Women in Psychiatry

[Dr1216]

As a female that is fairly certain that I will be going into psychiatry, I would like to know if there are any women psychiatrists that might be able to share their experiences in the field. How do you think being a female has shaped your experiences? And are you more concerned with safety?

Thanks in advance!

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[digitlnoize]

As a female that is fairly certain that I will be going into psychiatry, I would like to know if there are any women psychiatrists that might be able to share their experiences in the field. How do you think being a female has shaped your experiences? And are you more concerned with safety?

Thanks in advance!

I worked with a female psychiatrist and a female resident on my rotation. Wasn't a big deal. I have more than a few female classmates that want to do psych. I think you'll be fine. Hopefully someone can give you a better answer...

 

[393656]

I really do not like sounding like a smart ass but seriously? Are you still living in the 60s? More women are in medschool and medicine than men now adays. What would you think would be "unique" about another woman in any field, let alone psychiatry?

Sorry but you offer nothing special-men and women are equals in all fields now, that is 2011 for ya.

 

[zenman]

I really do not like sounding like a smart ass but seriously? Are you still living in the 60s? More women are in medschool and medicine than men now adays. What would you think would be "unique" about another woman in any field, let alone psychiatry?

Sorry but you offer nothing special-men and women are equals in all fields now, that is 2011 for ya.

I don't know Wallstreet. I think they smell better.

 

[Bartelby]

What would you think would be "unique" about another woman in any field, let alone psychiatry?

In psychiatry interpersonal dynamics are so important I guess the OP is asking about how being female alters those dynamics. She mentioned worrying about violence-- I can see how some patients might be more hesitant to hit me (over six feet tall and two hundred pounds) than a woman, and I can also see how many people who would deck me any day would always try to hold back on a woman. People might also be more or less comfortable talking about their personal lives, their sexual problems, their emotions, etc with either gender. Stuff like that.

I imagine that it will change given the fact that women are coming to be the majority in many areas of higher education, but most of the women I have met entering into scientific and mathematical disciplines that have traditionally been seen as male are more conscious about whether their gender will affect their professional lives. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking about that.

To the OP, I have worked with several female psychiatrists and gender did not seem to play a big role. I would bet that most of the female psychiatrists at your med school would be glad to talk to you about the topic, it could be worth asking.

 

[393656]

Violence against a provider has nothing to do with sex/race. Some patients are going to be violent and some are not. It is your interpersonal skillls as a male or female that will determine this (unless they are totally psychotic then it doesn tmatter).

My point is if someone is in medical school and do not notice more than half the people are females than they need to open their eyes

 

[Dr1216]

Thank you Bartelby for answering my question and the advice on contacting some psychiatrists at my school. That's exactly what I wanted to know.

I don't know where the number of women in medicine or equality or any of those things came into the picture

And I've had a few people mention concerns of violence and my being a woman when I mention that I'm doing psychiatry. That's why I asked that.

In psychiatry interpersonal dynamics are so important I guess the OP is asking about how being female alters those dynamics. She mentioned worrying about violence-- I can see how some patients might be more hesitant to hit me (over six feet tall and two hundred pounds) than a woman, and I can also see how many people who would deck me any day would always try to hold back on a woman. People might also be more or less comfortable talking about their personal lives, their sexual problems, their emotions, etc with either gender. Stuff like that.

I imagine that it will change given the fact that women are coming to be the majority in many areas of higher education, but most of the women I have met entering into scientific and mathematical disciplines that have traditionally been seen as male are more conscious about whether their gender will affect their professional lives. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking about that.

To the OP, I have worked with several female psychiatrists and gender did not seem to play a big role. I would bet that most of the female psychiatrists at your med school would be glad to talk to you about the topic, it could be worth asking.

 

[psychfun]

My friend from a program in Texas stated that all of their four incoming interns are females! Go figure..
PF

 

[peppy]

I'm a female psych resident. I do think that gender can still be an issue for some specialties in medicine (in general surgery and ortho, for example). However, I don't feel very conscious of my gender in psych. There are a large number of female psych residents and psychiatrists in this current generation. I think psych is appealing to many women because the hours are very family friendly, even in residency (at many places).

I've done my fair share of inpatient psych by this point. I have not been assaulted or in a situation that I felt was truly dangerous, though I have known of psychiatrists who have been assaulted. I agree with the thought that while some patients might back down from a larger male psychiatrist, other patients may actually be more likely to physically attack a male psychiatrist because of the social stigma on hitting women. Patients are individuals and not always predictable!

