Medical Education US

Glenn,

If I previously said that majoring in psychology was a bad idea, then I need to clarify, as it isn't a bad idea. You should major in whatever field you like. If I said something about majoring in a field other than psychology, I was probably saying that you will learn all you need to know about psychology and psychiatry during a residency program in psychiatry, and you should major in whatever field you find most interesting. Majoring in psychology won't help you get into a psychiatry residency, but it won't hurt you either. If you really like psychology (which most psychiatrists do) and there are a lot of psychology courses at your college you want to take, then it makes sense to major in psychology.

Bottom line - don't change your major unless there are other courses you want to take. Your major really makes no difference as to your chances of getting into medical school or a particular residency. Your major should reflect your personal interests. The only other potential factor in selecting a major that gives you other career options if medical school doesn't work out for you.

I know virtually nothing about the medical system in London so I'm sorry that I can't help you on that one. The medical systems are different throughout the world and I'm sure that you would have to do special tests and meet extra requirements to train in another part of the world from where you ultimately want to work. Make sure you get information from someone who knows the two systems.

Best of luck.

I am interested in becoming a psychiatrist. I would like to know more about the schooling after high school. Basically any information you have about school and just being a psychiatrist would be much appreciated .Information on schools in the Chicago area is preferred. Just tell me everything about the life of an aspiring psychiatrist.

kimsmarkin,

The very first post in this thread has a summary of schooling after high school. There are many schools in Chicago - both for undergraduate education as well as medical school. If you have more specific questions, feel free to ask.

Hi. I am a junior in high school. I want to go into the field of Psychiatry, but I don't know what college is good for me to attend and what minors I should take. What should I do?

lover j wrote:Hi. I am a junior in high school. I want to go into the field of Psychiatry, but I don't know what college is good for me to attend and what minors I should take. What should I do?

I would suggest you attend the best college for you - which means the one that has the best academics, but also consider cost, location, and class sizes. It is preferable if the college is known to have success in having graduates get into medical school. You'll want to make sure they offer the required pre-med science courses, and preferably in a curriculum meants for students interested in applying to medical school.

You can major / minor in anything you want.

Hello there,

I'm a sophomore in high school, and I realize that I'm a bit younger than everyone else asking about Psychiatry here, but I've found that even in my Psychology class, I'm taking more notes than any other class and really focusing all my attention on it, especially the more scientific aspects of it. My question is this: In college, are there different classes for Psychology itself and then other classes for Psychiatry? Or is it that there's a general medical course that, from there, you choose the Psychiatry major in medical school?

My other question regards actual colleges. I use College Board to search for colleges, but not many seem to cater to Psychitatry, while several cater to Psychology, which ties in with my other question about whether taking Psychology as opposed to Psychiatry in college will affect the outcome.

Freyaya,

You should check out this thread on high school students interested in psychiatry.

I believe your questions should already be answered there, but if not, feel free to post in that thread.

Hi guys,

It seems to me that one of the posts submitted has 2 different areas related to the medical field confused. Now, do not confuse psychology with psychiatry. Though closely related, to become a psychiatrist you MUST be a medical doctor first. Psychologists on the other had ARE NOT medical doctors. In order to be a psychiatrist you must first graduate as a medical doctor and attend a 4 year of residency in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medications to treat psychiatric conditions. Psychologists study behavior and help people to cope with their situations, but are not able to prescribe medications unless they do a post-doctorate degree in neuropsychopharmacology, which is accepted in some states and gives them the ability to prescribe medications. Note that the post-doctorate degree is about 2 more years of study. Currently I am trying to become a psychiatrist myself. Will graduate medical school this coming June thus will be applying to residency as I speak. Hope this was useful and if you have any more questions write me at: deliz_0214@live.com

Keep up the good work, guys! really informative and intellectual posts.

