Going into psychiatry

[gto5point7]

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I graduated from undergrad this past year with a major in psychology. I had an ok overall GPA of 3.44, but that included a very good last two years (3.98 senior year). I was accepted into a university based PsyD program in clinical psychology, but am beginning to consider other options due to the amount of debt that route will result in. My favorite course in undergrad was biological bases of behavior, and I believe the medical route would be enjoyable. What are admissions criteria like for study of psychiatry? Would I have to go back to undergrad and take some more science courses (i had only biology and meteorology)? Any other tips on the process?

 

[PsychMD2100]

Here's a string that has answered many of your questions.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=257719

To become a psychiatrist, you have to go to medical school and become a physician first. To apply to med school, you have to have 4 years of basic sciences with laboratory (gen chem, o chem, physics, and biology). You also have to have an MCAT score that is typically within 3 years of application.

Once you get accepted to medical school, you can't simply go into psychiatry. You must first finish a 4-year program that confers a medical degree. In your fourth year of med school, you can then "match" into a psychiatry program which is an additional 4 years of training.

Thus, a psychiatrist = 4 yrs college + 4 yrs med school + 4 yrs residency = 12 years of post secondary training. Fellowships add even more training to the total of 12 years.

 

[gto5point7]

I see that getting into med school requires 2 semesters each of physics, biology, chemistry, and organic chemistry, all with lab. As I have already graduated with an undergraduate psychology degree, is it possible to get these prerequisites out of the way in two years?

 

[jjbmsiv]

Absolutely. I know many people try to cram them into one postbacc year, but YMMV depending on how many courses you need.

 

[BlueSkies01]

I'm not sure how much debt you may accumulate by doing a PsyD, but the debt that you get from med school is pretty substantial too! Lots of students finish with debt >100k, and many of those with >200k.

I would recommend shadowing a physician. This will give you an idea what medicine is like - the basis of psychiatry. It'll be tough to get through med school if you don't like medicine.

Best of luck!

 

[sga430]

i feel a psychiatrist has a full arsenal at his or her disposal. if u like biology u may miss out if u dont take the md route. however it is a long one. also dont be suprised if u fall in love with another field. also another possible field that may interest u is neurology as it deals with brain as well.