medisforme Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Hi all, It's been awhile since I posted on these forums. Medical school has flown by and I have now reached 4th year and all the Carms prep that brings. My interests haven't deviated since day 1 of medical school - still focused on family medicine and psych. I am still quite ambivalent about which to rank first each has their own pros and cons which I have considered extensively. I honestly feel I would be happy and fulfilled in either career. I have 6 weeks psych and 6 weeks family as pre-carms electives as well as some IM and paeds thrown in. I have an extensive history of employment and volunteering in the mental health field. My third year family medicine block was a longitudinal rotation lasting the entire year with the same preceptor, so will have a great reference letter from this person. I just wanted some feedback re: how these electives are set up and how possible it is to be competitive for both specialties, especially given the fact I have not come to a firm conclusion on what my preference is (this frightens me a bit, as I was sure I would have made up my mind by now); am hoping one specialty doesn't feel they are the second choice and rank me lower come interview time. Also, given my family situation am considering ranking both these specialties as choice 1 and 2 for UBC with other schools ranking lower down the list. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatonekid Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Your electives look fine. It's a matter of doing well on your electives, getting good letters of reference, and having a strong application letter. One thing to think about is what part of psych do you like? FM has lots of mental health, but the large majority is depression, anxiety, and bipolar. If you like the other aspects psych, then you may want to consider going that route. If you want to see other medical conditions, do FM and have a special interest in mental health within your practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted July 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 Thanks for the response. I actually do enjoy working up other medical conditions, especially internal med type stuff which is the main reason I am considering family medicine. Conversely, I am less than passionate about paeds and have absolutely zero passion (bordering on dislike) for obs/gyne which makes me wonder if family med really is the correct route to take. I realize one can tailor their practice to specific patient populations and such, though it seems like when one starts out they are really expected to see/accept all types of patients regardless of their interests. In terms of psych, yes I do enjoy seeing other mental illnesses besides anxiety and mood disorders and thoroughly enjoy interviewing and interacting with patients. Unlike a lot of medical students, i really don't find acute psychosis very interesting mostly due to the fact that the interaction is completely on a superficial level (if there is any at all), and all you can really do once you rule out a medical condition or substance abuse is give an antipsychotic, though I do find interviewing psychotic patients who are somewhat stabilized fascinating. As you can see, there are things I like and dislike about each specialty. Given that I am a mature student, It really may come down to the fact that family is a much shorter residency than psychiatry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrouchoMarx Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 I would suggest you do famliy medicine fo rhte following reasons. IT is only two years, it covers psychiatric disorders in addition to everything else, it is more portable and flexible, and since its only two years if you realize you want to do psychiatry later you can rematch into it - you're not wasting so much time. Plus if you went back in your FM residency would probably count towards your internship which would reduce your psych residency by at least six months, probably a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted July 30, 2015 Report Share Posted July 30, 2015 I would suggest you do famliy medicine fo rhte following reasons. IT is only two years, it covers psychiatric disorders in addition to everything else, it is more portable and flexible, and since its only two years if you realize you want to do psychiatry later you can rematch into it - you're not wasting so much time. Plus if you went back in your FM residency would probably count towards your internship which would reduce your psych residency by at least six months, probably a year. Also, you could pick up some locums or walk in shifts as a family doc if you went back and did a psych residency later, which helps the financial end of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted July 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 Thanks, Though I can assure you that after doing 3 years of medical school, I will only be doing one residency no matter what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renin Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 If you like psychiatry, keep in mind that you will not have time in a 15 minute appointment to do much therapy or actually trying to diagnose someone. Are you okay handing off your patient to a specialist in ... 6 months to 18 months, depending on the waitlist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Thanks, Though I can assure you that after doing 3 years of medical school, I will only be doing one residency no matter what. ha that is probably the best way of thinking about it ! There are days when I wonder if should do a family medicine specialty when I am done part time to access some of my interests - however it will be hard to stay up to date on multiple fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medisforme Posted October 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 If you like psychiatry, keep in mind that you will not have time in a 15 minute appointment to do much therapy or actually trying to diagnose someone. Are you okay handing off your patient to a specialist in ... 6 months to 18 months, depending on the waitlist? Well I have been considering the possibility of having a niche focus on mental health and addictions as a family physician. I have worked with a couple of family docs that focused on addictions, and one that worked exclusively in a community mental health centre. I have 6 years experience as a psychiatric nurse so feel quite comfortable handling certain psychiatric patients that other family docs might refer on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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