so whats's psych residency like

[carolinablue]

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i'm starting med school in august...have my eyes on psych since its really the only thing that interests me and the main reason why i ever considered medicine. I currently work at a psych office and have child psychs in my immediate family...from all the careers i hear friends/family talk about, its psych that never seems to get boring.

but what is residency like? are the hours really bad? Can i enjoy life and not be too stressed? I hear horror stories from residents in other fields, but i want to get an opinion from a person that is...like me.....a 20-something year old SINGLE MALE with no kids.
(people say there is no time to have fun, and then say they have 2 kids and a wife...i can't relate to what their "fun" really is so their opinion is meaningless to me). My sister is currently doing a fellowship in child psych, but she is married with 2 kids (ages 1 & 4), so i have a hard time relating to her and her schedule lol..

3 years doesn't seem too bad at all...making 40k a year is cool, i can manage a decent apartment, maybe lease a mustang, get a motorcycle again...its enough for me to be happy
so...
basically,
1. as a guy who likes going out, making movies, writing screenplays, going on dates....how much of my personal life will i have to cut down when i start residency?

2. random question..but how do people respond to you when you say your a psychiatry resident? by people i don't mean your classmates or faculty members..i mean just the average person on the street...a girl at a club...a dude at autozone...do they get intimidated, stand off ish'? Although i like psychiatry, i don't think people consider it an alpha male career.

 

[nitemagi]

are the hours really bad?

Depends on the program. Usually not that bad, but some programs can be "service heavy."

Can i enjoy life and not be too stressed?

Med school can be the opportunity to test how you handle stress. If you prioritize your free time you'll find a way regardless of the program. Regardless, psych has less call than other specialties.

3 years doesn't seem too bad at all...making 40k a year is cool, i can manage a decent apartment, maybe lease a mustang, get a motorcycle again...its enough for me to be happy

Psych residency is 4 years.

so...
basically,
1. as a guy who likes going out, making movies, writing screenplays, going on dates....how much of my personal life will i have to cut down when i start residency?

Not much. Later in residency might be tougher by the time you get there. Depends on the program and how ACGME shakes out.

2. random question..but how do people respond to you when you say your a psychiatry resident? by people i don't mean your classmates or faculty members..i mean just the average person on the street...a girl at a club...a dude at autozone...do they get intimidated, stand off ish'?

I usually get raised eyebrows, some nods, a story about a friend or a family member with mental illness, occasional questions about psychology vs. psychiatry, gripes about how we overmedicalize and overmedicate problems (which I agree, we do). People presume you're smart, and have an inherent understanding of people, but you're less likely to get the "you must be a badass" reaction from people that surgery types are often seeking. I'm ok with that. Most often people end up spilling their whole lives to me while I'm stuck next to them on an airplane. 5 hours of free therapy, they're thinking.

 

[dl2dp2]

1. as a guy who likes going out, making movies, writing screenplays, going on dates....how much of my personal life will i have to cut down when i start residency?

I like the thought of people like you being in psychiatry. Residency is fun and busy, but a variety of extracurricular is possible. Furthermore, when you are done with residency, you would really be able to tailor your practice to go to Sundance if you like. (Although I'm not aware of any famous examples...)

2. random question..but how do people respond to you when you say your a psychiatry resident? by people i don't mean your classmates or faculty members..i mean just the average person on the street...a girl at a club...a dude at autozone...do they get intimidated, stand off ish'? Although i like
psychiatry, i don't think people consider it an alpha male career.

Agree with not being alpha male. This does depend on the sub-specialties, though. I think certain sub-specialties such as forensic and addiction are still male dominated and has a certain "bad-assness" associated, even when you talk to other procedural heavy doctors.

Outside of medicine, I noticed that I was initially uncomfortable to tell other people that I'm a psychiatrist, but with some soul searching I realized that it's all non-sense. Now I don't hesitate at all to tell people. Don't make light of the decision to choose your specialty, but our job is to correct the stigma, not to put more baggage on yourself. As far as whether people get standoffish, I've noted two somewhat unexpected patterns. First, as "Prozac Nation" portends, a LOT of people are on psychotropics now--or knows someone--so things converge on that topic, which obviously we know a few thing or two more about than everyone else. Second, often your work constitutes interesting cocktail party conversation as long as you duly note your HIPPA requirements.

