Mentorship Crucial

This is in response to APA President Carol Bernstein, M.D.'s column in the July 2 issue about her efforts to reach out to early career psychiatrists (ECPs) and ensure that APA is creating services and programs that are relevant and useful to them. She notes that many ECPS are leaving APA after they have completed their residency training.

Dr. Bernstein is right in trying to get early career psychiatrists into APA. However, although some are, most young psychiatrists are not necessarily interested in learning how to become administrative leaders but rather are interested in developing substantive clinical skills, general knowledge through research, and interest in specific subspecialties. We have some APA members who fall into this category (for example, immediate past President Alan Schatzberg, M.D.) but not nearly enough. The key to interest young psychiatrists in APA is not “potluck dinners” with administrators and clinicians but enticing the above types of psychiatrists to participate in APA and mentor young psychiatrists.