Advice would be greatly appreciated

[griffy]

Hi everyone,

I am going into my junior year of undergrad, majoring in psychology and transferring from a CA city college to UCSB. I would like to go into some area of healthcare and I am trying to figure out which so that I can plan the best way to get there. I have thought a lot about being a clinical or counseling psychologist, social worker, physical therapist, PA, or maybe even MD (a lot of options I know). Going to UCSB would really only allow me to get the prereqs done for a psych or social work grad program. However, to do any of the others I would have to go back to my CCC (top in the nation) to finish bio, chem, and physics after getting my bachelors. My other option is to pull out of UCSB and spend one more year at CC, then transfer to a cheaper Cal State (Sonoma State). I would save about 8-10 K with this latter option and I would be set up perfectly for physical therapy (they offer a kinesiology degree). However, my degree would be from a less prestigious university. Sorry that is complicated and a lot of info. An easier question that I have is:

I have considered getting a MSW. What opportunites would I have? I am primarily interested in hospital social work. I read on here that that is an in-demand field. Also, grief counseling and possibly spiritual counseling are huge interests of mine.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and possibly offer me help. I am trying to get these plans squared away within a month so I can take the most efficient route. I know I spewed a lot of info out so ask for clarification if needed.

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[JustNoticing]

Seems like you are considering a lot of different options. PT, PA and MDs are all in demand as well, but I don't know as much about those fields, other than that they are significantly different than social work. You can do all of the things you mentioned with an MSW and more. It's a degree that allows for a wide range of job options, from social welfare agency work to private practice therapy.

 

[griffy]

Thanks for the response. The idea of being a medical social worker is very appealing to me. Though the pay is somewhat worrisome, I read that the average is between 20 k and 60 k. That is quite a bit less than the other occupations I am thinking of, but in terms of education and difficulty getting in to a program it seems less stressful. More opinions please!

 

[paramour]

Since you asked for opinions, . . .

1. You really need to figure what you want to do. Those are really varied options. Your option is going to determine your path.

2. You should not be as concerned about how prestigious your university may or may not be. Be more concerned about whether you can receive the education you need wherever you attend. You can do this at state or "less prestigious" schools. If you're pursuing advanced training, then there's no need to rack up tons of debt for a name--especially when your ultimate career is going to depend on your final institute of learning, not where you went to school for undergrad.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Since you asked for opinions, . . .

1. You really need to figure what you want to do. Those are really varied options. Your option is going to determine your path.

2. You should not be as concerned about how prestigious your university may or may not be. Be more concerned about whether you can receive the education you need wherever you attend. You can do this at state or "less prestigious" schools. If you're pursuing advanced training, then there's no need to rack up tons of debt for a name--especially when your ultimate career is going to depend on your final institute of learning, not where you went to school for undergrad.

Agreed--the options you've listed are quite varied in terms of what they actually do on a daily basis, so I'd recommend taking some time to sit down and think about what your ultimate occupational goals are. That should help you narrow down what your next step is school-wise.

At the very least, perhaps group up those degrees with similar pre-reqs (e.g., MD and PA, clinical and counseling psych), and see if any of those "clusters" stands out to you as your first choice. Also keep in mind that with both the MD/PA cluster, and the clinical/counseling psych group, you're going to need to complete a good number of activities outside of coursework to make you a competitive applicant (e.g., physician shadowing and volunteer/clinical work for the MD/PA; a year or two of work in a research lab for clinical/counseling psych). Thus, the sooner you figure out which path you want to start working towards, the sooner you can begin getting involved in those extracurriculars.

 

[griffy]

Great advice, thanks guys. The problem lies with the battle between want and should. Out of all of those possibilities, MD is my top choice. But, that is the most difficult and I have serious doubts whether I could even make it. Second to that comes clinical or counseling psychology, but I've heard very discouraging things about trying to make it in these fields. My parents are pushing me towards being a physical therapist because they think it would suit me very well and offer a lot of opportunies and a more balanced life compared to being an MD. But out of all my options I think PT is what appeals the least. I think shadowing would really help answer that question.