The field has a lot of problems and a lot of uncertainties, but it really has progressed substantially in the past 50 years. These days you really have people who can tell you that I was severely depressed, and i was treated with medications and therapy and I got better and now I'm in full remission--out in public and with some pride--(i.e. not unlike if they had erectile dysfunction today). That statement really does not sound nearly as perilous today as it did in the 50s and 60s, and the kind of egregious discrimination of mental illness has in all fairness improved, as are the treatments. As evil as pharma has been in many ways, I think they've done a tremendous service in alleviating that stigma in mental illness both for the patients and for the practitioners.

 

[heyjack70]

There is sometimes confusion about psychiatry vs psychology, but this is minor.

I would urge you to join the psychiatry club at your school. I would also look into Pathology as similar personality types enter that specialty, I've read anyways. I've also heard from several of my fellow residents that they were weighing internal medicine vs psych very heavily as the match approached.

Also, I suggest being open to every other specialty as you progress through medical school. Psychiatry may have some advantages regarding work life balance, but this is not everything. You've got to follow your bliss.

 

[billypilgrim37]

2. random question..but how do people respond to you when you say your a psychiatry resident? by people i don't mean your classmates or faculty members..i mean just the average person on the street...a girl at a club...a dude at autozone...do they get intimidated, stand off ish'? Although i like psychiatry, i don't think people consider it an alpha male career.

I think people react very different based on how you present yourself anyway. I'm kinda of a dumpy bearded slob with a bit of a southern twang, so when I tell people in my neighborhood (older folks, mostly lower middle working class) I'm a psychiatrist, they're pretty warm and think it's neat (because most folks just want to know you don't think you are better than them... once they know that's not the case, you're mostly in the clear).

When it comes up at the vegan restaurant, I get paranoid looks that I am a hegemonic dictator that is going to jump out from the corner with electric pads and do ECT on them in the bathroom.

A dude at the library in the Jewish neighborhood just started giggling nervously.

School teachers I meet want me to set up shop in their school.

Being a psychiatrist is about 25% like being clergy, and 75% being just a professional. (and 100% awesome)

 

[Manicsleep]

I think people react very different based on how you present yourself anyway. I'm kinda of a dumpy bearded slob with a bit of a southern twang, so when I tell people in my neighborhood (older folks, mostly lower middle working class) I'm a psychiatrist, they're pretty warm and think it's neat (because most folks just want to know you don't think you are better than them... once they know that's not the case, you're mostly in the clear).

Yup...its really more about you than the profession.

When it comes up at the vegan restaurant, I get paranoid looks that I am a hegemonic dictator that is going to jump out from the corner with electric pads and do ECT on them in the bathroom.

A dude at the library in the Jewish neighborhood just started giggling nervously.

 

[carolinablue]

I like the thought of people like you being in psychiatry. Residency is fun and busy, but a variety of extracurricular is possible. Furthermore, when you are done with residency, you would really be able to tailor your practice to go to Sundance if you like. (Although I'm not aware of any famous examples...)

explain please....i'm not sure if your being sarcastic...i've actually been trying to find doctors who also produce or write films but they are limited...and the ones that do it usually have really baddddd work.

Ever since highschool I have had 2 options in life...medicine or something in the movie/tv industry......i went with medicine because its safer, and psychiatry seems like a very rewarding and interesting field...i get sad sometimes that i have to put down my hobbies and passions to go to med school.....but then i think to myself, WHY NOT? why can't i do both???

People all said that I can't major in media studies and get into a med school...everyone was doing a bio or chem major...i dropped my bio major and switched into Media Studies...and i loved every minute of it. I never took classes on "how to make a movie", i was more interested in learning about the culture of tv/movies and how they impact the way people think and act...I loved getting into the psychology of movie characters...for example, i really think Robert De'Niro's character in TAXI was bipolar..or manic depressive. I would write papers on characters and movie themes, motifs..ect....it was like analyzing a patient on screen lol. Well anyways, people said i couldn't do it but i did it anyways, and here I am..going to med school with people who majored in biomedical engineering and biochemistry.

why not? Why can't I be a psych resident in LA and make movies on the side? I made friends in the industry, young people who by the time i finish school, will hopefully be stable enough to help me out too. I think im just talking to myself at this point, but i think someone else on these forums could benefit from this thread.


what good is a psychiatrist who can't even keep himself happy?

