This article describes the professional and personal issues that are likely to be encountered by new counseling psychologists entering employment in hospital/medical settings. In general, the good news about working in hospital/medical settings is that it (a) provides a sense of satisfaction from assisting people who benefit greatly, but who would not ordinarily have sought psychological interventions; (b) allows a wide diversity of professional activities; (c) offers a relatively lucrative salary; and (d) represents an exciting new frontier for psychological exploration. The bad news is that it is easy to feel isolated, alienated, and unappreciated.
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