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There's nothing fancy about this thread. I'm very glad to be in psychiatry and wanted to say it. Few posts talk about satisfaction in the field so I felt like starting one.
Very satisfied
- Thread starter Leo Aquarius
- Start date
Great. Now I'm going to feel even worse tomorrow if I don't match
Seriously though, I love the idea of this thread!
Awesome. Thanks for saying this. I'm applying to Psych this year👍
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I'm liking it more every day. The more I learn, the more I can think about with each patient. This leads to me feeling like I'm helping them more, and it makes the whole process more intellectually stimulating. I definitely made the right choice for myself.
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Thanks for the post, last month or so the forum has seemed a little down.
Can't wait for Vistaril to come in and make some sort of snide response to the post about intellectual stimulation and then say, "I "love" psych because its the perfect field for people who don't want to be a real doctor"
Can't wait for Vistaril to come in and make some sort of snide response to the post about intellectual stimulation and then say, "I "love" psych because its the perfect field for people who don't want to be a real doctor"
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I'll echo Leo Aquarius. I love this work, even as a resident, and I feel fortunate to get to do it.
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👍 I agree fully.
As a resident, the hours can be rough (though, granted, markedly less so than most other specialties), but even at 5:00AM and on call (as I am now) and after seeing a very challenging patient with borderline PD, I can't help but think how lucky I am. To be tasked with helping people through crises, to actually listen to people's stories and try to understand their distress, to help people who otherwise can't help themselves. It's a priviledge, and one I'm not likely to take granted anytime soon.
As a resident, the hours can be rough (though, granted, markedly less so than most other specialties), but even at 5:00AM and on call (as I am now) and after seeing a very challenging patient with borderline PD, I can't help but think how lucky I am. To be tasked with helping people through crises, to actually listen to people's stories and try to understand their distress, to help people who otherwise can't help themselves. It's a priviledge, and one I'm not likely to take granted anytime soon.
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Good to read this (though like good news in the media, it's likely to be skimmed over and forgotten!)
Nevertheless, I've been at this almost a decade and my only regret is that I didn't get at it sooner in life.
Nevertheless, I've been at this almost a decade and my only regret is that I didn't get at it sooner in life.
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Hear hear! I'm nearly done with my residency and I'm really happy with my choice to go into the field. My residency has been on the whole an extremely pleasant and positive experience. I can't believe how much I have learned and how much it has informed my day to day thinking.
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*patiently waits for vistiril to post*
😉
😉
I'm also happy to be in psychiatry....I would dislike doing something in medicine or doing something surgery related.
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I can't help but be reminded:
http://black-frames.net/p/believe-in-yourself-because-the-rest-of-us-think-you-re-an-idiot
http://black-frames.net/p/believe-in-yourself-because-the-rest-of-us-think-you-re-an-idiot
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Geez vistaril, way to sing it on the mountain. It sounds like a silicon chip made this post.
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I think psychiatry is pretty satisfying, but not amazingly so. Some days are great, but others I'm just a cog in the mental health machine.
I can only think of one or two other ares of medicine I might prefer, but they don't offer the geographic freedom psychiatry does so even there it's not perfect.
I can only think of one or two other ares of medicine I might prefer, but they don't offer the geographic freedom psychiatry does so even there it's not perfect.
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Out of curiousity...what are those one or two other specialties? I do agree with the geographical freedom, but aren't you limited once you start a practice? Isn't it hard to just leave your patients who might be very dependent?
I have no interest in private practice psychiatry at this time. The job market for psychiatrists is really fantastic - sure we might not make the same money as a proceduralist, but there are salaried jobs everywhere I look.
I'm going to dodge the question about what other fields of medicine appeal to me - for some reason it feels too personal to put out there on an internet forum. However, I will say that they are fields that are geographically limited (which is why I didn't try to go in to them).
It's true that if you're business minded pretty much any doc could set up shop most places and do all right. I really have no interest in starting a business.
If you're not willing to start your own practice, many specialties are limited geographically by where there's an institution willing to hire them.
At this stage of my life I want to live where I want to live and not have my choice of location be dictated by a job.
I think this issue of what we would rather be doing is a bit complicated. Sometimes it blurs the issue of what we wish we enjoyed doing, wish we had a talent for, and we wish we were doing. Which of course can be three separate things.
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A bit late chiming in here as I resolve my ambivalence. I am satisfied with my current work: 3rd and 4th year residency (1 hour sessions combining medication management and psychodynamic psychotherapy).
I am not too thrilled with the fact that I can't find a job that will let me practice in this fashion though. 😡 I knew this coming into Psychiatry but it infuriates me now that I feel like I am making even more of an impact on people's lives through therapy.
I am not too thrilled with the fact that I can't find a job that will let me practice in this fashion though. 😡 I knew this coming into Psychiatry but it infuriates me now that I feel like I am making even more of an impact on people's lives through therapy.
of course you *can*.....you just won't be paid as much for it. Such a choice(accepting less money for something we enjoy much more) is not unique to psychiatry, health care, or really any job.....
there isn't anything in the world stopping you from keeping your expenses really lean and accepting therapy pts under most insurance. You wouldn't clear 110-125 dollars/hr after all expenses and with benefits though.....and that's just one of the sacrifices in life. But it's ridiculous to be mad about it....
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Residency has been so much better than medical school. Couldn't be happier with my (very late) decision to go into psychiatry. Not only has my medical knowledge gone up significantly, my ability to deal with difficult situations both in and out of the hospital has markedly improved. Psychiatry has great fringe benefits in helping one grow rapidly as a person if the opportunity is taken.
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Transplant medicine? Aerospace medicine? World's best whipple surgeon? Chagas disease expert? What else is there that is "geographically limited?"
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The link references the 2013 Medscape Physician Lifestyle Survey, which places psychiatrists as second to lowest in the prevalence of physician burnout by specialty.
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