I find Current Psychiatry to be exceedingly useful for myself and the physician assistant students I teach. I agree with the 7 domains in Dr. Nasrallah’s editorial (“The model psychiatrist: 7 domains of excellence,” From the Editor, Current Psychiatry, November 2011, p. 5-6). However, I would like to add 2 more traits:
- The role that a psychiatrist plays in his or her family, especially with their children, because ignoring one’s family in the pursuit of clinical sainthood is not a mark of greatness
- The psychiatrist today is more of a team member than team leader. Failure to recognize this role creates intolerable stresses on the treatment environment in which the psychiatrist works. This does not minimize the need for personal excellence, but it certainly helps decrease destructive narcissism.
Kim J. Masters, MD
Medical Director
Three Rivers Midlands Campus Residential Treatment Center
West Columbia, SC