Some questions

[painballer27]

I hope you do not take my questions as an affront. Did any of you worry about stigma in surrounding psychiatry when you chose to enter the field? How do you feel it has affected you? Do you feel you relinquished any sex appeal that you would have had by becoming as a physician by going into psychiatry? These questions I ask in earnest.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TheRightMedication]

Sometimes a medical specialty is just a medical specialty.

 

[painballer27]

Sometimes a medical specialty is just a medical specialty.

Yeah agreed. Its a job and the goal is to make money. I was just curious

 

[J ROD]

sexy as a sexy does.........

 

[TexasPhysician]

Psychiatrists are an attractive bunch, so we don’t need to worry about that.

 

[shoomer]

Psychiatry is a sexy field nowadays if anything, the stigma is more with the older generation.

 

[nexus73]

One of the only fields you can authentically wear a bow tie, not that you should.

 

[FlowRate]

One of the only fields you can authentically wear a bow tie, not that you should.

I mean, who wears ties post-Covid anyway?

 

[Sushirolls]

Put on your online dating profile, if you recognize me from real life, please don't contact me?

But to actually answer your question, those were some thoughts I had briefly as a med student. As you get older, perceptions of others just don't matter as much. There are people out there you will connect with, some you won't, and as you get older you get better at communicating who you are what you want in a prospective spouse.

I've know a psychiatrist who darn well knew they were marrying into Axis II and still did it. No idea if they are still married.

In other words, with time, being a Psychiatrist doesn't mean anything. It's a job. The older you get, the overthinking of youth fades away, regarding the perceptions of others. The perceptions of others won't wake you up in the morning, give you the motivation to turn your alarm off, and put on your A game. You have do those things, not the people who might be judging you.

 

[MedMusic]

Yeah agreed. Its a job and the goal is to make money. I was just curious

Hey dude, I see you posting a lot on here about prestige and money and not having to work many hours. You are going to hate psychiatry if this is what you want to get out of a career. I had a lot of similar thoughts when I started psych residency but you will need to get over this if you want to be happy. There is still stigma (even among young people) around psych and you will not be seen as the same as other doctors. I've had several dates/new acquaintances get uncomfortable when they find out what I do. You will not make 500k+ working 20 hours a week unless you find that 1 in a million job.

Most residents/attendings I know are signing for a base salary of 260k-285k in rural areas/suburban areas/big cities. Total comp works out to around 300-330k for a 36-40 hour work week with minimal to no call. I used to want to make 500k+ for a number of reasons. Now I am fine with these numbers because I enjoy psychiatry. I enjoy talking to my patients and exploring ways they can live their lives more in line with what is important to them. I enjoy the psychopharmacology and discussing my recommendations with patients. All I see from you is an interest in how little you can work and how much money you can make. It is perfectly fine to have that goal but you are going to be miserable in psych if you don't have an interest in the people/field. There are a lot of other great fields where you can work 50 hrs/week, 10 weeks vacation, and make 500k (rads, locums neuro/hospitalist, etc). Go into those. Like you say, its just a job and the goal is to make money. Psych is not the place for what it sounds like you want

 

[painballer27]

Hey dude, I see you posting a lot on here about prestige and money and not having to work many hours. You are going to hate psychiatry if this is what you want to get out of a career. I had a lot of similar thoughts when I started psych residency but you will need to get over this if you want to be happy. There is still stigma (even among young people) around psych and you will not be seen as the same as other doctors. I've had several dates/new acquaintances get uncomfortable when they find out what I do. You will not make 500k+ working 20 hours a week unless you find that 1 in a million job.

Most residents/attendings I know are signing for a base salary of 260k-285k in rural areas/suburban areas/big cities. Total comp works out to around 300-330k for a 36-40 hour work week with minimal to no call. I used to want to make 500k+ for a number of reasons. Now I am fine with these numbers because I enjoy psychiatry. I enjoy talking to my patients and exploring ways they can live their lives more in line with what is important to them. I enjoy the psychopharmacology and discussing my recommendations with patients. All I see from you is an interest in how little you can work and how much money you can make. It is perfectly fine to have that goal but you are going to be miserable in psych if you don't have an interest in the people/field. There are a lot of other great fields where you can work 50 hrs/week, 10 weeks vacation, and make 500k (rads, locums neuro/hospitalist, etc). Go into those. Like you say, its just a job and the goal is to make money. Psych is not the place for what it sounds like you want

This is actually a fairly wholesome comment. Thank you. I checked out rads but its not for me, found it very boring.

What does everyone else think about the above comment?

 

[nexus73]

This is actually a fairly wholesome comment. Thank you. I checked out rads but its not for me, found it very boring.

What does everyone else think about the above comment?

agree with salary range for normal work schedule, 250-320s maybe. Hitting 500k salary means volume, either longer hours or cranking through more patients in less time, which sucks for you and the patient.

 

[TheRightMedication]

As you're probably aware, money stops buying happiness once you have enough.

I understand people who sacrifice essential elements of human thriving so their families have enough.

But to sacrifice essential elements of human thriving just to have more money? I truly don't get it. In my opinion many posters on this forum have a deeply disordered view of human thriving.

 

[WisNeuro]

As you're probably aware, money stops buying happiness once you have enough.

I understand people who sacrifice essential elements of human thriving so their families have enough.

But to sacrifice essential elements of human thriving just to have more money? I truly don't get it. In my opinion many posters on this forum have a deeply disordered view of human thriving.

You mean trying to jam as many med checks and "therapy" into an hour as possible may not be in the best interests of the patient's mental health?

 

[TheRightMedication]

You mean trying to jam as many med checks and "therapy" into an hour as possible may not be in the best interests of the patient's mental health?

Or our own.

 

[Bartelby]

I felt like stigma was a bigger issue in medical school. Some attendings asked why I would waste my talents on psychiatry. Some family members joked that I decided "not to be a real doctor." Weighing the real lived experience of a high-prestige option like surgery against psych made me very okay with that .

As a practicing psychiatrist in the real world the stigma isn't really noticeable. Patients are grateful and appreciate what I have to offer. My lifestyle is very solid compared to much of medicine. I am in high demand in any market anywhere. People who find out I am a psychiatrist still seem to really respect the job, and if anything have lots of fascinated questions for me! I haven't dated as a psychiatrist because I met my SO in medical school, but if someone turns you (a relatively high earning physician passionate about what you do) down because you are a psychiatrist I would lump that into the benefit category rather than the cost category! Would you really want to end up with a partner like that anyway?

The bottom line is that any naysayers will not be waking up at 5a with you every day to go round on the surgical wards. Do something you most enjoy and you will be a lot better off compared to doing what seems most impressive.

 

[randomdoc1]

In psychiatry, you reach a dangerous level of nirvana, that's the ultimate reward....
And who's laughing years down the line? our lifestyle rocks.

 

[docksan]

My biggest concern is not what others think of me as a psychiatrist but the misconceptions people have in general about psychiatry, like general medicine doctors who still don't respect the specialty.

 

[MedMan80]

Life style is awesome, everyone rags on psych until they/family member needs to see us!