Hi i am currently a senior in high school and i want to become a psychiatrist. I feel as though i am hindered somewhat from the fact that I absolutely hate and suck at math and I am planning on probably going to Ohio University which is known more for its partying than its academics. I know i can work my ass off for something i truly want but, i just do not know if it will be enough. Should i still try and become one?

ecas,

You are lucky that math is not the most important subject as far as getting into medical school. In fact, many medical schools don't even have a college math requirement to get accepted. There was a recent thread here about math requirements in medical school.

The courses required by almost all medical schools includes: biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. If you don't do well in those science classes, then getting into medical school will be a big challenge.

As far as where you go to college - as long as you do well, and you score well on the MCAT, you should have a reasonable chance of getting into medical school somewhere. While this is just my opinion, in my experience, where you go to college doesn't matter as much as your grades and test scores for most medical schools. The only times I've heard it making a difference is when applying to the very top level medical schools.

Thank you very much, that is actually very helpful. Much appreciated to give me your time. Also, just out of curiosity, what is your take on private practice v.s. say working in a hospital? Any preferences or pros and cons?

There is an old thread on inpatient psychiatry compared to private practice. I don't think I have much new I can add.

Are the studies n the path really difficult of being a psychiatrist?

princess11,

The studies to become a psychiatrist are very challenging. Pre-med coursework is challenging for most people. Most students who are smart enough to get into medical school, though, are able to do pretty well in the basic science courses. Medical school is challenging for most medical students, and the curriculum for a psychiatrist is no different than any other medical field from surgery to dermatology to pediatrics. Medical school is the same. It is challenging mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Work-load during residency for psychiatry depends on where you do your residency. Some can be extremely challenging, but there are probably some programs that are not too bad. In general, psychiatry residencies are probably not as rigorous as most other residencies. However, that does not mean they are not challenging.

I like the information. It is important and very useful for my brother because he want to be a Psychiatrist.

Hello i'm 17 almost 18 i took my GED and started college a year early. I'm really considering becoming a psychiatrist because not only does the study catch my fancy but i feel i could contribute alot to the field and help alot of people. Now i'm enrolled in a JC currently but i've found this distance learning college that is totally accredited and you basically max out on CLEP tests and then at the end transfer all your credits to a school that accepts them and you take distance learning classes til you graduate. Statistics show that you can get your BA/BS in like 2-3 years. Now i'm wondering is this a good was to go they have pre-med classes you can take but alot of the studying you do at home. I'm just wondering is this a better route to go or should i stick with the more traditional route on my way to become a psychiatrist?

Swordfish17,

I would highly suggest you take the required pre-med courses at a 4 year university. You can probably take the other courses at a junior college.

Ever since I was a freshman in high school it was my dream to become a pediatric psychiatrist. I am now in my second year of community college with a 4.0 GPA and plan on transferring soon (after completing my Associates in Science degree) to a University in my area. I have been doing a lot of research on the educational route to med school, residency etc. For a while I was in debate whether or not it would be better to settle for a career as a clinical psychologist (I know it would be easier and quicker). I read through the forum though and was inspired by a lot of people that I shouldn't settle for what's easier or quicker, that I should pursue my dreams (thanks, guys . I wonder now though, what is the best major when planning on becoming a psychiatrist? I know it should be something I am interesting in, but it seems to me a major in Bio, Chem, Physics etc would better prepare me for the MCAT?
Also, I read on what you (Dr.Dave) had said pertaining to the final examinations, written and oral, and how it takes about a year. If you don't pass the first time can you retake it, and if so does it cost a lot of money? Thanks!

Your major does not matter. Medical schools don't really take it into account in who they will accept. I suppose it is possible that if you are a science major that you would be more familiar with some of the material on the MCAT; however, the MCAT only tests you on the material in the required pre-med courses. I wouldn't choose to major in a biology or chemistry just because you think you will be better prepared for the MCAT. Major in a field you enjoy, but one that will also offer you career options if medical school does not work out for you.

