Help! Psychiatry or not?

[spectr]

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I've been really intrigued by the idea of psychiatry but I'm not sure if it's right for me or what the requirements are. I'm currently in last year of high-school and interested in medicine but I have no idea where to go from here. It would be really great if someone with experience in this field could give some advice/directions.
Thanks.

 

[OldPsychDoc]

Get a BA/BS in anything that intrigues you.
Take enough science to meet medical school admission requirements and ace the MCAT.
Get into medical school.
Decide in your 3rd year of medical school if it still seems right for you.
Apply to psychiatry residencies in 4th year.
Complete a 4 year psychiatry residency.

Still a few intermediate steps for you.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

just to elaborate on OPD's "Get into medical school", the way things are going, maybe we should say; "get into a medical school in the continental United States." spectr is about a decade away. Oh, Hawaii would be OK too. I don't think there is anything in Alaska that isn't part of UW.

 

[spectr]

Get a BA/BS in anything that intrigues you.
Take enough science to meet medical school admission requirements and ace the MCAT.
Get into medical school.
Decide in your 3rd year of medical school if it still seems right for you.
Apply to psychiatry residencies in 4th year.
Complete a 4 year psychiatry residency.

Still a few intermediate steps for you.

I appreciate the feedback, but I was also wondering, which requirements do I need? Is it chemistry, physics? And biology or human biology?

 

[OldPsychDoc]

I appreciate the feedback, but I was also wondering, which requirements do I need? Is it chemistry, physics? And biology or human biology?

Usually a year of each, at least--depending on medical school admission requirements. Generally 2 years chemistry--general and organic and/or biochem.

Check out the Pre-medical forums.

 

[vitamin H]

I've been really intrigued by the idea of psychiatry but I'm not sure if it's right for me or what the requirements are. I'm currently in last year of high-school and interested in medicine but I have no idea where to go from here. It would be really great if someone with experience in this field could give some advice/directions.
Thanks.

Hi OP, I'm glad you're interested in psychiatry so early in your career. I wasn't even aware of the field till I was about to start medical school. I'd recommend the pre-allo forums, aim on getting into college first and when you get there, apart from pre-med recs, try some psychology courses to get a flavor for the field. I think those approximate psychiatry more then pre med work. If looking for volunteer opportunities try any medical ones, hospitals/clinical research and community mental health centers.

 

[spectr]

Hi OP, I'm glad you're interested in psychiatry so early in your career. I wasn't even aware of the field till I was about to start medical school. I'd recommend the pre-allo forums, aim on getting into college first and when you get there, apart from pre-med recs, try some psychology courses to get a flavor for the field. I think those approximate psychiatry more then pre med work. If looking for volunteer opportunities try any medical ones, hospitals/clinical research and community mental health centers.

I did check those out, but one said "Although a bachelor's degree in psychology is a good choice for an aspiring psychiatrist, it doesn't prepare you to practice this medical specialty. In order to become a psychiatrist, you need to complete a medical degree program, as well as finish a 4- or 5-year residency in psychiatry." And for the undergrad prerequisites of medicine, it said "There are no formal prerequisites for these courses; however, we do recommend Year 12 Physics and first-year (university Level 1) study in Biology /Human Biology and Chemistry which can be completed in any undergraduate degree."
What would you recommend? I am currently doing Human Bio and Chemistry, so will have done two years of those.

 

[vitamin H]

I did check those out, but one said "Although a bachelor's degree in psychology is a good choice for an aspiring psychiatrist, it doesn't prepare you to practice this medical specialty. In order to become a psychiatrist, you need to complete a medical degree program, as well as finish a 4- or 5-year residency in psychiatry." And for the undergrad prerequisites of medicine, it said "There are no formal prerequisites for these courses; however, we do recommend Year 12 Physics and first-year (university Level 1) study in Biology /Human Biology and Chemistry which can be completed in any undergraduate degree."
What would you recommend? I am currently doing Human Bio and Chemistry, so will have done two years of those.

Woa there, I was just making a suggestion to explore psychology courses as an elective when you get to college if you want to get a flavor for the field. I'm well aware of the recs for medical school and psychiatry. I just finished med school and have just matched to psychiatry residency to start this summer. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the process of medical school and residency so I'll start from the beginning.

Similar to oldpsych doc's post but I'll elaborate.
1. Pre med reqs: As I said in my post, your first step is to do your pre med requirements, preferably at a 4 year university as part of your pursuit of a BA or BS. Those requirements will vary at different medical schools but they generally share a lot of the same coursework. See UCLA medical school's website for requirements, I've pasted the link below. These are college level courses, for the most part you can't use high school classes to cover these (though some schools may accept AP courses if I remember correctly but those are in the minority), Most applicants take 4 years to finish these courses and get an undergraduate degree.

Prerequisites - David Geffen School of Medicine - Los Angeles, CA

2. Extracurriculars: During that time, applicants will generally try to find extracurricular activities like hospital/free clinic volunteering/research. As mentioned in my post since you are interested in psychiatry you could pick extracurriculars that are in the fields of psychiatry/psychology like volunteering at a community mental health center.

