Clinical Psychology vs. Medical School

[enantio1988]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently a senior Biochemistry major who is about to apply to medical school. However, recently I've been re-evaluating everything and wondering whether medical school is really what I want to do, as I've recently started to show an interest in pursuing clinical psychology, from browsing around on the web and on StudentDoctor. Looking back, I wish I had explored majors outside of biochemistry to see what they were like, but I guess I can't change things now. I just feel that Biochemistry, while interesting, is just not something I am extremely passionate about, as the material seems so technical and removed from humanity. I have always been pretty interested in mental health and social psychology (from an AP psychology class in high school) and feel that medical school, apart from psychiatry, will not really provide me with the opportunity to explore these topics. I am also doubting whether I have the natural aptitude for the hard sciences I will encounter in med school, and on the contrary feel that I can naturally relate to people and their problems.

I was wondering if you guys can help elucidate some of the reasons you chose to go into Clinical Psychology versus any other health-related field. What are the advantages/disadvantages of this profession? Thank you all in advance for your help!

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[erg923]

I think the predominant answer you will hear is: "I have no real interest in medicine." I know was true for me, and still is.

At the same time, if one does have an interest in medicine (not just mental health), pursuing med school and then psychiatry or even a being psychaitric NP will provide an increased level of earning potential and job stability compared to the psychology doctorate. Psychology is under attack from many sides. These other degrees provide the increased pay and career flexibility that the clinical psych doctoral degree does not.

 

[clinicalpsyapp]

I am extremely interested in medicine, and am currently in a Clinical Psychology program with a Behavioral Medicine emphasis. My research interests are primarily in socioeconomic health disparities and sex differences in cardiovascular disease, and secondarily the effects of chronic stress on cardiovascular reactivity and hypertension.

Honestly, although I started out pre-med, I chose to pursue psychology because I became disenchanted with the black and white philosophy of medicine and really like how psychology dabbles in the gray area of things. I feel that psychology gives me a lot more freedom (in terms of in courses and research) to be creative and think outside the box. Ultimately, I have ended up in a research/clinical area that combines medicine and psychology. This is a very avant-garde field that is really gaining speed. No, you will not make as much as you would in a specialty area of medicine, such as psychiatry... but if you think you won't be happy in medicine, don't do it just for the money. I do not regret switching fields whatsoever, even though the road ahead of me is probably more difficult than if I had gone the medical route.

Hope that helps!

Hey everyone,

I'm currently a senior Biochemistry major who is about to apply to medical school. However, recently I've been re-evaluating everything and wondering whether medical school is really what I want to do, as I've recently started to show an interest in pursuing clinical psychology, from browsing around on the web and on StudentDoctor. Looking back, I wish I had explored majors outside of biochemistry to see what they were like, but I guess I can't change things now. I just feel that Biochemistry, while interesting, is just not something I am extremely passionate about, as the material seems so technical and removed from humanity. I have always been pretty interested in mental health and social psychology (from an AP psychology class in high school) and feel that medical school, apart from psychiatry, will not really provide me with the opportunity to explore these topics. I am also doubting whether I have the natural aptitude for the hard sciences I will encounter in med school, and on the contrary feel that I can naturally relate to people and their problems.

I was wondering if you guys can help elucidate some of the reasons you chose to go into Clinical Psychology versus any other health-related field. What are the advantages/disadvantages of this profession? Thank you all in advance for your help!

 

[loveoforganic]

I am extremely interested in medicine, and am currently in a Clinical Psychology program with a Behavioral Medicine emphasis. My research interests are primarily in socioeconomic health disparities and sex differences in cardiovascular disease, and secondarily the effects of chronic stress on cardiovascular reactivity and hypertension.

Honestly, although I started out pre-med, I chose to pursue psychology because I became disenchanted with the black and white philosophy of medicine and really like how psychology dabbles in the gray area of things. I feel that psychology gives me a lot more freedom (in terms of in courses and research) to be creative and think outside the box. Ultimately, I have ended up in a research/clinical area that combines medicine and psychology. This is a very avant-garde field that is really gaining speed. No, you will not make as much as you would in a specialty area of medicine, such as psychiatry... but if you think you won't be happy in medicine, don't do it just for the money. I do not regret switching fields whatsoever, even though the road ahead of me is probably more difficult than if I had gone the medical route.

Hope that helps!

