Interview with a Clinical Psychiatrist

Gopinath Gorthy is a Psychiatry resident and is currently in his final year residency at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital based in Washington, District of Columbia, US. Born into a middle class family from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India, Gopinath Gorthy is on the path to become successful Psychiatrist working in the capital city of World’s most powerful country. This is his career journey.

- What is Psychiatry?

Gopinath - Psychiatry is about diagnosing and treating emotional problems and mental illness. In addition to the assessment and therapy, psychiatrist prescribes medication or provides specific diagnosis.

- What are you currently doing now?

Gopinath – I am working as a final year resident at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital that specializes in treating individuals with chronic persistent mental illness. Since this hospital is state psychiatric hospital for District of Columbia, I get a chance to serve people with severe persistent mental illness.

- When and how did you first realize that you wanted to become a Psychiatrist?

Gopinath – During my medical school clinical rotations, psychiatry rotation appealed to me the most. I enjoyed conversations with my patients and was fascinated by their stories. There was never a dull moment and each person’s root cause for their emotional problems were unique. When I realized that’s not the case with other specialties, I became more interested in Psychiatry.

- What challenges have you faced in this career journey?

Gopinath - I wanted to get quality education and training from US medical schools/hospitals after my medical school graduation because US medical institutions have reputation for having advanced knowledge on psychiatric illness and treatments. And it was very challenging to obtain a visa and specialize in psychiatry for a medical graduate like me coming from India. In addition to the immigration challenges, it was also very hard for me financially to continue my studies in medical school. Just the USMLE exam fees were above my means.

- How did you overcome these challenges?

Gopinath - I made some friends with Kurnool Medical School Alumni and with their help and referral, I found a job as House Officer in Caribbean Islands. And this opportunity has given me a chance to work and save some money for USMLE exams.

In Caribbean Islands, I worked as General Physician for some time and then moved to Psychiatry. I got a chance to work under the supervision of two great forensic psychiatrists who later became my mentors. These mentors helped me get to where I am today as Psychiatrist in addition to my own research on Internet. And this work experience as Psychiatrist really helped a lot in obtaining residency after taking USMLE.

- What is most challenging part in working as Psychiatrist?

Gopinath - As a psychiatrist, one has to listen to traumatic and depressive stories often and when that happens you get emotionally drained.

So we get supervision from experienced psychiatrists after working on cases with tough patients.

- Were there days you wished you were not a Psychiatrist?

Gopinath – Yes, when you see very demanding patients, drug abusers and aggressive patients. But you learn to treat and help even tough patients with the help of mentors during residency training.

- What is most enjoyable in being as a Psychiatrist?

Gopinath - I love being a Psychiatrist and enjoy going to work every day. I feel happy that I get a chance to help somebody each day. The idea of saving somebody’s life is very satisfying.

When I talk to my colleagues practicing internal medicine. I feel that their work is almost predictable …it’s either diabetes/cholesterol or some other condition. But I have a different day every day and different story from every consultation. Even if I am seeing the same patient every other day, I am dealing with a different issue.

- What do you do on a day-to-day basis?

Gopinath - Residency is like a training program, on the job training. I see patients every day and prepare a case.

During first two years, we work with inpatients under the supervision of Attending in variety of settings like adult patients with mental illness, veterans with mental illness, substance abusing patients etc.

During third year, we see outpatients, and in the fourth year, we consolidate the experience from first three years to become a well-rounded psychiatrist.

- What do you think is the most important in becoming a successful psychiatrist?

Gopinath - Single most important thing to being a psychiatrist is empathy. You have to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes and be able to see and feel what they are feeling.

- Do you suggest any resources for students interested in pursuing psychiatry?

Gopinath – There is a lot of information readily available on the Internet. These are some websites to learn about becoming a physician in states – ECFMG.ORG, USMLE FORUM, and KAPLAN USMLE.

USMLE forum, associations like Doctors of Indian origin are few sources that students can refer to if they are really interested in knowing more about residency and admission process in States.

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