In these photos (October 2007), I am in my office in Brockton, at the VA facility.
In our third year of residency, we psychiatrists now have our own offices, which are located in the VA (Veterans Affairs) building in Brockton, MA.
I have about 50 patients in my clinic that I treat on a regular basis; the conditions include Schizophrenia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Bipolar disorder, Major Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and substance (drug & alcohol) dependence.
I really enjoy treating our American veterans at the VA, as they have given so much for our great country.
Despite our busy case-load in Psychiatry, we still find time to work even more (a.k.a. "moonlighting")! Yes, it is a titanic endeavor indeed; as we see our patients Monday-Friday from 8am to 4pm in our offices, then we drive to local hospitals/treatment facilities around Massachusetts to work there. We are able to do this since we now have earned our Full Licenses to practice medicine & psychiatry by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Medicine; we have to carry malpractice insurance to do this, too. The upside of this, however, is the extra income; the pay/compensation can be quite lucrative for a 7pm-6am shift at an outside hospital...about $700. A few of these evening shifts each month, in addition to the salary we earn from the daytime, weekday job with the VA, can really contribute to paying down our medical school debts and the house mortgage! The average medical school loan/debt is $200,000, and most house mortgages are about $300,000. Hence, the initiative to work 2 jobs!
Despite our busy case-load in Psychiatry, we still find time to work even more (a.k.a. "moonlighting")! Yes, it is a titanic endeavor indeed; as we see our patients Monday-Friday from 8am to 4pm in our offices, then we drive to local hospitals/treatment facilities around Massachusetts to work there. We are able to do this since we now have earned our Full Licenses to practice medicine & psychiatry by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Medicine; we have to carry malpractice insurance to do this, too. The upside of this, however, is the extra income; the pay/compensation can be quite lucrative for a 7pm-6am shift at an outside hospital...about $700. A few of these evening shifts each month, in addition to the salary we earn from the daytime, weekday job with the VA, can really contribute to paying down our medical school debts and the house mortgage! The average medical school loan/debt is $200,000, and most house mortgages are about $300,000. Hence, the initiative to work 2 jobs!
Nonetheless, despite the day time and night time jobs, we still hang-out and watch television at night (NetFlix) and go on weekend trips: Salem, MA to see the witch trials and haunted houses for Halloween; Cape Cod to visit Nantucket Island for a biking tour; and Providence, RI to visit Brown University .
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