what to do??

[Mi Chiamo Tiff]

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Hi all. I am graduating in May with my B.S. in Psych. I live overseas with my husband who is stationed in Japan with the Navy. I was hoping to get some advice from you guys. I initially was planning to attend medical school for psychiatry. Having just recently moved to Japan for the next 3 years (2015), that dream seems so far gone. I need to do something productive for 3 years besides sit around.

I really have no idea what I should do. If I want to become a psychologist, it seems I need an additional 4-7 years of PhD or PsyD training. If I want to become a psychiatrist, I'll need medical school. I don't mind working for it, I'm just not sure what I want to be doing. They both are appealing. Both require additional training. Is there a huge difference in the costs of training? What are the differences in program difficulty?

I'm 27, I'll be 30 when I move back to the U.S. I am so fearful of being a 37 year old student. I want to work on something for these 3 years and have a set plan for when I get back to the U.S. I don't know what to do. I called the mental health clinic to see if I can arrange a meeting with a few of the docs there to get some volunteer or work experience, anything. I'm waiting on a return call.

Do I go for an online masters program and then get back to the U.S. and complete a PhD or PsyD program? Or do I do an online post bacc program while here in Japan and then enroll in medical school when I get back to the U.S.? I'm at such a loss and really need advice and guidance from people who've been in my shoes.

 

[fugazi87]

The first step is really just deciding what you want to do. It'll require doing a good bit of research on both professions, as they're pretty different in terms of training.

There are huge differences in cost, since the clinical PhD usually doesn't cost anything if you get into a funded program (very competitive). The PsyD is expensive as I'm sure you know. Many have trouble with the debt to income ratio on that path.

If you're that worried about age, you should really consider the length of training in both cases. It's likely you will still be in training in your mid to late 30s, even if things run smoothly.

Don't worry too much now--just try to gather information and then examine your motivations. This takes
time for most people.

And if you're looking to fill some time, you can always volunteer.

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

Most medical schools do not accept online credits for the prereq classes. If you're going to take them, it will either have to be at a physical college or in a program where the classes are taught online but don't show up that way on the transcript. In such a program the labs will probably have to be at an actual college. I believe Oregon State offers such classes, but you'll need to look into that further.