I'll be taking the other route, though I think I'd be very happy in either. I have very similar interests to the above poster, at least based on what was written, but will be pursuing medicine and attempting to hopefully integrate the more creative psychology into the more technical medicine. I really like the idea of trying to integrate the aspects of the two fields. That said, you certainly have some exploring to do. Changing to psychology based on memories of an AP high school class would be less than wise.

 

[roubs]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently a senior Biochemistry major who is about to apply to medical school. However, recently I've been re-evaluating everything and wondering whether medical school is really what I want to do, as I've recently started to show an interest in pursuing clinical psychology, from browsing around on the web and on StudentDoctor. Looking back, I wish I had explored majors outside of biochemistry to see what they were like, but I guess I can't change things now. I just feel that Biochemistry, while interesting, is just not something I am extremely passionate about, as the material seems so technical and removed from humanity. I have always been pretty interested in mental health and social psychology (from an AP psychology class in high school) and feel that medical school, apart from psychiatry, will not really provide me with the opportunity to explore these topics. I am also doubting whether I have the natural aptitude for the hard sciences I will encounter in med school, and on the contrary feel that I can naturally relate to people and their problems.

I was wondering if you guys can help elucidate some of the reasons you chose to go into Clinical Psychology versus any other health-related field. What are the advantages/disadvantages of this profession? Thank you all in advance for your help!

Have you taken any psychology classes in undergrad?

 

[aequitasveritas]

I agree with Erg,

You need to seriously evaluate the money in versus the money out on the other end of the training.

You can become a psychiatrist and then do post dorctoral fellowships and training in various institutes to become a skilled clinician. You won;t really do psychological testing but idt thats a real disadvantage since its not a true bread and butter income base anymore.

If you get the MD in psychiatry you're giving yourself about 60-90 thou pay increase over all the rest of us duds

 

[enantio1988]

Hey everyone, thanks for your feedback!

Roubs: I have not officially taken any psych classes in undergrad, although I've sat in on a few and did work in a social cognition lab for a few months my freshman year.

After some further reflection, I guess what I would be really interested in is neuroscience/psychopathology/biological psychology, so would you guys recommend the MD option (and then psychiatry residency) for this?

I am also interested in research and wanted to ask: do you know if med students can publish as frequently as PhD students? Is there an opportunity to publish through medical school and through internship/residency?

Money really is not a huge make-or-break factor for me, although I do want to make a reasonable amount and support my family.

Thanks again!

 

[nitemagi]

You can become a psychiatrist and then do post dorctoral fellowships and training in various institutes to become a skilled clinician.

I'm going to point out this is an erroneous statement and leave it at that.

For the OP Psychiatry is a quite flexible specialty in medicine, and many do neuroscience research. I'd consider exploring an MD/Ph.D. school or go to a med school that emphasizes research with dedicated time and training in it (such as UCSD or Duke).

Psychiatrists are actually sought after in research now because there are unfortunately too many basic scientists studying areas and generating hypotheses too often without a clinical foundation to them, and IMO lead nowhere. Or on such a long trail it may be decades before they produce anything clinically useful.

 

[aequitasveritas]

I'm going to point out this is an erroneous statement and leave it at that.

To just "leave it at that" doesnt leave much for discussion...and we should just trust your divine ability to determine what is absurd/not absurd.

My point was aimed at the OP notion that medicine and psychotherapy are sort of mutually exclusive...so I was pointing out a direction that many take.

The fact is that many MDs do institute training, such as the Psychoanalytic Institute (around 5-6 yrs of very intense post doc training) and become analysts...and quite good ones. If that's not your forte there are other avenues to specialize in after the rudiments in basic training, as it were.

 

[nitemagi]

To just "leave it at that" doesnt leave much for discussion...and we should just trust your divine ability to determine what is absurd/not absurd.

My point was aimed at the OP notion that medicine and psychotherapy are sort of mutually exclusive...so I was pointing out a direction that many take.

The fact is that many MDs do institute training, such as the Psychoanalytic Institute (around 5-6 yrs of very intense post doc training) and become analysts...and quite good ones. If that's not your forte there are other avenues to specialize in after the rudiments in basic training, as it were.

