Why choose a dual career in Med/Psych?
The medical literature has many examples of patients with psychiatric problems that impact on the diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of their medical problems. For instance, there is a growing body of evidence that symptoms of depression affect prognosis in patients with heart disease. In addition, many medical diseases have psychiatric manifestations requiring physicians to have a firm knowledge of both medicine and psychiatry to better care for the patient, as in the case of delirium and neurosarcoidosis. Finally, many patients with a major psychiatric diagnosis, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or alcohol dependence, have comorbid medical problems, which are often untreated, leaving these patients at higher risk for adverse outcomes. Med/Psych training provides optimal preparation for comprehensive and integrated care of all patients. Dual training offers special advantages for the care of psychiatric patients with medical problems as well as medically ill patients whose illness
