Trying to find Salary info for Clinical Psychologists...

[mm12345]

Hello,

I am currently applying to grad schools and can't decide between getting a Psy.D & going to Medical school to be a physician. I know I shouldn't decide solely based on money, but it will definitely help me make up my mind!!

I have found some really contradictory info about the salaries for Clinical Psychologists. If anyone can please give me any info about salaries, including starting salaries and that of experienced psychologists, I would REALLY appreciate it!! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so info from people in this area would be especially helpful.

Thanks for the help!

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[phillydave]

Hello,

I am currently applying to grad schools and can't decide between getting a Psy.D & going to Medical school to be a physician. I know I shouldn't decide solely based on money, but it will definitely help me make up my mind!!

I have found some really contradictory info about the salaries for Clinical Psychologists. If anyone can please give me any info about salaries, including starting salaries and that of experienced psychologists, I would REALLY appreciate it!! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so info from people in this area would be especially helpful.

Thanks for the help!

Last I read, your area was on the higher end of the scale for median salary. However, the salary difference between the PsyD and MD are so vastly different. I mean we're talking 50-75k vs 150k+. Besides your financial goals, you need to figure out, very specifically, what you want out of your education.

Personally, I wish I had gone the medical route, yet I'm very happy where I am now. There are others on this forum who I'm sure would echo me.

 

[Sunshine3710]

I suggest you read through this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=717306

There's a lot of discussion on the thread re: current salaries for psychologists vs medical doctors.

 

[Psychemout]

I am not sure what you want to do (psychiatry)... but your barking up two different trees... after some research you should maybe think about what you want to do for the rest of your life... and average salary range isn't really even comparable if that's a defining factor...

 

[phillydave]

Is there an echo in here?

 

[mm12345]

Thank you for the info... I know that the two are in completely different salary ranges. I am passionate about Psychology and would prefer to work as a Psychologists, but I also need to make a good enough living to support my family in one of the most expensive counties in the country to live in. I will also come out of grad school with a very large student loan and want to be sure that I can pay it off...

Thanks again.
mm

 

[PsychMode]

Thank you for the info... I know that the two are in completely different salary ranges. I am passionate about Psychology and would prefer to work as a Psychologists, but I also need to make a good enough living to support my family in one of the most expensive counties in the country to live in. I will also come out of grad school with a very large student loan and want to be sure that I can pay it off...

Thanks again.
mm

In addition to the info you got above, I would look into the loans that you would leave school with. I think there is a thread or two addressing loans for PsyDs in this forum. In many PhD programs, you at least get funding (but you may have to take out loans anyway... probably not as much). Med school would at least put you in a better position to pay off debt. If you do the PsyD route, you could pursue a loan repayment program, but that might involve relocating to an area where you personally may not want to be. Are loans a big issue for you?

 

[deleted176373]

Hello,

I am currently applying to grad schools and can't decide between getting a Psy.D & going to Medical school to be a physician. I know I shouldn't decide solely based on money, but it will definitely help me make up my mind!!

I have found some really contradictory info about the salaries for Clinical Psychologists. If anyone can please give me any info about salaries, including starting salaries and that of experienced psychologists, I would REALLY appreciate it!! I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, so info from people in this area would be especially helpful.

Thanks for the help!

Figure you'll make about 1/3 the salary of a physician... roughly.

Mark