Electronic Summer 2025 | Issue 63

IPS Hits LA for APA

By: Michael Hunter Green and Jacob Schuman, Medical Students

This year’s APA annual conference ran for 5 days in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. By the fourth day of the conference, entering the free taco line at a pharmaceutical company booth was a familiar, relaxing, almost meditative experience. After long days of learning and late nights of networking, shutting our brains off and having a medication-branded midday munch was the boost we needed to do the same thing all over again. As medical students attending our first APA, we easily could have found ourselves too overwhelmed with opportunities to know where to begin. But in practice, it was near effortless. This was in part because the APA specifically designates tracks of suggested seminars for students and residents to attend. But even more than that was the tangible energy of collaboration, emanating from the thousands of psychiatrists shuffling through the Convention Center, who all shared a common goal — they wanted to talk about psychiatry. When people learned we were students, by far the most common response was “it’s so great that you’re here!”

It was exciting to see the future of psychiatry, both as students hoping to match into the field, and as witnesses to the latest research and models of care. Sessions we were able to attend included topics such as restraint reduction efforts, psychodynamic therapy for climate distress, and managing diagnostic expectations in the era of Tik Tok. All of these expanded our ideas of what one can do as a psychiatrist.

Alongside the educational sessions, there was the exhibition hall. There were virtual reality headsets, TMS machines that you could sit in, recruiters looking to hire psychiatrists across the country, AI scribes, and drug companies advertising their newest formulations. In addition to the salespeople, the APA exhibit hall had sections set up to enrich attendees' experiences. There were free professional headshots, multiple bookstores selling textbooks and lighter reading materials pertaining to psychiatry, podiums with APA oriented seminars, and even massage chairs to take a quick break. In a quiet corner of the exhibition hall was the poster section, where for multiple sessions a day, medical students and residents showed off their latest research findings. This was a great way to learn more about the pure variety of knowledge that makes up the field of psychiatry.

Attending the APA annual conference deepened our understanding of psychiatry and reaffirmed our excitement about entering the field. From structured educational tracks to spontaneous conversations with seasoned professionals, every part of the conference offered something valuable. The blend of academic sessions, innovative technology, and genuine camaraderie among attendees created a space where learning felt both natural and energizing. As we left Los Angeles, we did so with renewed motivation, a broader perspective on what psychiatry can be, and a strong sense of belonging in the mental health community.

Lastly, a note for future attendees — when the pharma rep at the taco line asks what the difference between ketamine and esketamine is, the answer they’re looking for is “esketamine can go in the nose” not “chirality”.