Clinical Psychologist or C&A Psychiatrist

[Mom-of-4]

I need advice. I'm on the fence of becoming a Clinical Psychologist or a C&A Psychiatrist. I'm wanting to get my degree in Psychology. I spoke to a person about my career goals and what degree I was wanting and he told me that if I were to become a C&A Psychiatrist I should choose a degree more suitable for that career and that will help me out in the long run. I just wanted to know what any of you guys majored in to get into med school. Is it okay for me to get my degree in Psychology or should it be something more along the lines of Biochemistry,Pyshics,etc? Or is it okay for me to just go with Psychology seeing as how I'm still on the line between choosing either occupation...

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[st2205]

I need advice. I'm on the fence of becoming a Clinical Psychologist or a C&A Psychiatrist. I'm wanting to get my degree in Psychology. I spoke to a person about my career goals and what degree I was wanting and he told me that if I were to become a C&A Psychiatrist I should choose a degree more suitable for that career and that will help me out in the long run. I just wanted to know what any of you guys majored in to get into med school. Is it okay for me to get my degree in Psychology or should it be something more along the lines of Biochemistry,Pyshics,etc? Or is it okay for me to just go with Psychology seeing as how I'm still on the line between choosing either occupation...

Your major doesn't matter. You need to complete the prerequisite courses. I was a psychology major.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Psychology is actually a fairly good way to get into med school and then psychiatry. In terms of clinical psychology and C&A psych, they do very different things for very different pay.

 

[Mom-of-4]

Your major doesn't matter. You need to complete the prerequisite courses. I was a psychology major.

That's what I thought but the person I talked to at college had me second guessing myself. I was wanting to major in Psychology myself.

 

[Mom-of-4]

Psychology is actually a fairly good way to get into med school and then psychiatry. In terms of clinical psychology and C&A psych, they do very different things for very different pay.

Yeah I've done a lot of research in both fields because I want to be prepared and have a better understanding of each career. Even so, I'm still undecided and I'm hoping that as I go along through college that I'll find the career that better suits me.

 

[SeniorWrangler]

Step 1: If you want to go to med school, make sure you've got your prereqs covered and then do whatever classes interest you and won't torpedo your GPA. Step 2: Major in whatever you can after Step 1.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I'm a C/A psych. My undergrad was psychology. The above poster was correct -- it's actually a pretty good way to get into psych. I think that background and experience and the way it, "trains" you to think has skewed me to function more on the, "psychologist" side than "psychiatrist". It was pretty clear that, in comparison to the majority of my psychiatrist colleagues, I have a much greater emphasis on non-pharmacologic aspects of diagnosis and treatment, such as a more detailed evaluation of behavior. I can certainly do the, "psychiatry" stuff well, but I think I'm in a better position to work well with both types of professionals. Psychologists actually like me, so I guess there's something to it.

 

[st2205]

That's what I thought but the person I talked to at college had me second guessing myself. I was wanting to major in Psychology myself.

I would disregard any advice you've got from them.

 

[smalltownpsych]

That's what I thought but the person I talked to at college had me second guessing myself. I was wanting to major in Psychology myself.

Most of the advice received or that I hear from others that they have received from academic advisers or school counselors and their ilk is dead wrong. If I had only had the internet back then I could have researched it myself and saved myself much trouble. These days I won't even make a major purchase without extensive research that was not even possible in my younger days. I despise going into a store and hearing the inaccurate things that the store reps say about their products. From my perspective as the skeptical psychologist who fact checks everything, the docs who posted on this thread are the real experts.

 

[MedSchoolFool]

Just finished CAP fellowship. Undergrad seems so far in the past but I double majored in liberal arts (English and Communication), minored in psychology, and 1 class short of minoring in legal studies to boot. There's no one path


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[WisNeuro]

Fine to have it as a major for either career. I'd just look into the pre-reqs needed for both and make sure you get them all in, so you don't have to scramble at the and once you decide on a career path.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Let me just add that most decent undergrad psychology programs in this day and age* will have some component of neurobiology. Jump on it--do as much of it as you can, maybe even minor in neuroscience if that is available to you. It will deepen your understanding of psychology and it will strengthen your biological cred for med school applications.

*Heck, even back in *my* day and age...

 

[thoffen]

If you are interested in psychology, study psychology and go from there. Otherwise, projecting who you will be in 12+ years when you're actually practicing something instead of training, well -- I hope you get it right.

 

[SeniorWrangler]

OTOH, spending your time learning about the Bible, or Russian literature, or microeconomics, might be good choices too. There's more to life than neuroscience for most of us!

 

[st2205]

OTOH, spending your time learning about the Bible, or Russian literature, or microeconomics, might be good choices too. There's more to life than neuroscience for most of us!

Yep. I think the most beneficial things I got out of the psychology major was stats, research methods and testing. Could have done without the other stuff (in hindsight). Doing it over again, I'd do culinary arts or automechanics.

 

[Merovinge]

OTOH, spending your time learning about the Bible, or Russian literature, or microeconomics, might be good choices too. There's more to life than neuroscience for most of us!

Economics is almost more helpful straight up for psychology than psychology itself is!