A sense of social responsibility is a common trait of this generation’s psychiatrists, said Dr. Vasan, who has a private concierge practice in the Silicon Valley.
“We have a global sense of the world and recognize that our role as physicians gives us the unique platform to make an impact at this level,” she said.
Graduates also are attracted to psychiatry because of its focus on the physician-patient connection, particularly as patient time is eroded in other specialties, such as primary care, Dr. Sudak said.
“People who become physicians really want to have relationships with patients, and if you have to see eight people an hour, that’s a tough go,” she said. “Many people are attracted to the capacity to really learn about somebody’s story and make a difference in their life. Psychiatry offers that and then some.”
Working closely with patients to improve their quality of life was a primary motivator for Steven Chan, MD, MBA, who completed his psychiatry residency at the University of California, Davis, in 2016. He currently serves on the addiction treatment services team at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Dr. Steven Chan
“I additionally pursued a subspecialty in clinical informatics to apply today’s technologies to further improve people’s lives,” he said.
Dr. Chan said he is fortunate to practice in a work environment that is more collaborative with other health professionals than in the past.
“It’s wonderful,” he said. “There’s so much work to be done, and working with others has been rewarding to me. We’re already seeing more psychiatrists take on leadership roles in technology and health care administration, so we’re seeing collaborations with informatics, engineers, and service designers.”
A sea of challenges
Despite the advantages of practicing in modern times, psychiatrists today also face unique challenges, such as an upcoming shortages of physicians.
A 2017 report by the National Council for Behavioral Health estimates that, by 2025, demand might outpace supply by up to 15,600 psychiatrists. An aging population of psychiatrists is part of the problem. Sixty percent of practicing psychiatrists are older than 55, one of the highest volumes of older doctors of all specialties, according to AAMC data.
Physician numbers are improving, but a crisis point looms, especially as more states pass legislation that target the so-called dangerously mentally ill, said Annette L. Hanson, MD, a forensic psychiatrist who is assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland and at Johns Hopkins University, both in Baltimore.
“The trend seems to be that governments want to provide more involuntary or forced care, which means you’re going to need to have doctors available to provide that care,” Dr. Hanson said in an interview. “We don’t have enough doctors to meet the public policy demand.”
Courtesy Dr. Christiane Tellefsen
Dr. Annette L. Hanson (right) reviews a Google spreadsheet with her fellows, Dr. Adam Brown (middle) and Dr. Travis Klein.
Compounding the problem is the fact that the majority of new psychiatrists pursue community private practices in urban areas, rather than practicing in state hospitals or rural areas, Dr. Hanson added. In addition, some states are passing laws that require state hospitals to admit incompetent criminal defendants within a certain time frame.
“That’s created significant problems where you’re moving someone from an overcrowded, understaffed jail to overcrowded, understaffed hospital,” she said.