Entering Private Practice: A Handbook for Psychiatrists »

Lazarus begins his handbook with an essay detailing the disadvantages and advantages of private practice, cautioning that practitioners must love their work and balance it with a successful personal life. Subsequent chapters, which are written by various experts in the field, explain how to find a private practice job, establish an office, market a private practice and handle insurance billing, legal requirements and common ethical problems. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Steve C. Lee, MD(Rush University Medical Center)
Description:This is a guide for graduating residents facing the prospect of entering private practice. It covers a wide range of issues that are pertinent in this transitional phase of a resident's career.
Purpose:The aim of the writers is to impart to psychiatric residents a solid foundation of knowledge regarding the nuts and bolts of entering a practice. The writers try to highlight common pitfalls that are avoidable (such as accumulating debt early in one's career). This is definitely a worthwhile objective as most residents may otherwise feel inadequately guided regarding the perils and thrills of entering private practice.
Audience:The book comments that the editor has many years of experience organizing career seminars for psychiatric residents.
Features:The book covers everything from billing systems to office furnishing to common legal pitfalls associated with private practice. Each chapter is devoted to a specific topic and written by a physician with that particular interest or expertise. The prose across chapters is very readable and user-friendly. The book succeeds in providing a good framework for one to build on. Particularly of interest is the chapter on communicating with primary physicians. The author offers insightful communication tips for psychiatric consultants.
Assessment:I highly recommend this book to all residents in their senior year. The book does a great service by filling a desperate need for a practical guide for the beginning practitioner.