 

[nitemagi]

Pm me about this. It's doable, but you have to keep your eye on the ball.

And you have to have talent.

 

[peppy]

Not a dude but if you want my two cents:

from all the careers i hear friends/family talk about, its psych that never seems to get boring.

I agree with that. Even when you see the same diagnosis over and over again (like substance abuse patients at the VA), they're all unique people and their stories are different.

but what is residency like? are the hours really bad? Can i enjoy life and not be too stressed?

Programs vary a lot in how many hours they require, but yes, if it's important to you to have a lighter schedule, I think psych is one of the specialties where that is a realistic goal. Just pay attention when you're on the interview trail to what residents say about their schedules and call requirements. Some programs expect you to come in to round most weekends on inpatient and others don't.

1. as a guy who likes going out, making movies, writing screenplays, going on dates....how much of my personal life will i have to cut down when i start residency?

As a psych intern, the only times I felt like I didn't really have time to go out were when I was on off-service rotations. I think people who are in psych tend to be more interested in having a life outside of medicine than some other specialties. I also think that people who are interested in psych tend to be more interested in the arts and humanities than other specialties. Just as an example, many psych programs have "Movie Nights" where a movie with psychiatry-related themes is shown and discussed, so I think your interest in that kind of thing would be well-received at many programs.

2. random question..but how do people respond to you when you say your a psychiatry resident? by people i don't mean your classmates or faculty members..i mean just the average person on the street...a girl at a club...a dude at autozone...do they get intimidated, stand off ish'? Although i like psychiatry, i don't think people consider it an alpha male career.

I agree that there are a lot of folks out there who think psychiatry and psychology are the same thing. 🙂 Other than that, my experience has been most people of the younger generations are fairly accepting of psychiatry and think it's interesting. Sometimes people will make jokes about needing their heads examined or something. Even if people think it's more impressive to be a neurosurgeon, I think I enjoy life more as a psych resident. 🙂

 

[dl2dp2]

explain please....i'm not sure if your being sarcastic...i've actually been trying to find doctors who also produce or write films but they are limited...and the ones that do it usually have really baddddd work.

I was absolutely not being sarcastic. While I can't come up with any famous filmmaker who had a career as a psychiatrist, there are various examples of psychiatrists who were good writers and artists of various kinds. And as I said in my original post, psychiatry gives you the flexibility to pursue these activities and interests, unlike many other medical specialties.

On the other hand, if you are truly happy being a filmmaker, I do wonder what being a psychiatrist would ADD to that. Perhaps you should consider focusing on filmmaking full time instead. It sounds like you went with medicine because it's "safer" (quoting your own words.) That seems like a silly way to pick a career, especially when you only live once. Nor should you go into medicine because you want to prove to other people that you can do it.

 

[nitemagi]

I've been doing various levels of scriptwriting and filmmaking throughout my life, since I was a teenager. Even made a film short during med school. Wrote a script during intern and 2nd year.

Medicine is a safe career, though that isn't why I chose it. I was and continue to be dedicated to providing medical and psychiatric care. But I have other interests.

Neither medical school or any residency is going to allow you to have ultimate freedom to be a filmmaker full-time. It can be the inspiration for endless story ideas, though (I've jotted down something like 400, and that's only when I remember to write it down). It's all practice at the process of observation. Ultimately I put some of my own pursuits on hold until finishing residency, for financial and other considerations. Was pursuing an agent but no residency is going to get you out of clinic to go take meetings.

To summarize my conversations with established writers in the industry, having an MD may get your foot in the door more than other writers - it gives a different kind of credibility. But to get through the door you have to be a good writer.

There's plenty of writers with no medical background, and some doctors that do consulting for film/tv but don't really have a sense of what makes something dramatic. It's the ability to balance both needs (medical knowledge and the needs of a story) that's unique and rare.

Think long-term, past residency. Psychiatry offers career flexibility After residency, but during it there's only going to be so much room in any program. Not that you can't do stuff on your free time. After residency you could also self-fund your own projects.

