Medical school vs. PsyD/PhD?

[E.C.S93]

I’m debating whether I should go to medical school or get a PhD/psyd? I want to be able to both provide sex and sexual trauma based therapy, sex education, and also build clinical programs in human sexuality. I would also like a mixed job where I’m seeing patients, working with a team, and doing some type of teaching/program implementation... I know this is a tall order...!

getting an MD would provide monetary benefits, but does anyone who is a therapist (with any degree), OBGYN, or educator care to weigh in?

Thanks!

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[E.C.S93]

Also any leads on folx to contact about their fields would be appreciated!

 

[Bonne Nuit]

That sounds more in line with PhD/PsyD. Becoming a medical doctor wouldn't allow you to practice with that level of specificity likely ever, and certainly not before you've had 8+ years training.

 

[futuremdforme]

I seriously considered a PhD/PsyD but ultimately went MD. I was surprised at how much I liked physical medicine and how little I liked counselling. Remember that an obgyn is a surgeon and is generally someone who wants to operate! That said I love medicine and am SO much better suited to it than to a PhD so I would fully explore it before committing to PhD because I do think it opens more doors in the end, despite a harder training.

 

[MusicDOc124]

I’m debating whether I should go to medical school or get a PhD/psyd? I want to be able to both provide sex and sexual trauma based therapy, sex education, and also build clinical programs in human sexuality. I would also like a mixed job where I’m seeing patients, working with a team, and doing some type of teaching/program implementation... I know this is a tall order...!

getting an MD would provide monetary benefits, but does anyone who is a therapist (with any degree), OBGYN, or educator care to weigh in?

Thanks!

Every single sex therapist/sex educator, etc that I know personally are either PhDs/PsyDs or MS's. Having an MD/DO also would not necessarily provide monetary benefit as what you describe will be so specific and therapy based that your billing would likely be reduced. It may still be higher comparatively, but it likely wouldn't be as much as you may be thinking.

The length of training is also much longer for MD/DO with a lot of other stuff added in the mix since you learn about all the different fields and systems, plus pharmacology, etc.

What you want to do seems best suited for a PhD/PsyD, which may also explain what all I know of are PhDs/PsyDs in the field +1 MS.