Thank you very much for the reply...
I am an undergrad student, and i'm a biology major/pre-med as I was planning to go to med school. Now I'm stuck between clinical psychology(Psy D) or psychiatry. I don't know which one will suit me the best. I want to work in hospitals settings and mainly with the patients with mental illnesses. What do you think which one would be the better way to accomplish that. I, also, want to know which one will take the less time to finish. do you think as i'm not psychology major, it'll affect my chances of getting in Psy D programs. Please let me know...
How much debt would you like with that degree?
I was talking to one of our Psychiatrists (UT grad, Ill Residency) and she related that she was in debt to the tune of about $200k, Most Psy.D's will have about $120-150k in debt.
The Psychiatrist will make about double that of a Psy.D. or Clinical Ph.D. with some serious variance depending on venue. If you are looking to work with more severe mental illness (Schizophrenia, Bi-Polar, etc) both offer opportunities. I am a little biased and believe that, despite being trained as a Psychologist, Psychiatry may be the better route for working with this population.
Obviously, Psy.D's and Clinical Ph.D.'s work with the severely mentally ill, and usually are used in combination with Psychiatrists. Also Psychologists work in hospital settings as well. The difference is mainly in treatment modalities, training, and (of course) in salaries. Psychologists may not prescribe medications but often have a great deal of influence regarding what medications might be prescribed in some more collaborative settings.
There is no one best path for everyone. There will be a "best" path for you. You should look at the training time, ROI, and what you personally feel most in tune with. You are going to invest heavily in either path, both personally and financially, so making a good choice is really important and having a long term perspective critical.
Mark
PS - ERG923, I wasn't trying to say that they were the same at all, but rather that we might end up with the same clients shared between disciplines... Psychiatry and Psychology are VERY different, but complementary disciplines. It's a little more blurred in my case where I am in a Medical School Setting with a clinical degree that focuses on a biopsychosocial model which encourages the integration of disciplines.