The problem with many people who go to hollywood is they don't have any life experience to write about, so they create carbon copies of other films they've seen. Medicine gives you a cross section of every struggle and aspect of society, if you keep your eyes and ears open. In hollywood itself there's specific things you need to be taken seriously as a writer, regardless of your degree. Do some research. PM me and I can recommend some resources if you'd like.

 

[carolinablue]

I was absolutely not being sarcastic. While I can't come up with any famous filmmaker who had a career as a psychiatrist, there are various examples of psychiatrists who were good writers and artists of various kinds. And as I said in my original post, psychiatry gives you the flexibility to pursue these activities and interests, unlike many other medical specialties.

🙂 that makes me feel great!

On the other hand, if you are truly happy being a filmmaker, I do wonder what being a psychiatrist would ADD to that. Perhaps you should consider focusing on filmmaking full time instead. It sounds like you went with medicine because it's "safer" (quoting your own words.) That seems like a silly way to pick a career, especially when you only live once. Nor should you go into medicine because you want to prove to other people that you can do it.

🙁 that made me feel not so great.

It's not just stability, but also because psych seems very satisfying and rewarding...i want to HELP people, like i genuinely do want to help people...i mean that...But I would be lying if i said that i didn't do medicine because it ALSO gives financial stability alongside being rewarding. I don't want to prove anything...i mean i dont have anyone to prove to lol. Well maybe deep down I do but right now i'm not fully self-aware enough to see it.

Filmmaking is not really even a career...out of all the filmmakers out there, i would say about .5% actually make a living from it...and lesser percent are able to support a family with it.

 

[carolinablue]

I've been doing various levels of scriptwriting and filmmaking throughout my life, since I was a teenager. Even made a film short during med school. Wrote a script during intern and 2nd year.

Medicine is a safe career, though that isn't why I chose it. I was and continue to be dedicated to providing medical and psychiatric care. But I have other interests.

Neither medical school or any residency is going to allow you to have ultimate freedom to be a filmmaker full-time. It can be the inspiration for endless story ideas, though (I've jotted down something like 400, and that's only when I remember to write it down). It's all practice at the process of observation. Ultimately I put some of my own pursuits on hold until finishing residency, for financial and other considerations. Was pursuing an agent but no residency is going to get you out of clinic to go take meetings.

To summarize my conversations with established writers in the industry, having an MD may get your foot in the door more than other writers - it gives a different kind of credibility. But to get through the door you have to be a good writer.

There's plenty of writers with no medical background, and some doctors that do consulting for film/tv but don't really have a sense of what makes something dramatic. It's the ability to balance both needs (medical knowledge and the needs of a story) that's unique and rare.

Think long-term, past residency. Psychiatry offers career flexibility After residency, but during it there's only going to be so much room in any program. Not that you can't do stuff on your free time. After residency you could also self-fund your own projects.

The problem with many people who go to hollywood is they don't have any life experience to write about, so they create carbon copies of other films they've seen. Medicine gives you a cross section of every struggle and aspect of society, if you keep your eyes and ears open. In hollywood itself there's specific things you need to be taken seriously as a writer, regardless of your degree. Do some research. PM me and I can recommend some resources if you'd like.

i will be sending you a message soon...your exactly the type of person i need to talk to!!!

i suppose my fear is that when i do start working as a psychiatrist (if it happens) all my energy is put into work...by that time ill be 30+ and making movies would seem odd...i feel like im in the prime years of creativity and energy...im 23, young & stupid sure....but full of ideas and ambition...all the 30-something year olds i see are just bald, fat, and shells of their former selves. They don't do anything interesting...they don't take any risks...medical school drove them to the ground and i feel like by the end of it, they forget what they used to love doing.


Anyways, i think you're right.
A friend of mine went to film school, a very prestigious one. He is 27 and still struggling to pay bills, and making an actual movie or pilot is extremely far fetched...especially when he has no money to afford things.
I look at him and think...if he went to med school, he would be a doctor right now...making 45k a year...and he would still be where he was 4 years ago. And in three years he could finance his own projects.

