Psychiatrist vs psychologist

[Ryan4574]

To make a long story short, I pretty much did not focus on school in high-school. However, at the end of high-school I begin to self-educate myself. I have more than enough credits to transfer to a university, and I luckily have parents who are well off financially. I am passionate about psychology, but from talking to some people I realized that even a psychology psyd degree would prove difficult to make a substantial income from. I have my life complete straight now, and I am focused entirely on my education. I was wondering what the path of becoming a psychiatrist entails. I am great at writing, and reading, but I have very poor math skills. I appreciate anyone's response on this matter, because it is of great importance to me.
Thank you

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[thewesternsky]

Hi Ryan! Welcome to the board. You may want to check out the Psychiatry forum on SDN as well. Psychiatrists are physicians (doctors) who have completed medical school plus a residency.

To become a psychiatrist, you need:

1) To complete a bachelor's degree, typically in science of some kind. It doesn't really matter what you major in during college, but you will need certain courses (called pre-requisites) to apply to medical school. You will almost certainly need to take a math course or two at the undergraduate level. You will also need to do well on the MCAT, which requires math skills, especially for the physical science questions.

2) Gain admission to and complete medical school. This typically takes 4 years. Med school is very competitive. You will need excellent grades, excellent MCAT scores, and good volunteer and leadership experience.

3) After medical school, complete a 4-year residency in psychiatry. These are also somewhat competitive.

And that's basically it, apart from licensing exams and such. It typically takes 12 or more years after high school to become a psychiatrist.

Let me know if you have further questions.

 

[sctm2]

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health care after medical school, so the majority of their schooling is rooted in the "hard sciences". Consequently, psychiatrists are allowed to write prescriptions while psychologists are not (in most areas--some states grant psychologists limited prescription privileges).

I would suggest if psychology is your passion, you consider pursuing a psychology degree. Just applying and interviewing for graduate school has been a challenge and sometimes my passion for the subject is what keeps me going. At least for me, the anticipated extra income wouldn't be enough to get me through med school. And if you get into a funded graduate program (thus limiting your debt), and specialize in an area that is in demand (I/O psychology, forensic psych etc), I'm told you can make a decent living. Dependent on your definition of "decent living" of course

 

[PHD12]

It typically takes 12 or more years after high school to become a psychiatrist.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Many people don't know this but it also takes 12 years after high school to become a clinical psychologist. Most states will not allow you to practice after you complete your doctorate so you will have to do an extra year or two of fellowship once you graduate. The competition is keen as well (1-5% admission rates) are common for funded PhD programs.

4 years of BA degree (need to take certain pre-reqs to gain admission)
5-7 years for PhD Program in Clinical Psychology, including a 1 year Internship and dissertation (The competition for APA internships is very intense).
1-2 year fellowship
For licensure: You will need to get a certain number of supervised hours depending on the state , pass the EPPP and a state exam.