What does a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist do?

In brief, Consultation-Liaison psychiatrists focus on advancing integrated psychiatric care for people with medical illnesses.

C-L psychiatrists contribute to the care of patients with a wide range of acute and chronic conditions, which may include medical, neurological, obstetrical, pediatric, or surgical conditions. They:

Diagnose and treat psychiatric conditions in people with medical co-morbidities
Identify medical conditions or medications causing psychiatric symptoms
Apply knowledge of the psychiatric aspects of illness experiences
Facilitate effective medical care for people with pre-existing psychiatric conditions

Some examples of the ways C-L psychiatrists can have a major impact on people's lives are:

Instituting behavioral interventions and reducing polypharmacy for an elderly individual with post-operative delirium
Discovering a critical drug-drug interaction that led to the development of serotonin syndrome when an antibiotic was prescribed for a wound infection
Rapidly reversing catatonia that emerged during an exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus
Providing life-saving treatment with ECT to a new mother who developed delusional beliefs and intent to kill her infant and herself
Helping patients and their care teams manage chronic pain and somatic symptoms
Delivering psychotherapy to a woman with recurrent depression who received a mastectomy for stage 3 breast cancer and is undergoing radiation therapy
Addressing trauma and avoidance symptoms to promote engagement in care in an outpatient clinic providing medical care for refugees
Leading team-based care for a population of people with depression or anxiety in a community health center

C-L psychiatrists enjoy a tremendous range of career opportunities, which may include:

Working in inpatient or outpatient medical, surgical, pediatric and obstetric settings
Specializing in their preferred setting or patient population
Delivering a wide array of pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment modalities
Working part-time
Enjoying flexible remote work via through telepsychiatry

A career in C-L psychiatry is an ideal choice for anyone who enjoys:

Working at the exciting interface of psychiatry and other medical disciplines
Team-based care in medical and surgical settings
The depth of patient-provider relationship that psychiatric care entails

To learn more about the opportunities a career in C-L psychiatry offers for you to make a difference in the lives of patients and colleagues visit https://www.clpsychiatry.org/training-career/medical-students/

How to become a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist?

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry is an ABPN board-certified subspecialty of psychiatry.

Training consists of:

1-year ACGME accredited Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry fellowship following completion of the 4-year training in general Psychiatry

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry has a vibrant global community that is:

Welcoming and collaborative
Experiencing substantial growth
Comprising ~1700 board-certified C-L psychiatrists in the United States
In high demand due to the national shortage of psychiatric providers and C-L psychiatrists

Sources

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (P)