What's the point?

[WannabeaMD]

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I found an accelerated weekend programs for adults in a 4 year college, I am really interested since I love psychology and medicine, I would be able to earn a B.S. in Psychology and apply for Medical School.
But, If I change my mind of going to Medical School, what jobs can i get with that degree? If I want to work in Clinical Psychology.

I have a child, so I can Not really be rumbling around.

What's the point of paying for an education in a 4 year University/College for a bachelors in Psychology If I won't get a job unless I have a Phd or masters in such a field?

Can somebody tell me what to do, where to go, what's right. anything? anyone?

 

[psich]

This question has been answered before in the forum...you can use the search function to find old posts.

 

[deleted176373]

I found an accelerated weekend programs for adults in a 4 year college, I am really interested since I love psychology and medicine, I would be able to earn a B.S. in Psychology and apply for Medical School.

That's a possibility. There is more than one way to get your B.S. or B.A. degree.

But, If I change my mind of going to Medical School, what jobs can i get with that degree? If I want to work in Clinical Psychology.

Really, not much. A psychology B.S. or B.A. is nearly worthless compared to other Bachelor degrees. You can sometimes secure a position as an H.R. person or psych tech, but that's about it.

I have a child, so I can Not really be rumbling around.

That was a choice you made, you'll have to figure out how to integrate what you want to do with the fact that you have a little less flexibility. It shouldn't be a handicap that prevents you from accomplishing this goal, as I know many mom's (both single and married) that have gone back to school to complete their degrees. You've made it more difficult by having a child but not impossible.

What's the point of paying for an education in a 4 year University/College for a bachelors in Psychology If I won't get a job unless I have a Phd or masters in such a field?

You're absolutely right, unless you are firmly committed to 1. kicking ass in your undergrad program and 2. continuing on to at least a masters degree, psychology doesn't pay off at all as an undergraduate major. However, you can do a lot in a short period of time without paying a lot for your education.

CLEP tests are your friend. Learn about them and use them. I was able to get 56 credit hours just by testing out of classes. That combined with the 29 credit hours from my experience in the military and the 12 credits from my first semester in school put me at 97 credits in 12 weeks. Yes, I had to take classes and secure another 44 credit hours to complete my major and honors college requirements, but I was able to finish in less than 2 years. Anything you can do to shave off time and money is a good thing. CLEP tests average about $70 each where a typical university class can run from $1000-1500 dollars.

Can somebody tell me what to do, where to go, what's right. anything? anyone?

Make sure that you decide on your final educational goal first. If you're planning on stopping at a B.A. or B.S. pick something useful, if not, make sure that you have the grades and GRE's/MCAT's/LSAT's for graduate study. Be honest and realistic, then execute your plan. If you plan to go to grad school, remember this for your undergraduate classes... you walk into each one with an A. It's your job to keep it, and if you don't it's because you allowed someone to take it away from you. Fight hard for undergraduate grades if you want to pursue graduate school... plus you'll get scholarships as an undergrad... free money is the best money.

Good Luck,

Mark

 

[justme08]

Mark's advice to you was awesome. In fact, I just took a break from studying for a CLEP. I wish I discovered CLEP and DSST exams a LONG time ago.

There really aren't a lot of specific psychology related jobs at the BA/BS level. But, you can always check the box that you now have a BA/BS degree which is a requirement of many jobs.

 

[WannabeaMD]

Some Colleges do not accept CLEP credits as class credits, including many medical schools that I would like to attend.
Now, being a mom does not make me feel handicap or limited, I have a husband and have family support. The point that I was making was: If I am going to College for 4 years! I want to be able to graduate and find a job =job security so that I can provide things for my child. That's all.

So, what types of undergraduates major are practical/useful and will provide me a clinical job after 4 years of College?

My ultimate goal is to go to Med. School, but it requires to earn a B.S./B.A. in somenthing that you are interested or passion about.

But, if I don't get accepted to Medical School, I want to still be able to find a job in my _____ degree but what's the point of earning a Bachelors in Psychology, or a bachelors in Science/biology (that's what I am passionate about, if those degrees wont' get me hired in a clinical setting anyway or in any setting at all, I don't want to be science teacher?

* Last question: Are accelerated weekend or evening programs worth it or look bad ?

 

[student til 30]

.

 

[deleted176373]

Some Colleges do not accept CLEP credits as class credits, including many medical schools that I would like to attend.
Now, being a mom does not make me feel handicap or limited, I have a husband and have family support. The point that I was making was: If I am going to College for 4 years! I want to be able to graduate and find a job =job security so that I can provide things for my child. That's all.

Check the CLEP policy closely, ALL medical schools will not accept CLEP for the sciences, but classes like history, macro-econ, and English they will often take. Anything you can do to reduce the cost and time is a big benefit.

Having support is really important, and I understand that you need to see a payoff if you are going to invest your time and energy into getting a degree. Sounds smart to me.

So, what types of undergraduates major are practical/useful and will provide me a clinical job after 4 years of College?

Pharmacology, Nursing, or Physician Assistant degrees are possibilities.

My ultimate goal is to go to Med. School, but it requires to earn a B.S./B.A. in somenthing that you are interested or passion about.

Biology, physiology, chemistry... all of these are the basic building blocks of medicine and will serve you well when you are in medical school. These are the majors that will make you most competitive. Microbiologists, for example, can do more than just teach science classes.