 

[paramour]

Great advice, thanks guys. The problem lies with the battle between want and should. Out of all of those possibilities, MD is my top choice. But, that is the most difficult and I have serious doubts whether I could even make it. Second to that comes clinical or counseling psychology, but I've heard very discouraging things about trying to make it in these fields. My parents are pushing me towards being a physical therapist because they think it would suit me very well and offer a lot of opportunies and a more balanced life compared to being an MD. But out of all my options I think PT is what appeals the least. I think shadowing would really help answer that question.

Personally, if something does *not* appeal to you "in the least," I would take this as a sign and not bother with it. As you said, shadowing may do you some good to help figure out where you want to go. I can understand the wants and shoulds. My top choice was med school and due to familial responsibilities, scheduling conflicts, and other issues, I allowed myself to be persuaded into following clinical psych instead of going through with what I truly wanted at the time. Although I'm fairly certain that I can be more than happy with clinical psych (otherwise, I wouldn't have pursued it), there are other factors that are not making me a campy happer right now in my program... which makes me even more irritable (even though I'm well aware that I'm the one who made that choice). If you're going to make those sacrifices, be aware of the potential consequences, the potential regrets, the potential what if's, and so on & so forth. And yeeeah, I know that's easier said than done unfortunately.

 

[griffy]

Personally, if something does *not* appeal to you "in the least," I would take this as a sign and not bother with it. As you said, shadowing may do you some good to help figure out where you want to go. I can understand the wants and shoulds. My top choice was med school and due to familial responsibilities, scheduling conflicts, and other issues, I allowed myself to be persuaded into following clinical psych instead of going through with what I truly wanted at the time. Although I'm fairly certain that I can be more than happy with clinical psych (otherwise, I wouldn't have pursued it), there are other factors that are not making me a campy happer right now in my program... which makes me even more irritable (even though I'm well aware that I'm the one who made that choice). If you're going to make those sacrifices, be aware of the potential consequences, the potential regrets, the potential what if's, and so on & so forth. And yeeeah, I know that's easier said than done unfortunately.

Thanks for the response. Can you elaborate on the other factors that make you unhappy with clinical psych? I think I have narrowed down my options in terms of what I would want to do and the decision between MD and clinical psych. Clinical psych appeals to me because there is less hard science and of course the nature of the work, but I have heard that a PsyD or PhD in clinical psych is more competitive than medschool and the job opportunities as a graduate are much less. Sorry to focus on the negatives, but I would like to hear your opinion having considered both options and having taken the clinical psych route and being somewhat distraught with your experiences.

 

[Vasa Lisa]

Search this and the phd psyd board and you will find this gas been discussed at great length.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agree with Vasa Lisa re: searching the forums. Doing so will turn up a variety of threads on issues facing the practice of psychology. However, be sure to take everything with a grain of salt, as this forum obviously doesn't necessarily provide a representative sample of all practicing psychologists' viewpoints.

That being said, the MD vs. Ph.D./Psy.D. decision is a common one. Just be sure that ultimately, the only one making the decision is you. I've known quite a few clinical psych students who opted to go to grad school rather than med school, but who later came to seemingly regret that decision, and then spent the next 5-7 years bemoaning everything psychology (e.g., the grad school process, the training they were receiving, job prospects, etc.) to anyone who would listen.

I've thoroughly enjoyed my grad school and internship experiences, although I know this is no doubt due in part to the fact that I've been free of any bitterness that might've been left to fester had I not come to peace with my own med school/grad school internal debate before beginning my program.

 

[griffy]

Will do. Thanks for the insights they have helped a lot! Great info and advice AcronymAllergy, thank you.

 

[paramour]

I agree with the others re: the search of other posts. Expanding on my personal situation would be pointless as the factors that are making me unhappy at the present time are fairly program/personal specific. Although there may be a few things re: clinical psych I may/may not care for at the present time, in that they may not mesh with me, I'm also fairly certain I can live with them. I still excited about my work. I love doing it. It's the "other" things that irritate me to no end and want me to ... well, I shall stop before someone has to report me...