As to the final exams, you must be referring to the psychiatry board exams. I don't know what the current pass rate is, but I think they got rid of the oral board exam part since I took my board exams. When I took the boards, there were two parts - a written exam which you had to pass before you could take the oral exam. I would guess the written exam had around a 70-80% pass rate, maybe even higher than that. I think everyone with whom I trained passed the written exam. The oral exam was another matter altogether. I'd guess that had around a 50% pass rate. It seemed pretty random on who passed and who failed as I know several very good clinicians who had to take it a second or even third time before passing the oral exam, yet I know some less than excellent psychiatrists who passed the oral exam the first time. I'm guessing they got rid of it because the results weren't the most consistent (they did try to be as objective as possible in how they scored, but there are so many random factors in a live oral psychiatric exam) and it was very expensive to administer. The board exams were expensive - well over $1000, plus for the oral exam I had to fly to a nearby city, stay overnight, etc.

If you don't pass the first time, you can retake it. Another interesting fact is that you don't have to pass the board certification exam to practice psychiatry. Some hospitals may require it, but most don't, as long as you are "board eligible".

I am confused by all the information I have been reading on the internet. I am planning to pursue a career in psychiatry. I am fully dedicated to the idea, but need some more information. I have recently completed my 4 year degree majoring in Psychology. On some websites I read you have to do pre-med courses, on others I have read you apply for medical school after your 4 year degree. Do you have to attend college for both pre-med and med school courses or just one or the other or both? How many years of school do you have to go through and what schools are required? I apologize if this is a little repetitive, I just get confused by all the different sources and conflicting information.

Dj_brunk,

Make sure you are not confusing becoming a psychiatrist with becoming a psychologist.

In order to become a psychiatrist, you have to go to medical school. Medical school is a 4 year graduate school program AFTER your 4 years of college. You need to take the required pre-med college level courses before you can apply to medical schools.

You take pre-med courses in college. you take medical school courses in medical school. So, 4 years college (or in your case maybe longer to complete your pre-med courses), 4 years of medical school, then 4 years of psychiatry residency.

I just want to thank you all for your time ! I want to mention that becoming a psychiatrist îs not easy ! The number one thing you must know îs it takes time and long long long hours !

Hi!! I'm currently a freshman in college in my spring semester. I am attending a local college, Richard Stockton of NJ, to be exact. It is not the best school in the nation but family problems have put me here. My first question is: Will this hinder my ability to make it into medical school?

I am a psychology BA major currently with a minor in Spanish. I am very interested in pursuing psychiatry and know all about the pre reqs (biology, chemistry, etc). Therefore, I am planning to become a double major of Psych and Bio. Do you think this is a good idea? Or could I change to BS and still be accepted into med school?

In the future, past school and everything, I really dream of being with patients at my own practice. I want to specialize in OCD. I was wondering if psychiatrists are able to interact with patients just as much as psychologists do. Nowadays I hear many people say that psychiatrists only prescribe and talk for a few moments. I am hoping this is not true. I have so many dreams that involve my own practice and I do not want them to be dimnished.

Thank you for your help and kind words!!

NicoKren,

If you get great grades and get good MCAT scores, you should have a good shot, even if your college isn't the best. I would think most medical schools should be understanding of selecting a less expensive college given the high cost of education.

You can major in any field and it won't affect your chances, as long as you take those required pre-med courses. It doesn't help if you have a double major, but it doesn't hurt. Major in a field you enjoy that will also give you career options if medicine doesn't work out for you. It doesn't matter whether you earn a BA or a BS.

As a psychiatrist you have a lot of options of how you want to work. If you want to do mostly psychotherapy, you do have that option. While it may seem shallow, one reason why psychiatrists often focus much of their practice on prescribing medications is because it generally pays better. You can structure your time seeing some patients for psychotherapy and others for medication management, which is how many psychiatrists structure their practice.

Don't be surprised if you find that your interest in OCD will change as you get more training. I have found many different aspects of psychiatry interesting as I've gone through my training and career. Some were topics that initially didn't seem that exciting, but as I learned more about them and met people who struggled with different issues, my interests expanded.