Is there any way into a funded Ph. D program with no research expereince?

[psychMDhopefully]

Ok, so my life situation is a mess and I'm still clueless as to what my best course of action is. I've always wanted to be a psychiatrist, I've completed the first 2 years of med school but could not pass the board exam. Thus I am 30 years old and having to start all over again in life. I've thought about what I want to do, and my interest are biology, psychology, and neuroscience. If I could get into a Ph. D program that paid a livable stipend that would be great, because I am in no rush to go into anymore debt. But I don't have any research experience. I could become a psychiatric NP, that make good money at 130-170k a year, but I don't see them as real scientist and I'm not sure I want my existence to be seeing people for 15 minute med checks then sending them on their way, I want to be more academically involved than that. Plus NP school is expensive too. I've thought about the PsyD, but most of those positions are unfunded and pay isn't that great at the end. I really don't know what I can or should do, I only know what my interest are.

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[areyoubusy]

In short, no... research is the foundation of most funded PhD programs because your funding comes from being a researcher. I could be wrong, though, but that's my experience and understanding

 

[deleted656923]

No.

 

[psychMDhopefully]

No.

Any advice on what I could do?

 

[Temperance]

Any advice on what I could do?

What experience did you have prior to entering medical school?

If you have some research experience or related qualifications, applying to work as a clinical research coordinator or research assistant can get you the experience and CV needed to get admitted to a funded doctoral program. Otherwise, you may have to start with volunteering at a research lab to get the skills and products (e.g., posters, publications) needed to either get a full-time research position or get into a program. Alternatively, if you don't have psychology coursework, a master's program in experimental psychology where you can join a research lab and write an empirical thesis is an option, albeit costly.

 

[psych.meout]

Ok, so my life situation is a mess and I'm still clueless as to what my best course of action is. I've always wanted to be a psychiatrist, I've completed the first 2 years of med school but could not pass the board exam. Thus I am 30 years old and having to start all over again in life. I've thought about what I want to do, and my interest are biology, psychology, and neuroscience. If I could get into a Ph. D program that paid a livable stipend that would be great, because I am in no rush to go into anymore debt. But I don't have any research experience. I could become a psychiatric NP, that make good money at 130-170k a year, but I don't see them as real scientist and I'm not sure I want my existence to be seeing people for 15 minute med checks then sending them on their way, I want to be more academically involved than that. Plus NP school is expensive too. I've thought about the PsyD, but most of those positions are unfunded and pay isn't that great at the end. I really don't know what I can or should do, I only know what my interest are.

I'm a little confused. You wanted to be a psychiatrist, but now that it's off the table, you don't want to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner because they aren't "real scientists" and you don't want to be doing 15-minute med checks? What is it that appealed to about psychiatry then?

 

[Kadhir]

I had a colleague who dropped out of med school and became a (f/t paid) clinical research assistant. They went to grad school for clinical psych after me, finished before me, and are now very successful. I'm not sure how much research experience they had before the RA job but probably not much, if any. They did go to a (good) unfunded program, but I don't think this had anything to do with research experience since they did have quite a bit come application time.

Anecdotes aside, it seems like you would be best off pinning down your interests right now (psych, bio, and neuroscience are vast fields, not specific interests). Then think about what you would want to do day-to-day. If you are seeking to be more academic, then it's curious that you don't have prior research experience; this is not a criticism but an observation. Do you actually want to do research? Teach? Or...

 

[psychMDhopefully]

I had a colleague who dropped out of med school and became a (f/t paid) clinical research assistant. They went to grad school for clinical psych after me, finished before me, and are now very successful. I'm not sure how much research experience they had before the RA job but probably not much, if any. They did go to a (good) unfunded program, but I don't think this had anything to do with research experience since they did have quite a bit come application time.

Anecdotes aside, it seems like you would be best off pinning down your interests right now (psych, bio, and neuroscience are vast fields, not specific interests). Then think about what you would want to do day-to-day. If you are seeking to be more academic, then it's curious that you don't have prior research experience; this is not a criticism but an observation. Do you actually want to do research? Teach? Or...

Not knowing exactly what I want is the thing that causes me the most anxiety. From age 18, all I wanted to do was get into med school and become a physician. The specialties I'm most interested in are psychiatry and anesthesiology. If I could think of a dream job, it would be one where I could do clinical research, while treating patients and teaching med students and residents. So I would say, a faculty position in a med school would be the dream career. But the problem is I can't do that now unless I by some damn miracle, reapply to med school and get accepted. And at my age (30) I don't know if I would have the stamina to do that anyway. So I'm left with the question of what can I do now? If I had to rank what I would like to do day to day, I would say 50% seeing patients, 25% research, 25% teaching, but the only career that would allow that mix is physician.

 

[madeincanada]

I've completed the first 2 years of med school but could not pass the board exam.

You can retake the USMLE Step 1 exam up to six times. Have you failed it six times? If not, the same skills that got you into medical school will be the ones that help you prepare for your boards.

If I had to rank what I would like to do day to day, I would say 50% seeing patients, 25% research, 25% teaching, but the only career that would allow that mix is physician.

That mix sounds like the career of many clinical psychologists working in AMCs and in the VA system.

 

[deleted106747]

Ok, so my life situation is a mess and I'm still clueless as to what my best course of action is. I've always wanted to be a psychiatrist, I've completed the first 2 years of med school but could not pass the board exam. Thus I am 30 years old and having to start all over again in life. I've thought about what I want to do, and my interest are biology, psychology, and neuroscience. If I could get into a Ph. D program that paid a livable stipend that would be great, because I am in no rush to go into anymore debt. But I don't have any research experience. I could become a psychiatric NP, that make good money at 130-170k a year, but I don't see them as real scientist and I'm not sure I want my existence to be seeing people for 15 minute med checks then sending them on their way, I want to be more academically involved than that. Plus NP school is expensive too. I've thought about the PsyD, but most of those positions are unfunded and pay isn't that great at the end. I really don't know what I can or should do, I only know what my interest are.

I have seen people working great research careers with a PhD in nursing. In some ways I wish I had gone that route. There's also a lot of teaching opportunities in nursing.

 

[psych.meout]

If I had to rank what I would like to do day to day, I would say 50% seeing patients, 25% research, 25% teaching, but the only career that would allow that mix is physician.

Not that physicians never do this, but this split seems much more characteristic of clinical psychologists than physicians.

 

[nimbus]

Ok, so my life situation is a mess and I'm still clueless as to what my best course of action is. I've always wanted to be a psychiatrist, I've completed the first 2 years of med school but could not pass the board exam. Thus I am 30 years old and having to start all over again in life. I've thought about what I want to do, and my interest are biology, psychology, and neuroscience. If I could get into a Ph. D program that paid a livable stipend that would be great, because I am in no rush to go into anymore debt. But I don't have any research experience. I could become a psychiatric NP, that make good money at 130-170k a year, but I don't see them as real scientist and I'm not sure I want my existence to be seeing people for 15 minute med checks then sending them on their way, I want to be more academically involved than that. Plus NP school is expensive too. I've thought about the PsyD, but most of those positions are unfunded and pay isn't that great at the end. I really don't know what I can or should do, I only know what my interest are.

How do you know you like research and academics if you have no research experience? When I was an undergrad I thought I wanted to an academic until I got some research experience. I found it tedious and requiring a LOT of patience.

I prefer a faster pace and enjoy clinical medicine. I’m an anesthesiologist but I think being an ICU or ER nurse would also be a fun job and the pay is more than adequate.

It’s not hard to get involved in a research project. I would start there. It may help you clarify your goals.