these are amazing questions to ask ourselves not only in psychiatry.. thanks so much and this made me reflect and identify about my strengths and weaknesses .. congratulations cousin!! so proud of you :)
I dont know if you will see this, but I really appreciate your videos about psychiatry. I am a graduating US-MD, and I just went through the match process this year and didn't match into the specialty I applied for (diagnostic radiology). These past 32ish hours have been a whirlwind of emotions, but something I didn't expect was feeling relieved? My 3rd year was really hard on me, and I picked a specialty as an elimination process of things i didn't like instead of an "I love this!!" process. And while I do really like diagnostic radiology, psychiatry always interested me, but my 3rd-year rotation wasn't the most representative of the field (it was 4 weeks in an in-patient child psychiatry unit). Now that I have my transitional year, I was hoping to do an elective in the specialty to see if I like it more than radiology. I was wondering if it looks bad to dual apply or whether it looks bad to change specialties if that's what I decide to do (as in the next cycle, apply for a position in psychiatry instead of DR).
i'm so sorry Nikki! I'm glad you feel relieved because clearly thats helping you decide what you truly want and do think things work out for the best. I think it's worth it to dual apply if you truly feel you'd be happy doing either of the specialties! it does make sense tho to rank only the specialty you actually want as to not dilute your match. It IS so tough to make a decision about your entire life's career from just a few weeks right? the transitional year will hopefully make things clearer :) it also gives you a chance to get feedback about your application and interviews so you can bolster the parts that can be improved!
Hi Doctor Jackie! I have a question about standing out in applications. I'm an NYC med student looking to match in an NYC program. The speciality is competitive, do you have any baseline suggestions on things to have on a CV to better match into a program. Is it possible to match without a publication? I only have an abstract with AACAP but other than that so far nothing. I'm about to start clerkship so looking for advice! Thanks!
hi!! it is definitely possible to match without a publication! I'd say most applicants do not have a publication BUT I wonder if aiming for posters at AACAP and APA would be more doable? Having an abstract with AACAP is impressive! Good luck on clerkship! Brush up on your diagnostic criteria for the most common diagnoses and don't be scared to simply be curious!
That’s definitely a personal choice but there are many people who work in the medical field who have dyed hair. Is it okay if I ask why you’re curious about this?
@@DoktoraJackie I am still a high school student and my dream job is to be a psychiatrist but I'm ignorant about this job and also I'm planning to dye my hair in the future... So I don't know if I can dye my hair if I became a psychiatrist😅
Oh ok! That makes sense! I’ve had many colors in my hair through the years. Luckily you can dye your hair many many times or back to your original color if you feel like it’s causing any issues
Thank you for clarifying! Because we are psychiatrists we determine whether a kiddo might benefit from a medication for their mood but there are also a lot of ways we help the family and school support the kid so that they don’t accidentally perpetuate the anxiety (avoidance, etc) as well as increasing the kid’s insight and understanding of what their depression and/or anxiety feels like and how it might affect the way they understand their world (interactions and their own decisions or choices)
Oops I also forgot to mention cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which is what we have the most evidence base for treating anxiety. What we know is that a combination of both medication (if warranted) and cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective. I hope that answers your question and thank you for being so curious!
Hi doctor jackie! I’m really considering a career in psychiatry, I’m an undergrad student. I was wondering what is your opinion on the whole medication debate. It seems people make psychiatrists out to be pill pushers. Do you still do a lot of talk therapy or mostly manage meds? What do you think about medication and it’s role in the healing process? Does the field of psychiatry encourage introspection if these meds suppress the emotions one is feeling? I hope this wasn’t too many questions, thank you so much
Hi! Thank you for such a thoughtful question. As a psychiatrist, you will develop many skills. One of those skills includes being the expert on how to prescribe psychiatric medications. No one else is expected to have the level of knowledge that you do when it comes to this so it is very important. That knowledge includes how to decide which to prescribe, what dosages, how they work in the body, but also when it's appropriate to NOT prescribe medication (even if the patient is asking for it). Is there overprescribing of medications? Most definitely. Our job is to understand why people are overprescribing with the thought that most providers have good intentions at the end of the day and just want to give something to their patients that will help. Psychiatry training also incorporates developing therapy skills but please know that what the doctor chooses to do at the end of the day and what their job looks like (setting such as outpatient versus emergency department, hospital or office structure, time limits, diagnoses/ages of patients, and overall availability of therapists around you) all affects how a psychiatrist practices. I try not to bog myself down with what people think OF me as a psychiatrist. I know that when I prescribe, it is only when it is appropriate and if it is not helpful or doing harm then I will discontinue that medication. With that being said, when a family finally makes their way to me, theyre often quite sick so evidence shows we want to provide combination treatment which is both medication and talk therapy. This is what we have evidence for but staying on top of what the evidence proves is the responsibility of the physician. We are forever learners in medicine! Especially when it comes to treating children, treatment also involves their caregivers and schools. I see this stigma slowly changing but the assumption is that medicine does not work but I think many patients who have actually been treated with psychotropics would disagree. But remember, it's only a piece of the treatment! Every medication comes with side effects. It is possible that people might describe feeling "numb" if a dose is too high or the medication is inappropriate. This suppression of feelings is also a complicated question because if you take someone who feels very strongly or is quite anxious since they were very young (which is highly likely since we know that the majority of anxiety disorders develop starting in childhood), it's also your job to help your patient understand the changes in their emotions/feelings or how they even view themselves and the world now that their anxiety or intense emotions have subsided. You can have many goals for your patient or have an idea of what "healthy" or "unwell" looks like, but unless you're on the same page with the same goals as your patient, you will be ineffective as a physician. When we say "talk therapy," that is a very general term for soooo many types of therapy out there. You will also be expected to know what the most appropriate type of therapy to recommend is and what is actually possible for your patients. We sometimes can set many goals but it might not be realistic so the whole treatment is moot if the family doesn't actually have the resources to accomplish what you're recommending. I mention in other videos the many types of therapy but cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavioral, and parent management skills/training are only a few that immediately come to mind. Thank you again for all your questions! I hope my answer makes sense but if not, please let me know if I can help clarify further! Stay curious! Dr Jackie
@@DoktoraJackie thank you so much Dr Jackie, I’ve been doing my research and this seems to come up about psychiatry but you explained it in a very good way. I’ve been trying to find a psychiatrist to tell me what they think about this whole thing, thank you