I made a short film this past month...well its currently in post, but the budget was literally 300$..and with 4 days of filming...the script i wrote was good, and the talent wanted to be part of the project to add to their reel. It looks amazing, im really proud of it...it didnt take much time (a weekend). It's a quality product (so far) and i'm thinking...the things i could do with 5 grand...i could make a feature...then my mind starts wandering and i realize that i need to slow down and worry about the next step...passing step 1

 

[billypilgrim37]

all the 30-something year olds i see are just bald, fat, and shells of their former selves .

medical school is designed to make you less interesting. accept that. if you were interesting enough beforehand, at the end you are still interesting, but overworked and tired.

You can't be REALLY GOOD at two things. I wanted to go to medical school because I wanted to be a writer. My PS to med school said that pretty much flat out. A few schools thought it was awesome, a few schools thought I was a flake (like Hopkins and Yale thought it was awesome, but Penn and Duke thought I was a flake).

Ten years later, my novel is still a bunch of experimental word docs and some scattered google docs ramblings about cigarettes and parallel universes where the South won the Civil war and abortion and communist conspiracy theories and some convoluted reworking of the Rachel-Leah dynamic in Genesis. And those are the parts worth keeping!

 

[carolinablue]

medical school is designed to make you less interesting. accept that. if you were interesting enough beforehand, at the end you are still interesting, but overworked and tired.

You can't be REALLY GOOD at two things. I wanted to go to medical school because I wanted to be a writer. My PS to med school said that pretty much flat out. A few schools thought it was awesome, a few schools thought I was a flake (like Hopkins and Yale thought it was awesome, but Penn and Duke thought I was a flake).

Ten years later, my novel is still a bunch of experimental word docs and some scattered google docs ramblings about cigarettes and parallel universes where the South won the Civil war and abortion and communist conspiracy theories and some convoluted reworking of the Rachel-Leah dynamic in Genesis. And those are the parts worth keeping!

i refuse to be less interesting...no..no...no..nnooo...NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[digitlnoize]

i will be sending you a message soon...your exactly the type of person i need to talk to!!!

i suppose my fear is that when i do start working as a psychiatrist (if it happens) all my energy is put into work...by that time ill be 30+ and making movies would seem odd...i feel like im in the prime years of creativity and energy...im 23, young & stupid sure....but full of ideas and ambition...all the 30-something year olds i see are just bald, fat, and shells of their former selves. They don't do anything interesting...they don't take any risks...medical school drove them to the ground and i feel like by the end of it, they forget what they used to love doing.


Anyways, i think you're right.
A friend of mine went to film school, a very prestigious one. He is 27 and still struggling to pay bills, and making an actual movie or pilot is extremely far fetched...especially when he has no money to afford things.
I look at him and think...if he went to med school, he would be a doctor right now...making 45k a year...and he would still be where he was 4 years ago. And in three years he could finance his own projects.

I went through a similar set of feelings. I used to be a semi-professional musician. I managed a music store, taught guitar and drum lessons, produced albums, and toured up and down the east coast. Around the time I turned 25, I started to realize that I was going to be poor forever, and probably not going to "make it" and that I should seriously consider doing something else with my life. I had considered medicine, but written it off as an impossibility based on misinformation (in the days before google, this was common).

So, long story short, I wound up going back to undergrad, then med school, and am now finishing up my 3rd year and applying to psych in the fall. I'm still a musician, but it's not a hobby instead of a job, and it's a lot more fun that way. I am also an aspiring writer, and am working on an awesome book, but it's more for me than to "be a writer." Medicine is definitely my job now, and I really love it.

Your point about being able to finance your art hobby with your medical income is a great one. I feel the same way. Guitars aren't cheap, and as a doctor (even with a lowball salary), I'll be in a much better position to afford some nice instruments than I used to be.

I don't agree with the statement that you can only be good at one thing. I got "good" at music before I went to med school, and still pride myself on my musical ability. I had my attending today tell me that I was a great guitarist. I also hope to be a good doc. Many people have multiple talents and skills, and there's no need to think you can't be a good doctor and a good filmmaker. Will you be a famous director? probably not...but can you have fun with it? Sure.

Also, I just turned 33, and don't consider myself a shell of my former self. Have a grown? Yes. I'm certainly not the same person I was then, but I'm also almost a doctor.

Finally, you're way overestimating your % of filmmakers making money. It's way, way lower than 0.5%. More like 0.0001%. Seriously.