I remember one patient who I think wanted me to be intimidated by the fact he was a large African-American man so that I would agree to smuggle cigarettes onto the unit for him, but even with that guy, I didn't really think he would hit me. Of course, I was careful not to put myself in a situation with that patient where I could get hit.

There are some simple safety steps you can take to reduce your risk in an inpatient setting. For example, know where the panic buttons are on the unit and make sure you can reach them if you need to. Don't wear clothing articles that could cause injury if a patient gets really out of control (like scarves or whatever).
Don't be afraid to leave the door to the interview room open or ask a nurse to come in the room with you if you feel a patient is at risk of becoming agitated.
Never allow a patient to get between you and the door of the interview room.
I think one of the most important things is: If a patient is getting agitated, calmly and politely excuse yourself from the situation. Don't be focused on getting the last word in or trying to make the patient see things your way.

 

[Majesty]

What wallstreet says about violence is true, he could probably put it better however.

It usually has little to do with sex or race unless the person's psychosis is directed towards something along those lines. Interpersonal skills is pretty much the name of the game. I have been close to violent patients many times in the ER but with the right measures, I or other staff have never been in harms way. In clinic, I have had to end the interview somewhere in the teens, all for drug seekers except once. That once was a psychotic patient and I had my secretary call 911 while I just passively listened after I realized he was agitated.

People make a big deal about this being a dangerous field. But you have to realize that psychotic patients go see Family Medicine, Psychiatry, Neurology, Nephrology...etc etc. You are never safe

 

[atsai3]

When I entered my program, the upper years were either evenly balanced (M:F) or slightly imbalanced (2:3). In my year it was severely imbalanced (eg., 1:4).

Assaults (patient-on-resident) were not common, but they certainly felt common. As far as we could tell it was equal opportunity, i.e., the incidence of assaults did not appear to be greater among women.

 

[9point75]

You should have no worries about going into psychiatry as female in regards to personal safety. You'll be fine. I probably felt more threatened and unsafe during my Internal Medicine residency than I ever did during my Psychiatry residency. Psychiatric patients are no more violent or dangerous than any other sick patient or joe blow off the street for that matter.

 

[heyjack70]

As a female that is fairly certain that I will be going into psychiatry, I would like to know if there are any women psychiatrists that might be able to share their experiences in the field. How do you think being a female has shaped your experiences? And are you more concerned with safety?

Thanks in advance!

Some of my favorite psychiatrist's are women. I think there is one issue, though not psychiatry specific, that women have to deal with. I think, but I'm not a woman so who knows...but my perception is that the typical confident individual who enters medical school is received differently based on their sex. Confident men are seen as powerful leaders. Confident women are seen as [insert expletive here] through no fault off their own. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[DrGoHuskies]

Hey OP,

I'm a rising PGY-3 and Lady Psychiatry Resident ... In general, I've not felt that gender was a huge issue for me during residency, though certainly my parents were afraid for my physical safety at times given the stories I have to tell...I'm probably more vigilant about my personal safety than my male colleagues because I'm very aware of my physical vulnerability--I'm a petite Lady Psychiatrist! Though frankly I've found that that tends to work in my favor with difficult (but not psychotic) male patients...it appears that they sometimes feel bad for being nasty to me. (My experience unfortunately has not been the same for female patients with raging axis II traits!) We've got great security staff at our hospitals also, so they're very visible and I tend to get them involved early on if I anticipate trouble--you'll learn fast in residency that having a visible security presence can nip a potentially explosive situation in the bud very effectively. Our security guys tend to be pretty protective also, so they'll usually offer to stand nearby or even go in with me if I'd like--I don't often find that necessary, but it can be good for piece of mind. Though I agree with earlier posters that with psychotic and sometimes manic patients, all bets are off...and regardless of your sex, if you sense something is off, you remove yourself from the situation immediately and then reevaluate. You can always go back and ask more questions later...

I also agree with an earlier poster that the interpersonal dynamics are really important; because there's often a pretty wild mix of hypersexuality and poor impulse control on the acute inpatient units where we spend the majority of our time, I do try to be very conscious not to wear anything even the slightest bit provocative or low-cut. That might seem like an obvious consideration, but sometimes medical students who rotate through seem oblivious to the importance of this. Ultimately how patients respond to you depends on how you carry yourself, and that's something that will develop with time--but the more confident and calm you are, the better patients will respond to you, regardless of sex. I may get underestimated at times because of my physical appearance, but my confidence and sheer force of will ultimately dictate the dynamic...