But, if I don't get accepted to Medical School, I want to still be able to find a job in my _____ degree but what's the point of earning a Bachelors in Psychology, or a bachelors in Science/biology (that's what I am passionate about, if those degrees wont' get me hired in a clinical setting anyway or in any setting at all, I don't want to be science teacher?

That's the reality, a psychology bachelors degree won't get you anywhere. Although having a minor in psychology can be useful. I would focus on a basic science degree to be most competitive, but that's how I interpret it, this would probably be best asked to the medical students. It is not as likely to keep you employed in a clinical setting, but chemical engineering is one degree with significant income potential for instance. There are a lot of good degrees for clinical work, but a B.S. or B.A. in psychology is just not one of them.

* Last question: Are accelerated weekend or evening programs worth it or look bad ?

It depends a lot on the program. Some programs don't annotate on their diplomas that you went to an accelerated, weekend, or evening program and others do. Some colleges are more respected than others. You want to go to the best school you can with the best reputation for securing admittance to medical school that meets your criteria regarding time to complete. I would suggest that you would want to attend a program that did not annotate your degree was earned in an accelerated way or through alternative means. Medical schools are conservative, which means they are biased, as you can see from their refusal to accept CLEP tests for the basic sciences. They do not see them as being equal.

Mark

 

[WannabeaMD]

I'm so glad to found great advice here!
I am considering doing the accelerated B.A. in psychology and then take the pre-requesites and then choose between P.A. or M.D. or continuing with further Clinical Psychology education.

I am going to check on the fact about accelerated program title showing in my diploma or records, that's somenthings I am going to check soon.

Thanks! 😉

 

[Schooled]

I will echo the sentiment that a BA/BS in Psychology is pretty useless if you plan to work in the field. However, there are many jobs that will take you just because you have a bachelors degree. I think this is the route most people take after they graduate with a bachelors in Psychology.

If you are looking for a clinical job at a bachelor's level, I would consider nursing. Traditionally, it's 2 years of pre-reqs at a university or even community college, and then you apply to a nursing school which takes 2 more years. With a nursing degree you can work anywhere and whatever area of medicine you want! If you go for 2 more years past your BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing) then you get an MSN (Masters of Science) and with further training you can be a nurse practitioner (NP). They often practice LIKE a doctor, but always under the supervision of one. Also, they fill the top of the nursing hierarchy. I would look up more about it, I only have have superficial knowledge about that route.

One caveat to that route is that, I HEARD (take it with a grain of salt) that applying to medical school with a BSN is a strike against you. The AMA doesn't want to contribute to the nursing shortage by scooping them up and turning them into doctors. I'm not sure how true that is, but I just wanted to put that out there because that's what I heard.

Another option at a bachelors level is a bachelors of social work (BSW). Really, when it comes to applying to medical school, you're undergrad major doesn't matter. What matters is your GPA and MCAT! However, the BSW offers some advantages in my opinion. One, is that you will get field experience in the program that you may not get with other majors. Two, if you decide not to go to medical school, it'll only take one year to get your masters (MSW). At that point you can work in many, many, MANY mental health settings. After working for two years, you can become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). As an LCSW you'll get more money for doing counseling and therapy. Also you can open your own private practice. LCSWs also fill in a lot of the higher up positions in mental health agencies.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[AnnoyedByFreud]

I will echo the sentiment that a BA/BS in Psychology is pretty useless if you plan to work in the field. However, there are many jobs that will take you just because you have a bachelors degree. I think this is the route most people take after they graduate with a bachelors in Psychology.

If you are looking for a clinical job at a bachelor's level, I would consider nursing. Traditionally, it's 2 years of pre-reqs at a university or even community college, and then you apply to a nursing school which takes 2 more years. With a nursing degree you can work anywhere and whatever area of medicine you want! If you go for 2 more years past your BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing) then you get an MSN (Masters of Science) and with further training you can be a nurse practitioner (NP). They often practice LIKE a doctor, but always under the supervision of one. Also, they fill the top of the nursing hierarchy. I would look up more about it, I only have have superficial knowledge about that route.

One caveat to that route is that, I HEARD (take it with a grain of salt) that applying to medical school with a BSN is a strike against you. The AMA doesn't want to contribute to the nursing shortage by scooping them up and turning them into doctors. I'm not sure how true that is, but I just wanted to put that out there because that's what I heard.

Another option at a bachelors level is a bachelors of social work (BSW). Really, when it comes to applying to medical school, you're undergrad major doesn't matter. What matters is your GPA and MCAT! However, the BSW offers some advantages in my opinion. One, is that you will get field experience in the program that you may not get with other majors. Two, if you decide not to go to medical school, it'll only take one year to get your masters (MSW). At that point you can work in many, many, MANY mental health settings. After working for two years, you can become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). As an LCSW you'll get more money for doing counseling and therapy. Also you can open your own private practice. LCSWs also fill in a lot of the higher up positions in mental health agencies.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

Just wanted to point out that isn't true. It depends where you live, but nurses can practice with complete autonomy in multiple states (to many people's chagrin, I might add)

 

[student til 30]

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[Kitka]

If plan A is to go to medical school, perhaps plan B could be pursing a nursing career at the level of a nurse practitioner. Many states now allow nurse practitioners to practice independently, a practice that will undoubtedly become more common as demand for medical services outgrows the number MD providers. If I had my graduate education to do over, I would have gone that route. Good luck!