Psychosomatic Medicine Training as a Bridge to Practice: Training and Professional Practice Patterns of Early Career Psychosomatic Medicine Specialists

Background The number of interested candidates for psychosomatic medicine (PM) training programs has not matched the growing need for psychiatrists trained to care for complex medically ill patients. The reasons for this lack of growth may be found in the experience of new entrants into the subspecialty. Objective To investigate this issue, we conducted a survey of early career psychiatrists (ECPs) practicing PM to identify the personal and professional characteristics of ECP PM specialists and to examine the relevance of PM training to professional practice. Methods ECPs who attended the 2012 Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine annual meeting or who were registered members of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine completed a survey on training and work experiences. Decisional factors associated with pursuit of subspecialty fellowship education and professional practice patterns were identified using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. Results A total of 102 ECPs completed the survey. Of the respondents, 67 (67%) had completed a PM fellowship. Motivating factors for pursuing fellowship training included (1) obtaining additional clinical training, (2) developing a special interest in PM training, and (3) improving job candidacy. Overall, 80% of ECPs desired inpatient consultation-liaison positions at the time of fellowship graduation. Overall, 22% reported difficulty in obtaining employment in PM after training. Chi-square tests between subjects who pursued a PM fellowship and those who did not proved nonsignificant. Conclusions PM fellowship training remains relevant and important to ECPs in this sample. The survey results can be used to shape institutional and professional supports to better meet early career transition needs for PM psychiatrists.