OP, if you have any specific questions for me, I'm happy to answer...PM me if you like!

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I definitely think that psych is lower on the list of medical fields where being a woman is an issue. We're on our way to being majority female if we're not there already, and we're considered to be a field that's tolerant of people having children/taking time off for childcare, etc..

As mentioned above, there can be some interpersonal stuff with pts, and I agree that not dressing provocatively is a good idea. And that, yes, some med students are a little clueless about this. I think men can experience all this stuff, too, though.

As for safety, I almost feel like we have an advantage in that we don't feel like we have any obligation to accept physical threats. I've seen some male residents and students put themselves in situations that I think are a little unsafe. I keep my distance. I'd never try to restrain anyone or contain anything, and I have a super low threshold for calling security. I've never heard that women in psychiatry are more likely to be assaulted than men. I'm curious if there's any data (well, not curious enough to look it up right now).

Psych residency might also pose some more challenges to having children than some other residencies in that our programs are often smaller and less equipped to deal with resident absences. Of course, there are some really big programs and some programs that aren't as dependent on resident labor, so this isn't a universal problem. Also, there was a thread here a while ago about potential negative consequences of interrupting your outpt year with maternity leave.

 

[digitlnoize]

We're on our way to being majority female if we're not there already,

According to the AAMC Specialty Data document, Child Psych is at 45.8% and Psych is at 32.8%. Well above the % of female doctors, which is 28.3%.

As the current med school classes, which are split more 50/50 enter practice, I'd expect this to continue to rise, and we'll wind up with 60% or so female psychiatrists. For now though, the boys do have the lead, slightly.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

According to the AAMC Specialty Data document, Child Psych is at 45.8% and Psych is at 32.8%. Well above the % of female doctors, which is 28.3%.

As the current med school classes, which are split more 50/50 enter practice, I'd expect this to continue to rise, and we'll wind up with 60% or so female psychiatrists. For now though, the boys do have the lead, slightly.

I wonder what the residency data is. My program has crossed the line to being majority female. Our incoming intern class is actually 7/8 female. When I interviewed, too, I interviewed with way more women than men. I would suspect women make up at least 50% of psych residents if not more.

 

[digitlnoize]

I wonder what the residency data is. My program has crossed the line to being majority female. Our incoming intern class is actually 7/8 female. When I interviewed, too, I interviewed with way more women than men. I would suspect women make up at least 50% of psych residents if not more.

It just so happens that the same document has that data too! You are correct, ma'am.

Females make up 44.6% of all ACGME residents and fellows, and 54.3% of ACGME psychiatry residents. 60.5% of C&A fellows are female.

Here's the report: https://www.aamc.org/download/47352/data/specialtydata.pdf

 

[Doctor Bagel]

It just so happens that the same document has that data too! You are correct, sir.

Females make up 44.6% of all ACGME residents and fellows, and 54.3% of ACGME psychiatry residents. 60.5% of C&A fellows are female.

Here's the report: https://www.aamc.org/download/47352/data/specialtydata.pdf

And getting back to the thread title, I am not a sir.

 

[digitlnoize]

And getting back to the thread title, I am not a sir.

Lol...of course! Fixed...

 

[Majesty]

Interesting that females make up 44.6%. I think they are a higher percentage in US medical schools. This must mean that IMG's are a little more tilted in male/female ratio.

What is the US ratio for psych residents. At my residency not so long ago there were many more women all the years I was there.

 

[notdeadyet]

As for safety, I almost feel like we have an advantage in that we don't feel like we have any obligation to accept physical threats. I've seen some male residents and students put themselves in situations that I think are a little unsafe. I keep my distance. I'd never try to restrain anyone or contain anything, and I have a super low threshold for calling security.

This is a very interesting point. I can see the rate of incidents of violence vs. residents actually being higher for men than women, based on the point you mention above.

At the risk of over-generalization, women tend to be much more safety conscious than men. They tend to question safety and are supported by peers for doing so. They also tend to stress avoidance of violence rather than dealing with violence that occurs, which I've seen a lot of guys do.

 

[Dr1216]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread! Your comments were really helpful.