 

[carolinablue]

I went through a similar set of feelings. I used to be a semi-professional musician. I managed a music store, taught guitar and drum lessons, produced albums, and toured up and down the east coast. Around the time I turned 25, I started to realize that I was going to be poor forever, and probably not going to "make it" and that I should seriously consider doing something else with my life. I had considered medicine, but written it off as an impossibility based on misinformation (in the days before google, this was common).

So, long story short, I wound up going back to undergrad, then med school, and am now finishing up my 3rd year and applying to psych in the fall. I'm still a musician, but it's not a hobby instead of a job, and it's a lot more fun that way. I am also an aspiring writer, and am working on an awesome book, but it's more for me than to "be a writer." Medicine is definitely my job now, and I really love it.

Your point about being able to finance your art hobby with your medical income is a great one. I feel the same way. Guitars aren't cheap, and as a doctor (even with a lowball salary), I'll be in a much better position to afford some nice instruments than I used to be.

I don't agree with the statement that you can only be good at one thing. I got "good" at music before I went to med school, and still pride myself on my musical ability. I had my attending today tell me that I was a great guitarist. I also hope to be a good doc. Many people have multiple talents and skills, and there's no need to think you can't be a good doctor and a good filmmaker. Will you be a famous director? probably not...but can you have fun with it? Sure.

Also, I just turned 33, and don't consider myself a shell of my former self. Have a grown? Yes. I'm certainly not the same person I was then, but I'm also almost a doctor.

Finally, you're way overestimating your % of filmmakers making money. It's way, way lower than 0.5%. More like 0.0001%. Seriously.

art is definitely wayyyy more fun when your not using it to make money...its damn near impossible to not sacrifice personal style for what will sell more (which is probably more the case in the music industry).
I have met several artists (actors, filmmakers, ect) who often regret not having a solid back up plan. I have met several who really admire me for aspiring to do medicine. I never really realized how well respected physicians were until i really dwelled into the culture of struggling artists....people make art to inspire others...to make someone see the world differently...psychiatrists can do that too, on a daily basis, for years...I'm sure i have a bit of an unrealistic view of psych and haven't seen the flaws of the profession first hand (i'm sure there are several), but i still find it interesting.

What also makes me happy is realizing that i do more than one thing...I used to do stand up comedy in college, while studying for the mcat...writing stories, editing music videos...playing basketball...i used to feel good about myself being "balanced" and not 1-dimensional. I think it takes effort and initiative...most people do their job, eat dinner, watch the game, have sex if their lucky, & sleep...and do it allll ovverrr again...only with time there is more dinner and less sex.

reading about you guys is inspiring...knowing that i'm not the only person who had these fears and insecurities....and knowing that there are students and residents who still have a side of them that is unique and filled with flavor.

 

[nitemagi]

You can't be REALLY GOOD at two things.

I hope that's not true. I think of writing and medicine as both involving skills- they require regular investment of time and effort to maintain and to achieve any level of expertise. Of course medicine is more than that, and really so is writing. In our current society we keep moving the bar on what it means to have "expertise" or "mastery" of something. Currently one must be sub-sub-sub specialized in an area, and do research on that narrow little corner of the world, which is fine. The fault comes in the fallacy that one must be content with that little corner, and neglect anything more. People pursue 2nd and even 3rd careers now. It's fully possible to get quite good in a number of areas. But they take a regular amount of time and ongoing investment. If I go even a month without doing any writing (I'm currently on a 3-month hiatus), coming back is quite sluggish. But when I'm writing daily, I churn out some good material.

I'm looking forward to the future when I can set up regular writing time for myself every day of the week.

I love medicine and psychiatry, and my appreciation of them makes me a better writer.

 

[nitemagi]

Another fair point is to avoid becoming a dilettante. Doing many things is fine and fun. Mastery of each thing is something else.

 

[PistolPete]

Can any of you give a realistic, accurate portrayal of what your average day looks like on inpatient psych, C/L, and/or outpatient psych? You don't have to say what program you attend, but I'd be interested in seeing what a resident's life in psych really is like.

What time do you get up? How many calls do you have per month? What does your day look like?

How do you believe psychiatry will change in the next 10 years?

