Do you have to do an internship to become a psychiatrist

Hi Azar,

In real life, psychiatrists are fully trained physicians who have chosen to treat mental, rather than physical, illnesses. They receive the same training as other physicians until they graduate from medical school, then they spend four years in clinical residencies. The first of those years is spent in an internship, practicing general medicine.

The Internship
When doctors graduate from a medical or osteopathic college, they've learned a great deal about medicine but haven't yet been in practical situations to apply that knowledge. Medical degrees include course work in psychiatry, because mental health and physical health can affect each other in profound ways. Doctors who intend to become psychiatrists spend their first year after graduation serving in a general medical internship, for the same reason. Although mental health will be their primary area of practice during their career, this grounding in medicine provides a basis for understanding the relationships between the health of body and mind.

Residency and Fellowships
After completing the year of internship, psychiatrists move on to complete three further years of residency. During this time, they learn to interact with patients constructively through supervised clinical practice. With mentorship and oversight from experienced practitioners, they sharpen their skills in crucial areas such as diagnosis, psychopharmaceuticals and, above all, the ability to form a relationship with patients. After completion of the residency, physicians are eligible to take their certification exams and become board-certified psychiatrists. Those who wish to specialize in an area such as addiction psychiatry, pain management or pediatric psychiatry must complete a further one or two years' fellowship, followed by another set of board exams.

In: http://work.chron.com/internship-psychiatry-12346.html

Best!