Telepsychiatry

[postbacpremed87]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Does anyone on here have a full time Telepsychiatry gig? Do you like it?

 

[Merovinge]

Does anyone on here have a full time Telepsychiatry gig? Do you like it?

There are a lot of different telepsych models so how they employee you will make your millage vary considerably. For example, despite living in a saturated market, there are still many examples of telepsych going on around me that I know of first hand.

1) To CMHCs, often ones a bit further out of a major city, you act as their only psychiatrist and work just like you would if physically present, that is a few days a week. There are several companies employing folks for this across the country

2) To residential treatment center (this is CAP work), similar to the model above, 1/2 a day or 1 day a week depending on the size.

3) To cover satellite hospitals ED when you are employed at the main hospital, this can either be from your office at the main site OR from home.

4) Doing routine outpatient care at a less desirable location. Normal clinic that employees therapists and has a MA sit with the patient. Some clinic in CA was trying to recruit residents for this work.

Note in 1-3 that all these setups you will always have a captive audience and a LSW or nurse in the room with the patient on their end. 4 is a pretty different animal as the training can be minimal for the assistant and the patient is not captive in the same way. I don't personally do any of these jobs but have known people who have done them all. I think 1-3 make reasonable sense but would be worried about #4. I'd also be interested in other's experience.

 

[WingedOx]

Couple days a week. It all depends on having someone who knows what they're doing on the other end. When my regular tele nurse is out things can go to hell quickly, but it has its advantages and disadvantages.

 

[surfguy84]

Can anyone ballpark hourly rates for telepysch? How many hours a week can you realistically work doing this?

 

[keifernny2]

You could easily do it full time if you want, but I do it one day each week and find that is enough. It gets a bit boring sitting in your office alone. You also end up a bit out of the loop with regard to staff meetings and team culture in the office.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[psychresident14]

You could easily do it full time if you want, but I do it one day each week and find that is enough. It gets a bit boring sitting in your office alone. You also end up a bit out of the loop with regard to staff meetings and team culture in the office.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm attracted to telepsych, so I can just wake up, shower, put on a nice shirt, and start working. No driving, no drama from nurses, no agitated patients face to face. Then again, I think how boring it could be, even though I could run errands, go to the gym, and then run back when I'm needed.

 

[Ahamis]

Any more inputs?
It appears that one disadvantage would be NOT having "idle time". Most of the "normal jobs" you can still have "idle time" here and there (especially in government institutions). But in telephysch, I believe they only pay you for the hours that you ACTUALLY WORKED.