From Clinical Psychology to Psychiatry

[stitchbaby]

Hi all!

I have recently thought about moving my career path from psychology to psychiatry. I have been researching into the differences between the two careers in the long run, as well as the focus of each. I believe that I would prefer psychiatry much more. I am concerned however about the training I need to do. I have never contemplated med school in the past and am not sure of the route to take. Although I have always been interested in medicine, I felt that I did not have the background subjects in school to get me there. I am also concerned about "throwing away" all the work I have already done in psychology. I recently graduated with an MSc in Clinical Psychology and also have a BSc in Psychology (Honors).

I guess I'm still on the fence a bit about swapping over, but mostly not sure of what I would need to do to get there.

Any help/advice you could offer would be much appreciated.

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[Doctor-S]

Hi all!

I have recently thought about moving my career path from psychology to psychiatry. I have been researching into the differences between the two careers in the long run, as well as the focus of each. I believe that I would prefer psychiatry much more. I am concerned however about the training I need to do. I have never contemplated med school in the past and am not sure of the route to take. Although I have always been interested in medicine, I felt that I did not have the background subjects in school to get me there. I am also concerned about "throwing away" all the work I have already done in psychology. I recently graduated with an MSc in Clinical Psychology and also have a BSc in Psychology (Honors) ... what I would need to do to get there.

Any help/advice you could offer would be much appreciated.

If you review posts on the MD Forums and DO Forums of SDN, you might gain a better idea of *what* you will need "to do" - that is, if you ultimately decide to pursue an MD or a DO degree.

I have a feeling there are a lot of posters on SDN who are familiar with medical students (and physicians) who earned bachelor's degrees in psychology at their UG schools. So, you will not be "throwing away" all of the work you have already done in psychology if you eventually apply to medical school. Instead, its sounds as if you're considering a change in your career path at this time and considering potential career options.

So in response to your "what do I need to do" question, you will need to complete the following typical "pre-med" checklist before applying to medical school:

(1) Complete a series of acceptable pre-reqs (biology, chemistry, physics, math),
(2) Earn a competitive GPA (especially sGPA),
(3) Earn a competitive score on the MCAT,
(4) Shadow physicians and participate in ECs (e.g., clinical experience, research, non-clinical, etc.),
(5) Solicit and submit letters of recommendation from individuals who know you well (e.g., 2 science letter writers + 1 non-science writer),
(6) Prepare a personal statement.
(7) Go to AMCAS and create an AAMC account.

In general, that is the basic "to do" checklist for medical school if you decide you want to become a psychiatrist, and not a clinical psychologist.

Thank you.

 

[stitchbaby]

Hi Dr S

Thank you very much for your help.

I have only recently started looking into this option, so your checklist is really helpful.

Cheers

 

[entitlement]

doctor-s' reply was pretty thorough but I will just add that I have mostly supervised/mentored psychology majors and I've had a number of them go on to medical school. From my understanding, a lot of medical schools now are actually welcoming students who come in with degrees that are not in the life sciences. I believe Columbia (? or another med school in NYC area) has a program where part of the admitting criteria is to have a major in the humanities. More and more medical schools are realizing the strengths of applicants coming in with "atypical" pre-med majors (but of course, as pointed out above, you still need to compete all your premed pre-reqs).

 

[rulesoferick]

If you review posts on the MD Forums and DO Forums of SDN, you might gain a better idea of *what* you will need "to do" - that is, if you ultimately decide to pursue an MD or a DO degree.

I have a feeling there are a lot of posters on SDN who are familiar with medical students (and physicians) who earned bachelor's degrees in psychology at their UG schools. So, you will not be "throwing away" all of the work you have already done in psychology if you eventually apply to medical school. Instead, its sounds as if you're considering a change in your career path at this time and considering potential career options.

So in response to your "what do I need to do" question, you will need to complete the following typical "pre-med" checklist before applying to medical school:

(1) Complete a series of acceptable pre-reqs (biology, chemistry, physics, math),
(2) Earn a competitive GPA (especially sGPA),
(3) Earn a competitive score on the MCAT,
(4) Shadow physicians and participate in ECs (e.g., clinical experience, research, non-clinical, etc.),
(5) Solicit and submit letters of recommendation from individuals who know you well (e.g., 2 science letter writers + 1 non-science writer),
(6) Prepare a personal statement.
(7) Go to AMCAS and create an AAMC account.

In general, that is the basic "to do" checklist for medical school if you decide you want to become a psychiatrist, and not a clinical psychologist.

Thank you.

Im agree. My best friend changed his career and had the same question, everything's fine now.
Best!