Hi All,

Does anyone know what the status of PsyD. scripting rights are? I am considering going into psychiatry, but don't want to waste $250,000 if a PsyD. can script.

Hi All,

Does anyone know what the status of PsyD. scripting rights are? I am considering going into psychiatry, but don't want to waste $250,000 if a PsyD. can script.

Hi biopsych,

IMO if someone wants to provide the full gamut of psychiatric assessment (e.g., ruling in/out med cond) and treatment options (i.e., therapy, meds, ECT) then one will have to become a psychiatrist.
Even medical psychologists acknowledge that their exercise of RxP will likely be limited to outpatient populations with uncomplicated conditions. Kind of psychologists taking over the role currently exercised by general practitioners (again IMO, an improvement in the future delivery of mental health services) but psychiatrits will still remain the standard as the mental health specialists.

If you are already a PsyD like me it can be done-I'm now in my second and last year of pre-med studies. Yes, its expensive in terms of time, energy, and money but its also an investment.
If you are debating between PsyD and MD I would strongly suggest pursuing an MD from the perspective that it is only 2 more years of training and provides far more in terms of full scope of practice and the benefits thereof (e.g., primary responsibility for patient progress and leadership of interdisciplinary team, financial security).

Peace.

I agree! However, here in Ca licensed psychologists can and are able to fully direct patient care in hospitals as members of the medical staff. The RxP is the caveat, and I think that has a good chance of becoming a reality here soon...even naturopathic docs can prescribe here. Look closely at the laws of your state..

:)

It seems the possibilities are continuing to expand for psychologists, i.e. therapy, testing, research, prescribing medication, hospital privileges, etc. Additionally, psychologists can utilize the new current procedural terminology (CPT) codes to bill for Axis III conditions. These codes allow psychologists to bill for services directed at physical health and eliminates the need for a mental health diagnosis for reimbursement. Examples could be: RA-pain management, COPD-smoking cessation. Point is, it seems this is a good time to be a psychologist.
Financially, I know several psychologists that have 40 hour a week jobs that pay $60,000 - $70,000 a year. Not great, but these professionals also have part time private practices and carry 10 -15 patients a week making another $40,000 - $50,000. Therefore, these psychologist work around 60 hours a week, and make around $100,000 to $120,000 a year. It would be difficult to give up this type of compensation for 10 years to do 2 years of pre med, 4 years of med school, and 4 years of residency to make the $125,000 to $160,000 that most psychiatrist in my state make. In addition to a loss of income, medical school is very expensive. If it were up to me, psychiatrist would average around $250,000 a year for the hell they go through during their training, but most of them don’t. If you want a career change, fine. However, financially the only way an MD/DO degree would make any sense for me would be to select an area in medicine that pays well, i.e. radiology, neonatology, cardiology, etc. It is important to find a balance between doing something you enjoy while making a living. Good luck!