Fair enough, I'll agree with that. Just disagreed with the use of the term "skilled clinician," which implies that psychiatrists are not as skilled or trained as psychologists at the end of their basic training. The distinction in my mind is multi-fold, has been elaborated elsewhere, and involves different emphases in training. Regardless, psychiatrists at minimum have multiple thousands of hours more than psychologists of training/clinical exposure and patient care in a basic residency. The # of hours devoted to psychotherapy, of course, will vary and isn't as standardized.

My attempt in "leaving it at that" was to not reduce this to the typical competition debate between the two fields.

 

[aequitasveritas]

Fair enough, I'll agree with that. Just disagreed with the use of the term "skilled clinician," which implies that psychiatrists are not as skilled or trained as psychologists at the end of their basic training. The distinction in my mind is multi-fold, has been elaborated elsewhere, and involves different emphases in training. Regardless, psychiatrists at minimum have multiple thousands of hours more than psychologists of training/clinical exposure and patient care in a basic residency. The # of hours devoted to psychotherapy, of course, will vary and isn't as standardized.

My attempt in "leaving it at that" was to not reduce this to the typical competition debate between the two fields.

All good; I think we can easily agree to disagree on a few things here and align in the vein of helping this person find a path to clinical readiness/fullfillment.

 

[Ollie123]

As others have said...for me it was a matter of interests.

If I was interested in being a clinician and a clinician only, I'd have almost definitely gone the MD route. However, I have really only a passing interest in the clinical side, and I am a scientist first and foremost. MDs don't get much training in research methods, stats, etc. By the time I graduate, I'll have more stats training than many master's-level biostatisticians have (per my girlfriend, who is a statistician). MDs spend tons of time learning facts and the breadth of the material covered is spectacular, but it sure doesn't seem like theory is heavily emphasized from what I know of the coursework (and hear from the people teaching it). Which might make sense for some of the material...but not the stuff I'm interested in. I get to spend my time designing projects, writing papers, etc. which it seems like when it happens in med school, is usually "on the side" and not formally a part of training.

MD/PhD would have been a fine fit for me as well, but if I had little interest in the MD side...why bother? As others have said, it really boils down to interest. Being an MD would have been a buttload of work to get me to a career that, if I got to do what I wanted, wouldn't really involve doing the things physicians normally do.

My financial needs are not extreme. If I am even moderately successful, I will quite likely earn more on my own than my parents did in combination. Psychology made sense for my goals and my needs..

 

[LM02]

In the case of full disclosure, I'm a clinical psychologist who is on faculty in a department of psychiatry. I supervise psychology and psychiatry trainees, and objectively speaking, they really do bring different strengths to the table.

In a nutshell, a psychiatrist is first and foremost a physician. With the exception of 1 or 2 psychiatry rotations in medical school, you will spend the vast majority of your time on other things. Specialization really begins on residency, and continues into fellowship (if you choose to compete one).

As a psychologist, specialization begins from day 1 of graduate school. The whole purpose of a PhD in clinical psych is to provide exposure to psychopathology theory, research, and practice (assessment, consultation, and psychotherapy).

For example, whereas a typical psychiatrist won't start seeing psychotherapy patients until year 2 of residency (thus 5 years into their training), a psychologist will typically start to see psychotherapy patients at the start of their second year of training. Objectively, the depth of psychotherapy training is greater for a psychologist than for a psychiatrist, but conversely the depth of training in biologically based models of psychopathology, pharmacotherapy, and medical comorbidity is far greater in psychiatry than psychology.

Personally, I did not want to be a physician. The thought of a surgery rotation, or assessing someone's fungal skin condition (for example!), makes my stomach turn. It's just not what interests me, and it does come with certain trade-offs in knowledge (and reimbursement rate!). But that's okay. The decision should really boil down to your interests and career goals.

 

[nitemagi]

Great posts LM02 and JonSnow.

Speaking from the psychiatry side, our training really proceeds from most acute to least. You start out assessing and treating patients with the most severe and impairing conditions, doing emergency evaluations and inpatient treatment of the acutely suicidal or psychotic patients. This most definitely often involves medication. As you move through residency, you progress to steadily treating less and less acute. This leads of course to outpatient work, with 3rd year of residency usually being all outpatient. Therapy training varies right now based on program, but most do start during 2nd year. Our program involved some CBT training during intern (1st) year. As alluded to, if you want to have an expertise in any form of psychotherapy (aside from CBT or other manualized treatments), you will often pursue additional training after residency, though it's usually in a part-time capacity while you work a regular job, rather than a full-time fellowship.

