Becoming a psychiatrist requires more than having the appropriate personality. It also necessitates years of study, including undergraduate education, medical school education and psychiatry residency training.
Undergraduate students interested in psychiatry should select an undergraduate degree program that offers courses necessary for medical school admissions, such as science and math classes.
Medical School
Psychologists must complete both medical school and a residency to become licensed psychiatrists, so those interested in becoming psychiatrists should aim for excellent grades during high school and undergraduate college studies. Students aspiring to become psychiatrists should enroll in as many science classes as possible and work towards earning a high GPA (taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes may help increase this). Once students have obtained their undergraduate degree, aspiring Psychiatrists should attend medical school; most programs last four years. Psychopaths will usually graduate with either an MD or DO degree. MDs specialize in allopathic medicine, which primarily relies on prescription drugs and surgery for healing patients; DOs practice osteopathic medicine which emphasizes healing within the body itself.
Once Psychiatrists complete medical school, they are required to undertake a four-year residency program. During this time they will gain hands-on experience treating mental illnesses in patients. It can be extremely demanding career path requiring patience and emotional strength.
Residency
After graduating medical school with either an MD or DO degree, you must complete a four-year residency program to treat patients suffering from mental health disorders. Here you’ll start learning psychiatry while working under licensed psychiatrists’ guidance in clinics and hospitals.
As part of your residency training, you will focus on various aspects of the specialty you want to practice – for instance if you wish to become a forensic psychiatrist, for example, you will rotate through clinics that cater specifically for disorders and age groups such as bipolar or anxiety disorders.
Residency programs look for candidates that demonstrate passion and dedication to psychiatry by taking many electives related to mental health and completing community service projects in mental health. Furthermore, residency programs look for letters of recommendation from teachers who observed your interactions with patients or supervised your research projects. Nearly 150 million Americans don’t have sufficient access to mental healthcare – your dedication and interest in this field will make you stand out among other candidates.
Board Certification
A psychiatrist is a type of medical doctor that diagnoses, treats and prescribes medication for mental illnesses in people. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one out of every five adults experiences at least one mental illness during their lives. To become a psychiatrist one must first obtain a bachelor’s degree from a university which offers pre-medicine courses as well as taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). After that they must attend either allopathic or osteopathic medical school before becoming licensed practitioners.
After graduating medical school, individuals must undergo a four-year psychiatry residency program where they treat real patients in clinical settings. At this point, psychiatrists may opt to specialize in either child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry or addiction psychiatry.
Psychologists require both dedication and time in their pursuit of this challenging career. Individuals aspiring to become psychiatrists must be capable of working under high levels of stress while being able to empathize with patients as well as possess critical and analytical thinking abilities to comprehend and treat individual psychological and emotional problems effectively.
Licensing
As mental illness becomes less of a taboo subject, more individuals than ever before are seeking care for behavioral and emotional problems. While this bodes well for potential patients, psychiatrists can expect high demand and substantial salaries from this career path which requires compassion, critical thinking skills and analytical proficiency as well as the ability to create non-threatening physical spaces which foster trust from patients.
Future psychiatrists must first obtain a bachelor’s degree from an accredited pre-med or health sciences program that offers many science and math classes, before attending medical school with an appropriate residency program.
After medical school, prospective psychiatrists must complete a four-year psychiatry residency to gain practical experience and training. At this point, future doctors can apply for their state license; during residency some may opt to specialize further by applying for fellowships.