What qualities needed & pro's and con's?

[Tahsiina]

I would loooove to be a pyschiatrist, i jus find it amazing but im a bit confused on whether i want to be a pyschiatrist or a paediatrician.. hmm :S so confused.. can any1 list the pros and cons of being a pyschiatrist?

[Frank E]

The personal qualities other than clinical skills are obviously exceptional personal skills - you'd need to be personable and friendly with people from all walks of life, have empathy, tolerance, patience, a good attitude to patients with mental health problems and psychoactive substance ab/use problems, listening skills, notetaking skills and conversational skills to take an accurate history with which to make an accurate assessment for an effective management plan.

Pros:
In some areas it's 9-5, appointments are long so it's not so much of a conveyer belt of appointments of inadequate duration, say like general practice.
It may be considered less glamorous than other areas of medicine which may make it less competitive.

Cons:
There is the risk of physical violence.
It can be emotionally and mentally demanding but then so can medicine.
As some of the patients are in longer term care one's reputation is more widespread among the patient community.
Some patients you'll see again and again and they'll still swear blind they have never ever used.

I'm interested in psychiatry because my Dad worked in a psychiatric hospital for 40 years and was used to having patients round.

Try going along to a patient's group and get an insight of things from a patient perspective. I went to a few meetings of a local group for people with bipolar disorder and another for people with alcohol problems, both were very insightful. I couldn't advise whether to say you are a medical student or not.

[markyc]

Think frank is spot on here. If you like the 9-5 hours then psychiatry can be a good choice (i have some friends who resent their work because of the unsociable hours). Good luck with your choice :-)