I absolutely agree that if you don't want to be a physician, the choice is clear. Don't go to medical school if you have no interest. The upside is you can understand all aspects of health occurring in the patient and how to treat it all, and most importantly how this can interact with their mental health. I initially thought about the PhD clinical psychology route, but decided against it because I wanted training in treating the "whole" person. Arguable about whether anything, including medical training really gives you that, of course.

 

[FuturePhD2]

Great posts LM02 and JonSnow.
As alluded to, if you want to have an expertise in any form of psychotherapy (aside from CBT or other manualized treatments), you will often pursue additional training after residency,.

Even for CBT, this is likely necessary if there is not structured intensive training. Reading and trying to follow a manual does not equal expertise or competence to deliver the treatment. It takes training and supervision (with a supervisor who is competent in the treatment).

At the medical school where I am doing my internship, I see often residents thinking they can pick up a CBT manual and that's sufficient. They then get supervision from a faculty that is mostly psychodynamic in orientation. I don't see how competence can be achieved in this fashion.

 

[nitemagi]

Even for CBT, this is likely necessary if there is not structured intensive training. Reading and trying to follow a manual does not equal expertise or competence to deliver the treatment. It takes training and supervision (with a supervisor who is competent in the treatment).

At the medical school where I am doing my internship, I see often residents thinking they can pick up a CBT manual and that's sufficient. They then get supervision from a faculty that is mostly psychodynamic in orientation. I don't see how competence can be achieved in this fashion.

That's too bad for them. My post was not to imply that picking up the manual was enough to learn the therapy, but that the time within residency is enough to gain expertise in a manualized therapy like CBT, whereas other psychotherapies really require longer term training. There are two-year psychodynamic psychotherapy training at certain institutes(akin to 1/2 an analytic training, sorta), which some residents do during years 3+4 of residency. If psychodynamic PT is your cup o' tea.

 

[roubs]

I absolutely agree that if you don't want to be a physician, the choice is clear. Don't go to medical school if you have no interest. The upside is you can understand all aspects of health occurring in the patient and how to treat it all, and most importantly how this can interact with their mental health. I initially thought about the PhD clinical psychology route, but decided against it because I wanted training in treating the "whole" person. Arguable about whether anything, including medical training really gives you that, of course.

I had similar thoughts about the choice and treating the "whole person" but ended up choosing psychology. The psychiatrists I talked to said that while they may have remembered facts about their patients other physical conditions, they would always always refer the pt to another physician for non-psychiatric issues. So while I would have been more aware of other physical conditions, to me, it didn't seem worth the trade off.

I talked to a few psychiatrists, maybe they were all jaded, and they convinced me that the incentives were there for doing 15 minute med checks. While a young student may have designs of moving past that model they said once I was practicing, with a family and paying back loans, it would be exceedingly difficult to trade away 30-50% of my salary for a noble goal. Do you think this assessment of things is off-base?

 

[loveoforganic]

That sounds very accurate to me. Pretty sure a med check reimburses at just a little under what a therapy hour does, but at a quarter the time. And those later life goal changes certainly can't be ignored.

 

[nitemagi]

I had similar thoughts about the choice and treating the "whole person" but ended up choosing psychology. The psychiatrists I talked to said that while they may have remembered facts about their patients other physical conditions, they would always always refer the pt to another physician for non-psychiatric issues. So while I would have been more aware of other physical conditions, to me, it didn't seem worth the trade off.

I talked to a few psychiatrists, maybe they were all jaded, and they convinced me that the incentives were there for doing 15 minute med checks. While a young student may have designs of moving past that model they said once I was practicing, with a family and paying back loans, it would be exceedingly difficult to trade away 30-50% of my salary for a noble goal. Do you think this assessment of things is off-base?

This is actually the [obviously one of many] reason why psychiatry has become so unschooled in therapy, though the pendulum is swinging back. Finances is a huge motivator. Hopefully this will continue to correct itself.

Do you refer patients to specialists for say their severe COPD? Of course, because that's outside your scope of practice to be their only provider. Though there is a subset of psychiatrists that become primary care providers for their patients, because some psychiatric patients don't trust other physicians. That's not the norm, though.

