Welcome to the Clinical Psychologist AFSC discussion blog. The purpose of this blog is to foster discussion between future Air Force officers interested in this career feild and current officers in the field. The views expressed in this blog are solely the opinions of the individual authors and not of the United States Air Force nor the Department of Defense.
What is it like to be a clinical psychologist in the Air Force? What kinds of patients do you see on an average day? How much of your time is spent seeing patients vs. doing paperwork (how does this compare to some of the other medical services)?
I spoke to some of these great questions in my post about the best/worst about being a shrink (my affectionate term for what I do). Being an Air Force shrink is great because of the variety of activities I get to do, specifically working on large-scale programs as well as seeing my folks one-to-one. Paperwork is a necessary evil. If I'm developing a program, there is a ton of it, as I need to get my ideas across in an intelligent way to others. The other main kind of paperwork is writing notes. It takes me roughly 10 minutes to write a note for a 60 minute therapy session. Not too bad. I imagine this is more paperwork that other medical professions, as medical tends to move at a faster pace (when was the last time you saw your general practitioner for 60 minutes? It's just a different field). I imagine my level of paperwork is similar to that of a Psychiatrist, who, as I discussed earlier, is a medical doctor who conducts therapy and prescribes meds.
What kinds of patients do I see in an average day? Well, I work at the Academy Counseling Center right now, which is entirely different from any other place in the entire military. I only see Cadets. My guys/gals are dealing with all kinds of things -- some feel anxious, others depressed; some have eating issues, some have experience the loss of someone they love, some have been the victims of assaults, some are finding themselves changing and are trying to figure out who they are. Basically, I see anyone who feels like they need to talk. I also see a fair amount of couples who come in together to work on things within their relationships. The difference between working at the Academy Counseling Center and any other place in the Air Force is that I do not see dependants (spouses or children of Active Duty folks).
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What is it like to be a clinical psychologist in the Air Force? What kinds of patients do you see on an average day? How much of your time is spent seeing patients vs. doing paperwork (how does this compare to some of the other medical services)?
I spoke to some of these great questions in my post about the best/worst about being a shrink (my affectionate term for what I do). Being an Air Force shrink is great because of the variety of activities I get to do, specifically working on large-scale programs as well as seeing my folks one-to-one. Paperwork is a necessary evil. If I'm developing a program, there is a ton of it, as I need to get my ideas across in an intelligent way to others. The other main kind of paperwork is writing notes. It takes me roughly 10 minutes to write a note for a 60 minute therapy session. Not too bad. I imagine this is more paperwork that other medical professions, as medical tends to move at a faster pace (when was the last time you saw your general practitioner for 60 minutes? It's just a different field). I imagine my level of paperwork is similar to that of a Psychiatrist, who, as I discussed earlier, is a medical doctor who conducts therapy and prescribes meds.
What kinds of patients do I see in an average day? Well, I work at the Academy Counseling Center right now, which is entirely different from any other place in the entire military. I only see Cadets. My guys/gals are dealing with all kinds of things -- some feel anxious, others depressed; some have eating issues, some have experience the loss of someone they love, some have been the victims of assaults, some are finding themselves changing and are trying to figure out who they are. Basically, I see anyone who feels like they need to talk. I also see a fair amount of couples who come in together to work on things within their relationships. The difference between working at the Academy Counseling Center and any other place in the Air Force is that I do not see dependants (spouses or children of Active Duty folks).
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