Psych residency without psychology/neuro background

[asd873]

I'm still in my pre-clinical years but very curious about psychiatry. It sounds like psych residency tends to be a lot more relaxed than other specialties, which is a major plus for me as I will be in my late thirties by the time I start residency and considering family planning. I am wondering how much more catch up you'd have to do if you had very little psych in your medical curriculum (other than the standard psych clerkship rotation). I have never studied psychology or much of neurology prior to medicine,  so wondering how much of the theory I'd have to grind through and catch up during residency. Can any current residents or recent grads comment on having a family while working through a psych residency and making time to study for Royal College exams, enjoy life, etc?

Essentially, I'm wondering how this intensity would compare to doing family med and then focusing on mental health in practice (money aside). 

Appreciate any words of wisdom out there!

[rmorelan]

51 minutes ago, asd873 said:

I'm still in my pre-clinical years but very curious about psychiatry. It sounds like psych residency tends to be a lot more relaxed than other specialties, which is a major plus for me as I will be in my late thirties by the time I start residency and considering family planning. I am wondering how much more catch up you'd have to do if you had very little psych in your medical curriculum (other than the standard psych clerkship rotation). I have never studied psychology or much of neurology prior to medicine,  so wondering how much of the theory I'd have to grind through and catch up during residency. Can any current residents or recent grads comment on having a family while working through a psych residency and making time to study for Royal College exams, enjoy life, etc?

Essentially, I'm wondering how this intensity would compare to doing family med and then focusing on mental health in practice (money aside). 

Appreciate any words of wisdom out there!

probably not much. I mean one of my degree is a psych degree and while we have a few courses that are somewhat clinical in nature or supportive it was medical school where your really learn things.  Seems similar to the neuro science part of my training elsewhere. 

This is in large part why they don't care about your original degree - medical school as strange as it sounds teaches you medicine so it doesn't matter

[freewheeler]

I wouldn't worry about it.

[ellorie]

It will be fine. Everything you need to know, you will learn in residency. Particularly PGY2. 

[Lactic Folly]

You know what, when I was moving for residency, I came across my study notes from undergrad and realized I had pretty much forgotten all of that material.

To echo everyone else, residency is learning on the job. You learn by doing, and then reading around what you're doing, so no worries.

[LostLamb]

Don’t worry about it. 

Source: me—psych resident with no psychology or neuroscience background. 

[BigM]

I’m a PGY5 psych resident. My undergrad contained all of one 1st year course in psychology. Psychiatry and psychology are in many ways different. As a psychiatrist you will learn the theoretical backbone of different psychological models, but unless you do work is focused on psychotherapy (which isn’t the case for most psychiatrists), most of your work will include taking a history, reviewing symptoms and discussing medications, I.e. practicing medicine. However, your knowledge of psychology will help you understand/formulate patients, explain things to them and work alongside other health care workers who primarily provide therapy.  The requirements for neuro knowledge depend on what you do in your practice. Neuropsych obviously needs a lot of neuro knowledge. Likewise, geriatric psychiatry and consultation-liaison also require you to have a good working knowledge of neurology. In general, child and adolescent involves much less neurology and general medicine.

[asd873]

1 hour ago, BigM said:

I’m a PGY5 psych resident. My undergrad contained all of one 1st year course in psychology. Psychiatry and psychology are in many ways different. As a psychiatrist you will learn the theoretical backbone of different psychological models, but unless you do work is focused on psychotherapy (which isn’t the case for most psychiatrists), most of your work will include taking a history, reviewing symptoms and discussing medications, I.e. practicing medicine. However, your knowledge of psychology will help you understand/formulate patients, explain things to them and work alongside other health care workers who primarily provide therapy.  The requirements for neuro knowledge depend on what you do in your practice. Neuropsych obviously needs a lot of neuro knowledge. Likewise, geriatric psychiatry and consultation-liaison also require you to have a good working knowledge of neurology. In general, child and adolescent involves much less neurology and general medicine.

Well that's nice to hear! How are you find the workload in your final year? Do you get ample time to prepare for the Royal College exam? My partner spent his final year in intense study mode (every day essentially) for his Royal College exams in pathology, which I'm not sure I'd be willing to hack. Is the demand in psychiatry similar?  

 

[BigM]

22 hours ago, asd873 said:

Well that's nice to hear! How are you find the workload in your final year? Do you get ample time to prepare for the Royal College exam? My partner spent his final year in intense study mode (every day essentially) for his Royal College exams in pathology, which I'm not sure I'd be willing to hack. Is the demand in psychiatry similar?  

 

PGY5 is a year of electives if you opt not to do a sub specialty. So you can basically make what you want of it.  You can do outpatient care and maintain a fairly steady 8-4 with call shifts being in addition to that, or you can opt for a busier service if you want. The thing to keep in mind is that this is generally your last year before independent practice so you need to see enough and do enough that you feel comfortable being the MRP.

Personally I have opted to focus more on learning around my cases and reading topics of interest rather than following more traditional routes of exam preparation. What is the most yield info for exam purposes is often not the same high yield info for clinical practice. The pass rates for royal college exams are also very high, I believe in psychiatry it is over 99% for Canadian grads. As I get closer to the exam I will likely get spooked and spend more time practicing old exam questions, etc, but right now I am able to remain fairly confident that I can focused on learning the most clinically useful stuff and still do okay on the exams.