WHY DID YOU CHOOSE PSYCHIATRY ?
Lets go over some 'sample' reasons why some psychiatrist's have chosen the field, which will help you frame your reply based on what matters to you most
"I've always been interested in the humanities....when I was deciding what specialty to go into, I looked for one which would allow me to combine my interest in the humanities. It is fair to say that psychiatry is the closest you can get to the humanities in medicine, so that's why I chose psychiatry"
"if you have a gift for critical conceptual reasoning, then you are certainly likely to be suited to psychiatry because in psychiatry you have to be able to deal with and explore abstract concepts and notions."
Dr. Femi Oyebode: Source: BMJ
"I found that while I considered surgery, what really fascinated me were people, and their stories, and why they do the things they do - That's why I chose Psychiatry"
Dr. Charles Atkins: Source
"Without peace of mind, happiness cannot exist. I have always tried to do what I felt was best for me, as well as those around me. My choosing Psychiatry as a career is no exception. I chose psychiatry because it is one of the only fields of medicine that delves into the more intangible elements of disease-the mental health disorders, which have always fascinated me."
Dr. Kahill Johnson: Source
"All medical specialties can contribute to a person's happiness through good care which leads to good health, I chose psychiatry because that's where I feel that I can make the biggest difference through one-to-one patient interactions."
Dr. Stephen Dolinski: Source
Thus if you like psychiatry, it's a good chance that you feel the need to connect to the inner happiness within yourself as much as that of the patient sitting front of you, the need to have a great patient interaction and the ability and liking for the abstract along with the sensitivity to human emotions, wants and desires. You philosophy of healing involves a holistic healing of the mind, since you strongly believe that all diseases do have a mental component which may not always be causative, but does contribute to the overall sense of well-being and the ability to cope and fight the disease :-)
Hope all this was enough food to formulate and put together the reasons why you chose psychiatry before you head out to that residency interview....All you gotta do now is think :-)
Search Keywords to this blog article:
- "Psychiatry residency Interview Tips"
- "Why did You select Psychiatry?"
- "why do you like psychiatry?"
- "why do you want to do psychiatry?"
"I've always been interested in the humanities....when I was deciding what specialty to go into, I looked for one which would allow me to combine my interest in the humanities. It is fair to say that psychiatry is the closest you can get to the humanities in medicine, so that's why I chose psychiatry"
"if you have a gift for critical conceptual reasoning, then you are certainly likely to be suited to psychiatry because in psychiatry you have to be able to deal with and explore abstract concepts and notions."
Dr. Femi Oyebode: Source: BMJ
"I found that while I considered surgery, what really fascinated me were people, and their stories, and why they do the things they do - That's why I chose Psychiatry"
Dr. Charles Atkins: Source
"Without peace of mind, happiness cannot exist. I have always tried to do what I felt was best for me, as well as those around me. My choosing Psychiatry as a career is no exception. I chose psychiatry because it is one of the only fields of medicine that delves into the more intangible elements of disease-the mental health disorders, which have always fascinated me."
Dr. Kahill Johnson: Source
"All medical specialties can contribute to a person's happiness through good care which leads to good health, I chose psychiatry because that's where I feel that I can make the biggest difference through one-to-one patient interactions."
Dr. Stephen Dolinski: Source
Thus if you like psychiatry, it's a good chance that you feel the need to connect to the inner happiness within yourself as much as that of the patient sitting front of you, the need to have a great patient interaction and the ability and liking for the abstract along with the sensitivity to human emotions, wants and desires. You philosophy of healing involves a holistic healing of the mind, since you strongly believe that all diseases do have a mental component which may not always be causative, but does contribute to the overall sense of well-being and the ability to cope and fight the disease :-)
Hope all this was enough food to formulate and put together the reasons why you chose psychiatry before you head out to that residency interview....All you gotta do now is think :-)
Search Keywords to this blog article:
- "Psychiatry residency Interview Tips"
- "Why did You select Psychiatry?"
- "why do you like psychiatry?"
- "why do you want to do psychiatry?"
Labels: Psychiatry, Residency Interview Questions
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posted by Digitaldoc, MD at 11:58 PM
Comments on "WHY DID YOU CHOOSE PSYCHIATRY ?"
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Digitaldoc, MD said ... (September 12, 2007 12:00 AM) :
Post Your Comment !Anonymous said...
hi, digidoc, thanks so much for this good work u r doing...i need advice from u..this is my last interview, a psychiatry one..i have an lor from an IM attending physician in US rgarding an observership i did with him...should i use this lor in a psych. interview, or will it harm? i don't have any psych. experience, but, i like it very much, n the program is very good too..plz advice on this, n what else i can do to impress them...
At 10:36 AM, Digitaldoc, MD said...
Yes - you can use that LOR, afterall , psychiatry does have upto 4 months rotation in IM, FM, peds and is a clinical field. If ever a question is asked about why an IM observership, you gotta give them the perspective that: 1. it is extremely tough for an IMG to get any observership at all 2. you took it up for the clinical medicine component, which is an integral part of psychiatry. 3. And that you are willing to do an observership / externship in their program before the residency begins...
Besides that - the usuals as discussed on this article, finding about papers published by your interviewers to know what topics interest them, etc. will help, and yeah- a clear definition of your career goals.
At 8:19 PM, Anonymous said...
I would try to add that the reality of the situation is that psychiatrists often have to manage medical problems...and not just the side effects of psych meds. Indeed, some of the "high-powered" Northeastern psych programs, such as Harvard, actually require 6-10 months of Medicine. Georgetown wants at least a month of ICU. Any medicine at all helps both for Step 3, and in general...