Training to Be a Psychiatrist
Guidance on a Career in Psychiatry for People in the US and Canada
Aug 15, 2008
Psychiatry is the medical field that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental disorder. Psychiatrists work in a number of settings, including hospitals, schools, nursing homes and private practice. Psychiatrists are not to be confused with psychologists, who study mental processes and behavior in humans.
The Steps to Becoming a Psychiatrist
The requirements to qualify as a psychiatrist vary from country to country. America and Canada are similar in their requirements but the medical schools themselves differ. The main steps to becoming a psychiatrist are as follows:
- Completing a high school education – a careers adviser will be able to assist students in choosing the subjects that will best prepare them for entry to a college degree programme and subsequent medical school training. A foundation in science subjects would likely prove useful to prospective candidates.
- Completing a bachelor’s degree – this typically takes four years to complete, and the entry requirements will vary from one degree course to another. Candidates interested in studying medicine may study any major they like. However, the prospective medical schools will expect candidates to undertake certain premedical courses as well, and so it’s important that candidates establish this with their chosen medical schools as early as possible.
- Applying to medical school to become a doctor of medicine – many schools require that candidates must pass an exam called the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in order to be accepted. Medical schools also look at candidates’ grade point average (GPA), references and personal qualities.
- Attending medical school – training at medical school takes four years, and includes both classroom study and clinical training.
- Practising as a psychiatric resident. This takes at least four years, beginning in a hospital setting and then progressing to a psychiatric setting.
Specializing in Psychiatry
Psychiatrists may then continue their training if they wish to specialize. According to the American Psychiatric Association, psychiatrists may wish to further specialize in one of the following areas:
- Administrative psychiatry
- Alcohol and substance abuser psychiatry
- Child and adolescent psychiatry
- Community psychiatry and public health
- Consultation/liaison psychiatry
- Emergency psychiatry
- Forensic psychiatry
- Geriatric psychiatry
- Mental retardation psychiatry
- Military psychiatry
- Psychiatric research
For more information about prospective schools in both America and Canada, including details of entry requirements and the MCAT, visit the Association of American Medical Colleges. For more details on the psychiatrist’s role, including income potential, visit the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds resource.
Sources
What is a psychiatrist?, American Psychiatric Association website, accessed 13th August 2008, no author specified.
Medical Schools, Association of American Medical Colleges website, accessed 13th August 2008, no author specified.
 |
 |
