by DrDave » Wed May 05, 2004 10:21 pm
I don't know if there are any child psychiatrists who frequent this board, but I had considered the field.
You need to go to undergraduate (regular) college which usually takes 4 years. Then you have to go to medical school which is another 4 years. Then you have to do a psychiatry residency, which is 4 years. Then you have to do a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship which is 2 years. You can actually start the fellowship in your 4th year of psychiatry residency, so it totals 5 years after medical school.
As for costs - I'm not sure what must undergraduate colleges are costing, but I would guess going to University of Illinois is probably around $15,000-$20,000 a year, and that doesn't cover living expenses. Medical schools are probably $30,000-$45,000 a year (it's been a while, so it could be a lot more).
During residency, you are paid around $40k-$50k per year - but you work a huge amount of hours.
Hope this info helps.