3. MCAT: Most applicants take a summer course and 2 months of dedicated study to pass this.

4. Apply to Medical schools/obtain interviews/get an acceptance
5. Complete medical School (4 year commitment) to get a doctorate in medicine. While in medical school pursue psychiatry electives and extracurriculars.
6. Apply to psychiatry residency/obtain interviews/get an acceptance. Psychiatry residency is another 4 year commitment.

There are lots of sites with info for people just starting their pursuit of medicine. Here is one article that may be useful.
Pre Med 101 – Know What You Need to Get Into Medical School | The Medical School Headquarters
Pre allopathic forum here on SDN is a good start.

From where you are standing, finishing a psychiatry residency is 12 years away. That is if you go straight through. Therefore, its important for you to constantly be checking the field and making sure its what you really want to do. Talk to psychiatrists, learn about mental health. Its worth it if you really want it but its going to take time.

 

[Stagg737]

I appreciate the feedback, but I was also wondering, which requirements do I need? Is it chemistry, physics? And biology or human biology?

Different med schools require different classes. Needing one year of gen chem, Ochem, physics, and bio along with genetics, cell biology, X extra courses in the hard sciences and a course or two of the social sciences is pretty standard at almost every med school. Some will also require anatomy or more advanced courses like biochem. This isn't something you should worry about until you're actually in college, as every 4 year school will have the pre-req courses available. Once you're in college, take whatever you want first semester/freshman year. Explore and make sure there isn't something else you really get passionate about. During that time, you can look at 5 or 6 different med schools websites and find out what classes they require. If your school has a pre-med major, look at that and find out what the core classes are. Many pre-med advisors are absolutely awful, but schools as a whole tend to get the basics right.

 

[TexasPhysician]

Moving to pre-allo.

 

[spectr]

Woa there, I was just making a suggestion to explore psychology courses as an elective when you get to college if you want to get a flavor for the field. I'm well aware of the recs for medical school and psychiatry. I just finished med school and have just matched to psychiatry residency to start this summer. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the process of medical school and residency so I'll start from the beginning.

Similar to oldpsych doc's post but I'll elaborate.
1. Pre med reqs: As I said in my post, your first step is to do your pre med requirements, preferably at a 4 year university as part of your pursuit of a BA or BS. Those requirements will vary at different medical schools but they generally share a lot of the same coursework. See UCLA medical school's website for requirements, I've pasted the link below. These are college level courses, for the most part you can't use high school classes to cover these (though some schools may accept AP courses if I remember correctly but those are in the minority), Most applicants take 4 years to finish these courses and get an undergraduate degree.

Prerequisites - David Geffen School of Medicine - Los Angeles, CA

2. Extracurriculars: During that time, applicants will generally try to find extracurricular activities like hospital/free clinic volunteering/research. As mentioned in my post since you are interested in psychiatry you could pick extracurriculars that are in the fields of psychiatry/psychology like volunteering at a community mental health center.

3. MCAT: Most applicants take a summer course and 2 months of dedicated study to pass this.

4. Apply to Medical schools/obtain interviews/get an acceptance
5. Complete medical School (4 year commitment) to get a doctorate in medicine. While in medical school pursue psychiatry electives and extracurriculars.
6. Apply to psychiatry residency/obtain interviews/get an acceptance. Psychiatry residency is another 4 year commitment.

There are lots of sites with info for people just starting their pursuit of medicine. Here is one article that may be useful.
Pre Med 101 – Know What You Need to Get Into Medical School | The Medical School Headquarters
Pre allopathic forum here on SDN is a good start.

From where you are standing, finishing a psychiatry residency is 12 years away. That is if you go straight through. Therefore, its important for you to constantly be checking the field and making sure its what you really want to do. Talk to psychiatrists, learn about mental health. Its worth it if you really want it but its going to take time.

The time and hard work isn't an issue for me if it is something I'm interested in, I think my only problem would be meeting the requirements. But in figuring out if it's right for me, where should I go specifically for volunteer work and such?
And thanks for the help, I really appreciate it 🙂

 

[vitamin H]

The time and hard work isn't an issue for me if it is something I'm interested in, I think my only problem would be meeting the requirements. But in figuring out if it's right for me, where should I go specifically for volunteer work and such?
And thanks for the help, I really appreciate it 🙂

Hospital volunteer
Shadow a doctor
Free clinic volunteer*
Medical scribe
Medical translator if you speak another language*
Clinical research, getting involved in a project*
Mental health center volunteer
Go on a medical mission trip abroad as a volunteer

I put a * on the ones I liked. You can do anything that shows you the reality of the medical field, but these are a few options. You just have to convince the admissions committee that you know a little about what you are getting into.

Volunteering is a good way to see the field but its not what gets you into medical school. Acceptance has much more to do with grades, scores, and where you went to undergrad.

 

[LizzyM]

The VA Medical Centers are a good place to volunteer and you can find them in many locations. Psychiatry is a big part of VA services.
Emergency departments often see patients with mental illness who are in crisis.
Some communities have outpatient mental health services including social centers for people with mental illnesses and that might be another place to volunteer.

See if this group has a chapter in your area:
Compeer, Inc. | Making friends. Changing lives.