Monday, August 4, 2014
MiM Mail: How happy should you feel in residency about your specialty?
I am a third year psychiatry resident and a mother to a precious 21 month old little girl. I often find myself wondering how happy I should feel as a resident in my specialty. I was very ambivalent about choosing a specialty and considered family medicine and pediatrics as well. I ultimately chose psychiatry because I felt it would be less stressful and offer a better lifestyle. I also tend to not believe in myself and wondered if I could handle the rigors of those other specialties. As a resident I often wonder if I made the wrong choice. I don't hate my specialty but often find myself wondering if my personality would have been a better for the aforementioned specialties. Sometimes i feel "too nice" for psychiatry and I despise emergency psychiatry and the legal aspects of the field. I have thought about finishing psychiatry and then completing another residency but I just don't feel that I have the stamina for that and want to work part time as soon as possible. I'm just wondering if others have struggled and ultimately found happiness in their field? I'm hoping my feelings are related to burnout and don't indicate I will never find fulfillment in psychiatry.
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" I ultimately chose psychiatry because I felt it would be less stressful and offer a better lifestyle. I also tend to not believe in myself and wondered if I could handle the rigors of those other specialties. As a resident I often wonder if I made the wrong choice. I don't hate my specialty but often find myself wondering if my personality would have been a better for the aforementioned specialties. Sometimes i feel "too nice" for psychiatry and I despise emergency psychiatry and the legal aspects of the field.
ReplyDeletePsychiatry resident here! I could have written the above statement, I relate to it 100%. I have had those feelings too and still have them time to time. You are a third year now, maybe the 4th year electives will shed some light into your life. I can't promise you will love psychiatry ever, but family med and peds are hard residencies, they require ICU rotations and such, and more time away from your princess. Of course a second residency is always a possibility. Of course, pharmaceuticals and those types of jobs are also possibilities to look into. One of the ways in which I sometimes keep myself in check is making a pro-con list of psychiatry vs other fields, and usually that puts me into perspective immediately. Good luck to you!
I questioned my choice of anesthesia for a good portion on residency. But a couple years out, and I'm becoming more and more happy with my choice. I'm sure you can find a niche that will make you happy. But that being said, if you are completely miserable, switching residencies is always an option. I've had several friends switch specialties and been much happier.
ReplyDeleteI never questioned my choice of specialty, but I did get really burned out on it during residency. Medicine in general (should I have become a doctor?) when I was having my two babies and working so hard day and night. Writing about pathology (I started blogging around fellowship year), and having others enjoy reading about it, rekindled my passion for my field. But nothing compares to the freedom and control of your life that you gain outside residency. I hope it's just burnout for you as it was for me in retrospect. Psychiatry was my first love - decided in med school that my aptitude for the pathology made it a more natural fit. Hopefully with the versatility of the job field out there you will find something you love to do within the specialty you chose.
ReplyDeleteI know someone who was miserable her entire residency, quit for six months afterward with no plans to return, and is finding a love for her field in a part time position she helped to design. Good luck with your decision.