and possibly apply for a fellowship afterwards. I guess there isn't a single best answer here, but I appreciate your input.

 

[Celexa]

That make sense. Though, with the way things are going in competition for psych spots, I don't want to needlessly close doors. I'd rather put those career interests on hold and possibly apply for a fellowship afterwards. I guess there isn't a single best answer here, but I appreciate your input.

Meh, if you try and hide your passions, you're equally in danger of not *opening* doors at the programs that would love to get a resident enthusiastic in an area they're strong in or trying to build up. Don't overthink this. Contrary to popular belief, interviews are *not* an endless set of mind games and the best strategy is to be your best polished, professional self--with emphasis on being yourself.

When I think about the people in my class who fell down their match list in psych, I suspect they were pretty bland in interviews.

 

[nitemagi]

There's a balance to be displayed of knowledge and humility. "I'm really interested in these areas, but I know I'm going to be exposed to a lot of areas I haven't seen before, so I know that could change."

 

[michaelrack]

You would want to luck at places with strong Psychosomatic/Consult fellowship programs, although I would recommend against actually doing this fellowship.

 

[FlowRate]

Just know that saying this is an interest of yours is basically like saying that you want to match at a very large, academic, referral center--likely with an affiliated large oncology department or separate cancer hospital. In other words, it will make smaller programs or programs attached to less subspecialized hospitals potentially think you're less interested in them. It's up to you to decide whether or not that's the right choice for you. I can say that people who really focus on their interest in underserved/community psychiatry and social justice are not really doing themselves a favor with my program... we get enough community, but there are three other residency programs in the area that are a better fit if that's actually your interest.

 

[clausewitz2]

Just know that saying this is an interest of yours is basically like saying that you want to match at a very large, academic, referral center--likely with an affiliated large oncology department or separate cancer hospital. In other words, it will make smaller programs or programs attached to less subspecialized hospitals potentially think you're less interested in them. It's up to you to decide whether or not that's the right choice for you. I can say that people who really focus on their interest in underserved/community psychiatry and social justice are not really doing themselves a favor with my program... we get enough community, but there are three other residency programs in the area that are a better fit if that's actually your interest.

Similarly you probably shouldn't interview with us and talk about how much you look forward to being an analyst or how well read you are on the flaws in the medical model of psychiatry. Just...you're not gonna have a good time.

 

[NickNaylor]

I think it’s perfectly appropriate, and as others said it’s a great way to see how a specific program can meet your needs in that way. Figuring out what residency programs you want to be at is much different than the medical school process. The latter is more like trying to scramble into the best school that you can get; if you’re lucky and get multiple acceptances, then you can be a bit more choosy. But residency is more about aligning your interests with that of a program. Medical schools are pretty standardized, and while residencies are too to a certain degree, there’s a lot more variability. If you know this is something that you’re interested in - or at least would like the opportunity to explore more in-depth - then it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to discuss during an interview.