I'm leaning towards applying to psych in the fall but want to get some more perspective from those actually "living the dream." Was it what you though it would be?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

When it comes up at the vegan restaurant, I get paranoid looks that I am a hegemonic dictator that is going to jump out from the corner with electric pads and do ECT on them in the bathroom.

Are you sure that's a "paranoid look" and not a realistic assessment of their situation? Because I could totally see you enjoying that... 😉

 

[billypilgrim37]

Are you sure that's a "paranoid look" and not a realistic assessment of their situation? Because I could totally see you enjoying that... 😉

Well it's a little better since I trimmed the beard down a little bit... besides, the electricity ruins the seitan wings... 😉

 

[TexasPhysician]

1 word - Amazing!

 

[notdeadyet]

i refuse to be less interesting...no..no...no..nnooo...NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only folks I met in med school that left it more interesting than when they entered were the students that developed substance issues or relationships with borderlines.

 

[MDyoucantseeme]

I just wanted to say I agree with the strategem of using medicine to subsidize an artistic hobby, which you will never make any money at. For a long time it was my dream to marry a doctor and earn my phd in english literature. After looking at the residency class online of the person who dumped me, I realized many of his colleagues were women. So it occurred to me instead of trying to marry a doctor and do a phd in english why don't I go to medical school and write on the side. Since making this decision I feel MUCH better about my life and am no longer saving up for breast implants.

 

[billypilgrim37]

Why do I find such a sweet juxtaposition between the last two posts...

 

[toothless rufus]

I just wanted to say I agree with the strategem of using medicine to subsidize an artistic hobby, which you will never make any money at. For a long time it was my dream to marry a doctor and earn my phd in english literature. After looking at the residency class online of the person who dumped me, I realized many of his colleagues were women. So it occurred to me instead of trying to marry a doctor and do a phd in english why don't I go to medical school and write on the side. Since making this decision I feel MUCH better about my life and am no longer saving up for breast implants.

Haha! That's great!

 

[LISIX-]

Hi everyone,

I will be starting medical school this fall and am also interested in psychiatry. To those in this tread who spoke on hobbies and passions outside of medicine, would you be kind enough to share how those endeavors have gone? I myself love filmmaking along with medicine. Cheers!

 

[nitemagi]

Hi everyone,

I will be starting medical school this fall and am also interested in psychiatry. To those in this tread who spoke on hobbies and passions outside of medicine, would you be kind enough to share how those endeavors have gone? I myself love filmmaking along with medicine. Cheers!

Went very well. Though my "hobbies" became a second career.

 

[rjs2131]

Hi everyone,

I will be starting medical school this fall and am also interested in psychiatry. To those in this tread who spoke on hobbies and passions outside of medicine, would you be kind enough to share how those endeavors have gone? I myself love filmmaking along with medicine. Cheers!

Was a competitive dancer in college/med school, and realistically could have continued this but transitioned to teaching instead during residency.

Also really into fitness and happily able to continue hitting the gym 4-5x/week all through residency.

It all depends on your priorities, but I think 1-2 hobbies outside of work are reasonable to maintain (especially when you transition to outpatient years).

It really does depend on the specific program though - some have intern years that include ICU/intense medicine months, not much free time during those rotations.

 

[IndianGirlDoctor95]

Went very well. Though my "hobbies" became a second career.

Hey nitemagi, really love your comments on this thread (dating back to 2011!)

I'm really curious on what's happened since leaving your original comments here in 2011.

Were you able to keep that up during residency? Have you completely shifted to filmmaking? What have you been able to accomplish? Thanks so much 🙂

 

[LISIX-]

Hey nitemagi, really love your comments on this thread (dating back to 2011!)

I'm really curious on what's happened since leaving your original comments here in 2011.

Were you able to keep that up during residency? Have you completely shifted to filmmaking? What have you been able to accomplish? Thanks so much 🙂

Based on @nitemagi's blog and twitter. It seems like they have become very successful outside of medicine! Super cool to see!

 

[foultarnished97]

Based on @nitemagi's blog and twitter. It seems like they have become very successful outside of medicine! Super cool to see!

Is there a link to their blog available? I’m an incoming medical student also interesting in pursuing filmmaking. Would love to hear how their experience has gone.