The incentives are there for the med checks. It's up to you to figure out how you want to balance your practice. The nice thing about psychiatry (compared to other medical specialties) is that you can have multiple jobs, i.e. mornings for a clinic, afternoons for a hospital job. Or two days a week of med clinic, 2 days a week of therapy. Whatever you want. And there's plenty of work to go around. So there's more flexibility in your career than for other physicians. A cardiologists day is often the same 5 days a week for his entire career (caths in the morning, round on inpatients, then clinic in the afternoon). Psychiatry is different. And you can make a very comfortable living figuring out what the right mix is for you.

 

[Evidence Based]

As someone who's trying to make this choice (but leaning slightly more towards medical school over a PhD program), this thread has been enormously helpful. Plus everyone gets extra points for being both honest and respectful at the same time.

Quick question about "further training" after residency for psychiatrists. What kind of training is available for MDs who want to further their competency in say CBT or DBT? Obviously if one wants to do analysis one goes to an psychoanalytic institute, but where can one go for more training in say cognitive therapy? I know there aren't necessarily accredited fellowships for this sort of thing, but it does seem like some sort of part-time training is available.

 

[loveoforganic]

Seminars/workshops are offered to meet varying level needs based on current skill in various psychotherapies. Just based on past looking, these are certainly offered to psychiatrists. However, these are brief - I'm not sure how one would go about more formal supervision in practice to hone skills.

 

[O Gurl]

I will echo what most of you have stated. For me, it came down to what I had a passion for. I started undergrad on a pre-med course and did very well in my pre-reqs. At that point, psychology was my minor and I was planning to pursue psychiatry. I realized, though, that I simply dreaded attending my hard science classes and worse yet, the labs. It was not until I became involved in a small research study (pitching in to help a grad student with her dissertation data collection) that I decided to make the switch over to psychology. I was drawn in by the opportunities to explore areas of interest through research and just the flexibility of a PhD. I am still thrilled by knowing that I can carve out a fulfilling and rather unique career including some clinical work, pre-surgical and hepatitis c treatment assessments, supervising and teaching, and research.

 

[enantio1988]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the helpful responses. Sorry if this may sound like an ignorant question, but I'm relatively new to all this: does getting into a good internship and postdoc after a clinical psychology doctorate significantly increase job prospects? Also, how competitive are these internship/postdocs compared to medical school internships and residencies?

Thanks!

 

[aequitasveritas]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the helpful responses. Sorry if this may sound like an ignorant question, but I'm relatively new to all this: does getting into a good internship and postdoc after a clinical psychology doctorate significantly increase job prospects? Also, how competitive are these internship/postdocs compared to medical school internships and residencies?

Thanks!

It all depends on what you want to do...sorta.

If you want a research appointment, then your placements both pre and post doc are crucial. If you want to practice then it matters less but still matters (i.e. if you want to specialize, people may not refer to someone who doesnt have official training at a good place etc). If you're in a location that has a gold standard type of institution, university, etc that represents a level of competency, than it helps to have that on your cv even if you just plan to do private practice.

If you plan on doing a post doc fellowship, then you're predoctoral internship becomes more important because the fellowship will likely look at whether it was APA or at least APPIC approved etc.

Competition for APA predoc internships is very competitive. It's up there with some of the best residencies for competition. Fellowships are still competitive and post docs hours without official fellowship training status is less competitive.

 

[O Gurl]

It all depends on what you want to do...sorta.

If you want a research appointment, then your placements both pre and post doc are crucial. If you want to practice then it matters less but still matters (i.e. if you want to specialize, people may not refer to someone who doesnt have official training at a good place etc). If you're in a location that has a gold standard type of institution, university, etc that represents a level of competency, than it helps to have that on your cv even if you just plan to do private practice.

I just wanted to expand on aequitasveritas's point. If you want to pursue an academic career then building a CV with programmatic research experience is cruciel. Therefore your internship and post-doc training has to not only be solid (good mentor, grant-funding, productive lab) but also in sync with your interests. However, training placements are equally important on the clinical side of things. Whether your interests are setting-specific (VAs, medical centers, prisons, schools) or a specialty area (behavioral medicine, neuropsychology, addictions, rehabilitation psych) your internship and postdoc positions should be congruent with where you want to end up.

Edit: In terms of competitiveness of psychology internship vs. medical residency, my understanding is that securing an accredited internship is far more difficult purely because of numbers. There are far more applicants than positions each year. Also internship in psychology is a pre-doctoral requirement, so there are some trainees who find themselves stuck--unable to complete their degree until they are able to match somewhere.

