Pre-Med Psychiatry

[pshaaf]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I'm a third year university student in California and I have been interested in psychiatry for some time now. I was wondering if there's even a forum for pre-med psychiatry students.

My second question is where I can find the best and most recent news on developments in psychiatry. This includes new drugs, neuroscience research, genetics research, etc. I would love to find a better source than what I currently have.

My last question is regarding the PA Psychiatrist-specialized position. Is there anyone I could possibly get in touch with that currently has this position and could answer some questions such as: would you recommend it over the MD route? Are you allowed to prescribe drugs? Do you ALWAYS have to answer to a supervising MD? And is the income really as high as six figures?

Thanks.

 

[shan564]

I'm a third year university student in California and I have been interested in psychiatry for some time now. I was wondering if there's even a forum for pre-med psychiatry students.

Undergrads often come and ask about "pre-med psychiatry" issues. But in the end, being a pre-med interested in psychiatry is really the same as being a pre-med in any other field. The hard part is getting into med school. In the process, maybe you can work at a psychiatry clinic or do research in psychiatry/neuroscience.

My second question is where I can find the best and most recent news on developments in psychiatry. This includes new drugs, neuroscience research, genetics research, etc. I would love to find a better source than what I currently have.

Staying up to date with the latest news is a challenge even for seasoned professionals who are thoroughly-trained in psychiatry. There are a lot of things that you can read out of interest. I like PsychCentral and Psychology Today if you're interested in something that you could learn from at your level. My favorite journal is Molecular Psychiatry, but that won't help you much as an undergrad.

My last question is regarding the PA Psychiatrist-specialized position. Is there anyone I could possibly get in touch with that currently has this position and could answer some questions such as: would you recommend it over the MD route? Are you allowed to prescribe drugs? Do you ALWAYS have to answer to a supervising MD? And is the income really as high as six figures?

Yes, you can prescribe drugs. Yes, you have to be supervised by an MD/DO. Yes, you can earn six figures, although that's probably a bit above average.

If you want to learn more about PAs, you can ask on the PA section of these forums. The people here are mostly MDs/DOs. I've met PAs who are very happy with their decision to choose that route. My impression is that you need a stronger clinical background (i.e. nursing, etc.) to get into PA school, since it's only 2 years with no residency.

 

[vistaril]

Shan you seem like you know what you're talking about!

How competitive is it to get into psychiatry once in med school? I'll be applying next year if it matters

psychiatry is probably(along with some family medicine programs and maybe pathology) the easiest specialty to get a residency in.

 

[shan564]

psychiatry is probably(along with some family medicine programs and maybe pathology) the easiest specialty to get a residency in.

Probably easier than pathology, since pathologists tend to have higher board scores (even if their CVs are otherwise relatively dry). I might add PM&R and pediatrics to that group.

 

[michaelrack]

Yes, you can earn six figures, although that's probably a bit above average.

.

$200,000 (six figures) is about average

 

[shan564]

$200,000 (six figures) is about average

For PAs?

 

[vistaril]

Probably easier than pathology, since pathologists tend to have higher board scores (even if their CVs are otherwise relatively dry). I might add PM&R and pediatrics to that group.

there are a lot of really bad path programs though.

Pediatrics, when comparing university programs, is most definately not easier. Look at the amg% for pediatrics. Another thing to consider with pediatrics and internal medicine is that there are more community programs than community psych programs, and those community programs dont give someone. So for example, although it may only be slightly more difficult to match IM somewhere than psych somewhere, for any given large academic medical center it is probably much more difficult to match IM than psych.

I dont know enough about PM&R, but PM&R is a legitimate entryway into pain medicine fellowships(where large numbers of people are actually taken), and given that a decent number of people want to do pain it seems like it would attract a little higher profile candidate by getting good people who want to do interventional pain but dont want to go through aneshesia.

 

[shan564]

there are a lot of really bad path programs though.

Pediatrics, when comparing university programs, is most definately not easier. Look at the amg% for pediatrics. Another thing to consider with pediatrics and internal medicine is that there are more community programs than community psych programs, and those community programs dont give someone. So for example, although it may only be slightly more difficult to match IM somewhere than psych somewhere, for any given large academic medical center it is probably much more difficult to match IM than psych.

I dont know enough about PM&R, but PM&R is a legitimate entryway into pain medicine fellowships(where large numbers of people are actually taken), and given that a decent number of people want to do pain it seems like it would attract a little higher profile candidate by getting good people who want to do interventional pain but dont want to go through aneshesia.

Yeah, those are good points. I guess that's the reason why it's futile to try to compare different specialties in terms of competitiveness.