How Psychiatrists Allocate Their Professional Time: Implications for Educational and Manpower Planning

Data collected from 900 general psychiatrists graduating from 27 state hospital and university residency programs between 1961 and 1976 is used to determine certain patterns of patient care productivity among psychiatrists. The study relates differences in amount of hours spent per patient per month and number of inpatients and outpatients in treatment to psychiatrists' medical background (U.S. or foreign) and residency training (state hospital or university). The findings indicate that state hospital and university residency programs may instill different clinical behaviors in their graduates; possible changes in psychiatric residency programs are suggested. The author also proposes that the study data can be used to make rough estimates of the numerical range of psychiatrists needed in health care systems or in the U.S. as a whole.