 

[Occlumentia]

Hi enantio1988!
I was faced with the same dilemma as you a couple of years ago, although I'd done a year of psychology so I knew a bit more about it. I'd also worked in a hospital and then a psychiatric research team at a university.

For me it came down to the following factors:

1. What research am I most interested in? (And how important is research as a component of what you want to be doing?).
2. How long will it take to get there in one vs the other?
3. Can I support myself doing either? (taking into account work opportunities and free time while studying, scholarships, stipends, etc.)
4. Will they both provide a comfortable situation in life? (While it is doubtful that many psychologists' pay reaches that of a medical specialist, that doesn't mean you can't live quite comfortably on the former.)
5. Ultimately, what would I be happy doing day in, day out, especially in terms of clinical work? At its very core, I sort of see psychiatry as doing meds and some therapy, while clinical psychology does therapy and assessments.

I chose psychology - am very interested in behavioural neuroscience and health psych, and really like the idea of therapy and assessments

Good luck with your decision!

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently a senior Biochemistry major who is about to apply to medical school. However, recently I've been re-evaluating everything and wondering whether medical school is really what I want to do, as I've recently started to show an interest in pursuing clinical psychology, from browsing around on the web and on StudentDoctor. Looking back, I wish I had explored majors outside of biochemistry to see what they were like, but I guess I can't change things now. I just feel that Biochemistry, while interesting, is just not something I am extremely passionate about, as the material seems so technical and removed from humanity. I have always been pretty interested in mental health and social psychology (from an AP psychology class in high school) and feel that medical school, apart from psychiatry, will not really provide me with the opportunity to explore these topics. I am also doubting whether I have the natural aptitude for the hard sciences I will encounter in med school, and on the contrary feel that I can naturally relate to people and their problems.

I was wondering if you guys can help elucidate some of the reasons you chose to go into Clinical Psychology versus any other health-related field. What are the advantages/disadvantages of this profession? Thank you all in advance for your help!

Hey, I am in a similar predicament and I am curious what you have decided.

I want to be a clinician but the thought of four years of medical school plus many additional years of training makes me a little wary. I am currently 26 and I took the MCAT and graduated 5+ years ago. However, now I am considering it once again. I was also a Biochemistry major with a minor in Psychology. I am interested in public health, mental health, pharmacology, genetics, medicine, research, etc. Essentially, I want to do community based research aimed at improving the communities health via prevention and other outreach projects. I love the idea of being a clinician because then you are skilled to actually perform medical care when needed. I have been doing research on and off at NIH for the past 4 years (clinical and non-clinical) and I really need to go back to school to increase my knowledge and skills in order to have a better career and actually be able to do the type of work that I want. However, I feel that
my career aspirations are a little vague and I am not sure which specific direction to take. I am also concerned about re-taking the MCAT. I got a 22 5-6 years ago. Nevertheless, my GPA was pretty high 3.78, I have a lot of research experience and other qualities.

Most recently, I was considering becoming a PA (physician assistant) and I may actually still apply to a couple programs but they typically do a lot of research and they seem to have a glass ceiling which worries me.

If you or anyone has any ideas or suggestions they are most certainly welcome. Thank you for all your help in advance.

Thank you once again!

Verónica

 

[AnnoyedByFreud]

if you're going to go midlevel, I'd recommend NP over PA for this field. PAs are generalists and get minimal psych training and no therapy training whatsoever.

 

[aagman01]

Wow....The PAs (several) I've come to know through had like no research training. If they did, they sure did not demonstrate such understanding. Is it typical for PAs to get research training in their programs?

Most recently, I was considering becoming a PA (physician assistant) and I may actually still apply to a couple programs but they typically do a lot of research and they seem to have a glass ceiling which worries me.Verónica

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Wow....The PAs (several) I've come to know through had like no research training. If they did, they sure did not demonstrate such understanding. Is it typical for PAs to get research training in their programs?

I made a mistake I meant to say that PAs typically do NOT do research. However, some graduate programs such as Yale's Physician Associate Program state that research is a core element of their program. I want to be able to be both a clinician and a researcher. Thus, I am not sure that PA school is appropriate for me.

