Transition to Private Practice for Psychiatrists, Psych PA and Psych NPs (PMHNPs)

Dr. Bruce Bassi is a double board certified physician, boarded in Addiction Psychiatry and General (Adult) Psychiatry. He is experienced in outpatient psychiatry and as he has established his own private therapy practice from the ground up and has acquired in-depth knowledge and expertise in all aspects of running a mental health practice. He is an adept prescriber and also runs group therapy. 

Are you a new graduate intimidated by starting in outpatient psychiatry?

This course is designed for individuals who have limited experience in outpatient psychiatry and want to feel more comfortable before starting. Dr. Bassi has an in-depth understanding of the unique clinical challenges and opportunities that come providing treatment in an outpatient setting. For over 5 years, he has successfully navigated the complexities of patient interactions, adeptly handled challenging appointments and fostered trust with individuals of very diverse backgrounds. His expertise extends to helping understand psychiatric diagnoses, advancing treatment approaches, and efficiently managing administrative tasks, which makes him a respected authority in the field of mental health care.

What will I learn in this course?

What to expect when transitioning to outpatient psychiatry?

Designed for individuals starting in outpatient psychiatry for the first time, this Transition to Private Practice course helps participants master the art of forging meaningful connections with patients, perfect the skills needed for highly effective patient evaluations, and navigate challenging appointments. As a new attending psychiatrist, you may not have a supervisor helping you through these situations. 

The program delves deep into diagnoses, providing insights into when and how to introduce specific diagnoses, handle complex scenarios, and utilize screening tools for accurate assessments. Students will explore a diverse array of treatment approaches, honing expertise in addressing anxiety, social anxiety, sleep issues, depression, bipolar disorders, and substance use disorders. The course also provides practical insights into prescribing medications, covering everything from writing scripts to managing pharmacy communications and prior authorizations. Administrative tasks are a large part of private practice and critical to admin tasks is learning efficient schedule management, collaborating with treatment teams, writing notes, optimizing billing messages.

Why should you take this course?

  •  Learn what you weren’t taught in school about nuances of psychiatry private practice
  •  Learn to master your clinical interview.
  •  Understand nuances of diagnoses.
  •  Explore critical elements of treatment approaches.
  •  How to prescribe in outpatient psychiatry

With 4 hours of advice, 100+ page outline, resources, I can reassure you that this will help you with critical parts of your professional growth.

What to expect in an outpatient psychiatric appointment?

In the first lessons, Dr. Bassi will help you navigate your first appointments

  •  Connecting with patients
  •  New evals vs follow ups
  •  Ideal virtual setup
  •  Navigating diagnoses
  •  Challenging appointments
  •  Malingering
  •  Counter-transference responses

Reducing lawsuits and board complaints

Approach to different diagnoses

Learn how to structure your interview and connect with your patients in a deeper and meaningful way

This course is designed for individuals who may have appropriate “book knowledge” but would like to continue to develop their approach to…

  •  Anxiety
  •  Sleep
  •  Bipolar
  •  Substance use disorders
  •  Pregnancy
  •  Suicide
  •  Anger management

Learn how to prescribe and order tests appropriately

By communicating more effectively with patients, you will develop treatment plans that better align with the patient’s goals

You may know what tests are available but not why or how you should order them. In this section you will learn more skills regarding…

  •  Ordering blood work
  •  EKGs
  •  Psychological testing
  •  Genetic testing
  •  Writing prescriptions
  •  Dealing with pharmacy calls
  •  Completing prior authorizations

Manage admin tasks like a pro

This course is designed for new psychiatrists, psych NP’s and psych PA’s

As you start in outpatient private practice, you may feel overwhelmed with admin tasks, such as:

  •  Managing your schedule
  •  Working with the patient’s treatment team
  •  Handling messages from patients
  •  Writing notes
  •  Completing disability paperwork
  •  Addressing emotional support animal (ESA) requests
  •  Billing and coding
  •  Making referrals

Nuances of certain medications

Understanding nuances of diagnosing and treating mental illness is critical in being the most effective clinician you can be.

Sure, you can look up dosages in Stahl’s, but what are the most important issues to address when prescribing?

  •  Different prescribing philosophies
  •  SSRIs
  •  SNRIs
  •  Wellbutrin
  •  Atypical antipsychotics
  •  Lithium
  •  Lamotrigine
  •  Stimulants
  •  Non-stimulants
  •  Benzodiazepines
  •  Suboxone
  •  TCAs
  •  Non-prescription treatment options

Are you a new psych NP (PMHNP) or psych PA going into outpatient psychiatry?

By completing this course, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to comfortably evaluate, diagnose, prescribe, order tests, and handle administrative tasks like a pro.

You will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to take various mentors’ suggestions and make your own best decisions about how you want to operate in outpatient psychiatry.