Help - any suggestions appreciated

[ToulouseFan]

This is to anyone who has gotten themself into (and out of) a difficult situation that was created by poor choices. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

I am a 3rd year medical student who chose medicine for the wrong reasons and have thusfar been unable to leave medicine because of fear. Typical story: father physician, interest in psychology and helping people, scholarship to medical track in college & medical school, followed the money and ignored the signs of incompatability with career choice (medicine). Enjoyed psychology/psychiatry-related courses and barely passed, sometimes did not pass, other courses (biochem, anatomy, etc). Psychology grades in college/medical school/psych rotations were A's but other courses/rotations were C's with a few B's.

Depression/alcoholism/obesity/not picking up the phone/studying more to be able to get C's = not answering phone calls/fatigue/social isolation. For the past 7 years. Yeah, quite stupid. Now $110,000 in debt. Considering minimal wage & the economy, my only idea was to stay in medicine until paying off debt (possibly 6-7 years in the future). This idea adds more hopelessness, but seems to be a responsible alternative for getting myself in this mess in the first place.

I honestly enjoy my psychiatry rotations and want to help people help themselves in their management of mental illness. Attendings and professors have reported that I have empathy, good listening skills, and a good broad knowledge of psychiatric resources & techniques. The problem is, as it has been for a long time, that even though I enjoy long-term learning about psychology and working in the mental health field, the medical part of psychiatry is killing me and I need to get out.

Any suggestions?

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[whopper]

the medical part of psychiatry is killing me and I need to get out.

Aw geez, I've been there myself.

If you're 3rd year, and you think you do want to go into psychiatry, you've weathered through most of the worst. IMHO (at least for me) things got much better in residency. I was actually doing what I wanted to do vs doing what I needed to do to get where I wanted to be.

I think what was worse for me in medschool wasn't so much the medical material itself--because that became more & more interesting to me in residency, but the way its brutally shoved down during medical education. After residency, I look at medical books like Harrison's with fascination, while in medschool, I felt the environment was about one upping others, narcissism & intellectual bragging rights vs really learning for the sake of learning & helping patients.

I don't know what your situation is, or if you would like a psychiatry residency, but being in that much debt certainly is hard thing to deal with if you're contemplating not working in medicine.

 

[Regnvejr]

I am a 3rd year medical student who chose medicine for the wrong reasons ....I honestly enjoy my psychiatry rotations and want to help people help themselves in their management of mental illness. Attendings and professors have reported that I have empathy, good listening skills, and a good broad knowledge of psychiatric resources & techniques. The problem is, as it has been for a long time, that even though I enjoy long-term learning about psychology and working in the mental health field, the medical part of psychiatry is killing me and I need to get out.

Any suggestions?

The medical part will decline substantially, especially when you hit residency. I detested "regular" medicine and would make a terrible internist or FP. There are medical rotations in the first year of residency, however the attendings know you re in psychiatry and don't push you to much, and generally are happy that you can help with the psychiatric part of their patient management.

And in inpatient, you still do some medical management and especially in the socially deficient population you might have to do the medical management. However, then your attendings are psychiatrists who are not able to ride you to hard on the medical part because they forgot most of it You get to do the big things, but only as an adjunct to the behavioral health concerns that you already seem to feel at home with.

So from now on, the medicine becomes less and less, and the behavioral health part becomes more and more. It does sound like the attendings feel you will become a great psychiatrist. You sound a lot like me some years ago, and now I love getting up every day and go to work.

So hang in there. "Senioritis" hits hard in medical school, but every day gets closer to what you like to do rather than what you want to do. Even residency is very close, and if it is behavioral health you love and pursue, then residency is going to be a breeze. Do what you love and you will have fun. Another year and you can live it all the time.

Then life truly is worth living again.

 

[Doc Samson]

This is to anyone who has gotten themself into (and out of) a difficult situation that was created by poor choices. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

I am a 3rd year medical student who chose medicine for the wrong reasons and have thusfar been unable to leave medicine because of fear. Typical story: father physician, interest in psychology and helping people, scholarship to medical track in college & medical school, followed the money and ignored the signs of incompatability with career choice (medicine). Enjoyed psychology/psychiatry-related courses and barely passed, sometimes did not pass, other courses (biochem, anatomy, etc). Psychology grades in college/medical school/psych rotations were A's but other courses/rotations were C's with a few B's.

Depression/alcoholism/obesity/not picking up the phone/studying more to be able to get C's = not answering phone calls/fatigue/social isolation. For the past 7 years. Yeah, quite stupid. Now $110,000 in debt. Considering minimal wage & the economy, my only idea was to stay in medicine until paying off debt (possibly 6-7 years in the future). This idea adds more hopelessness, but seems to be a responsible alternative for getting myself in this mess in the first place.

I honestly enjoy my psychiatry rotations and want to help people help themselves in their management of mental illness. Attendings and professors have reported that I have empathy, good listening skills, and a good broad knowledge of psychiatric resources & techniques. The problem is, as it has been for a long time, that even though I enjoy long-term learning about psychology and working in the mental health field, the medical part of psychiatry is killing me and I need to get out.

Any suggestions?

Match into a psychotherapy heavy residency and ultimately start a psychotherapy heavy private practice.

 

[cleareyedguy]

At the risk of stretching this thread outside the usual bounds:

Think about getting into an intensive psychotherapy. Medicine may not be as much of a problem as depression. Good luck.