I recently found out about medical psychologists: http://www.comphealtfamservices.org/what_is_a_medical_psychologist

Is everything that they say on this webpage true. Specifically that
"Medical psychologists are also trained in various interventions to help patients minimize physical symptoms. Some of the techniques that are commonly used are behavioral interventions and relaxationtechniques, hypnosis, and guided imagery, which all tend to effect physical changes by enhancing the person’s immune system and decreasing tension. Energy medicines such as acupressure, bodywork, and homeopathy are also frequently used. Different practitioners have different training and specialties."

It seems like these medical psychologists have great knowledge of pharmacology and are able to prescribe pharmaceuticals as well. Medical Psychologists seem to be able to do a lot of the same things an actual physician can and have a similar strong science/medical background.

Can someone please shed more light on this field and advise me on how to gather more information? There are dual degree programs in medical and clinical psychology at places such as the Uniformed Services University. (www.usuhs.mil/mps/) Would this type of a program prepare me to be a medical psychologist?

Thank you for all your help. I greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Verónica

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I made a mistake I meant to say that PAs typically do NOT do research. However, some graduate programs such as Yale's Physician Associate Program state that research is a core element of their program. I want to be able to be both a clinician and a researcher. Thus, I am not sure that PA school is appropriate for me.

I recently found out about medical psychologists: http://www.comphealtfamservices.org/what_is_a_medical_psychologist

Is everything that they say on this webpage true. Specifically that
"Medical psychologists are also trained in various interventions to help patients minimize physical symptoms. Some of the techniques that are commonly used are behavioral interventions and relaxationtechniques, hypnosis, and guided imagery, which all tend to effect physical changes by enhancing the person's immune system and decreasing tension. Energy medicines such as acupressure, bodywork, and homeopathy are also frequently used. Different practitioners have different training and specialties."

It seems like these medical psychologists have great knowledge of pharmacology and are able to prescribe pharmaceuticals as well. Medical Psychologists seem to be able to do a lot of the same things an actual physician can and have a similar strong science/medical background.

Can someone please shed more light on this field and advise me on how to gather more information? There are dual degree programs in medical and clinical psychology at places such as the Uniformed Services University. (www.usuhs.mil/mps/) Would this type of a program prepare me to be a medical psychologist?

Thank you for all your help. I greatly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Verónica

In general, medical psychologists are clinical psychologists who obtain additional concurrent training in working specifically with healthcare- and medically-related populations and conditions. It's similar to forensic psychology, rehabilitation psychology, and neuropsychology in that respect (i.e., a specialization one obtains after and/or while obtaining generalist training as a clinical psychologist).

In two states (New Mexico and Louisiana), a medical psychologist is an individual who has completed an additional masters degree in psychopharmacology, passed a qualifying examination, received appropriate supervision, and can prescribe medications (related only to mental/psychiatric health).

 

[MedGrl@2022]

In general, medical psychologists are clinical psychologists who obtain additional concurrent training in working specifically with healthcare- and medically-related populations and conditions. It's similar to forensic psychology, rehabilitation psychology, and neuropsychology in that respect (i.e., a specialization one obtains after and/or while obtaining generalist training as a clinical psychologist).

In two states (New Mexico and Louisiana), a medical psychologist is an individual who has completed an additional masters degree in psychopharmacology, passed a qualifying examination, received appropriate supervision, and can prescribe medications (related only to mental/psychiatric health).

Does this mean that medical psychologists in othersyates cannot prescribe medicine?

 

[Sanman]

Does this mean that medical psychologists in othersyates cannot prescribe medicine?

Currently, those are the only two states in which psychologists can prescribe.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Does this mean that medical psychologists in othersyates cannot prescribe medicine?

Like Sanman mentioned above--yep, that's exactly what it means. Psychologists in other states are, to the best of my knowledge, welcome to complete the psychopharm degree (assuming they can find a place where it's offered), but they aren't able to prescribe afterward. Whether or not this changes anytime in the near future is essentially anyone's guess.

 

[Sanman]

I like the differences being highlighted here and want to throw in a little perspective on why I decided against med school. My training has largely been related to behavioral medicine/neuropsychology/geriatrics. It is something that I enjoy, but not something psychiatry could offer me necessarily. My interests have been more toward evaluation, diagnoses, and program development/administration. While my current career track is more of a clinician, I don't see much of a long term career path outside of something like the VA for being a direct care clinician. Rather, I would like to eventually continue to develop my skills in program evaluation/development and end up in a program director/administrative postion where I can eventually do more dwork at a program level than an individual level. I have played with the idea of going back for an mph/mba as well.