6 answers
Terinn
Student
Brookville, Ohio
2
Questions
Asked
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What is the best way to become a Psychiatrist, Is there only one route? What AP courses should you take in high school to become one and what is the best path?
I am a junior in high school struggling with course selection.
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6 answers
Branwen Vang
Student
5
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Branwen’s Answer
Hi Terinn,
As someone who took AP courses and is now about to graduate college to eventually apply to medical school, I can honestly say that AP courses are way harder than actual college courses and if you don't receive a good score on the AP exam, some colleges won't count the credit for it. The only exam that had many benefits for me (Imo) was AP Psych and that's because I'm a Psych Major.
I can't speak on the community college system in Ohio, but I do know in CA that high school students can concurrently enroll in community college courses as long as it doesn't conflict with their actual high school classes. It might be the same in Ohio but I would definitely check before you enroll in any classes.
For medical school, you don't have to be a science major to go to medical school. With that being said, even as a non-science major student, you would still need to complete the prereqs for the medical school you want to go to like General Chem, Bio, Physics, and Organic chemistry. etc.
You would also need to have volunteer hours, both clinical and non-clinical to show medical schools that you have the experience and know what's to come when in medical school. So 4 years for a Bachelor, 4 years of medical school, and however many years of residency/intern years that you do.
As someone who took AP courses and is now about to graduate college to eventually apply to medical school, I can honestly say that AP courses are way harder than actual college courses and if you don't receive a good score on the AP exam, some colleges won't count the credit for it. The only exam that had many benefits for me (Imo) was AP Psych and that's because I'm a Psych Major.
I can't speak on the community college system in Ohio, but I do know in CA that high school students can concurrently enroll in community college courses as long as it doesn't conflict with their actual high school classes. It might be the same in Ohio but I would definitely check before you enroll in any classes.
For medical school, you don't have to be a science major to go to medical school. With that being said, even as a non-science major student, you would still need to complete the prereqs for the medical school you want to go to like General Chem, Bio, Physics, and Organic chemistry. etc.
You would also need to have volunteer hours, both clinical and non-clinical to show medical schools that you have the experience and know what's to come when in medical school. So 4 years for a Bachelor, 4 years of medical school, and however many years of residency/intern years that you do.
LaShona Bennett
Dialysis Technician,PCA,STNA,Culinary Arts
5
Answers
Cincinnati, Ohio
Updated
LaShona’s Answer
Hello, My name is LaShona I worked at Children’s Hospital in Psychiatric while in Nursing School I think the best experience is getting a job or Internship hands on before going into the field to see if you like it or if it’s a match for you . Although I learned a lot the 3 years I was there and it also aligned with nursing courses but most importantly I touched a lot of kids and was able to make some good impacts but my 2nd semester I wanted to start doing something else in healthcare field it’s so many things you can do so take your time and think about your choice of field or complete one and move up to the next one you want do what makes your heart smile! While helping others or saving a life Healthcare/ Nursing hope this helps you have a great day!
Kess French
Medical Student
109
Answers
Updated
Kess’s Answer
Hi Terrin!
Great question! You'll need to complete medical school to become a psychiatrist. Here is the general breakdown:
1. Complete high school
2. Research what college you want to go to for your bachelor's degree. Most medical schools will consider any degree as long as you've completed the prerequisites for the med school. You might want to consider an undergrad degree in psychology.
(I have a bachelor's in biomedical science with minors in chemistry and sociology, and my friends in medical school have English, Russian history, and Psychology degrees.)
3. Take as many classes as you can for your degree at your community college to save money (but make sure they transfer to a university)! Apply for financial aid through FAFSA. Some community colleges have programs to get you from that community college and into a nearby university.
4. Apply for and graduate with at least a bachelor's degree.
5. Prepare for and take the MCAT (medical college admissions test).
6. Prepare for and apply to medical schools (both MD (medical doctor) and DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine) can become psychiatrists).
7. Complete 4 years of medical school (the first 2 years are book learning, second two years are clinical rotations). Licensing exams are done after the 2nd year of medical school and another after the 3rd year. Then the 3rd one is done during residency.
8. Apply for and attend the psychiatric residency - another 4 years of training. (Take your 3rd major exam here.)
GOOD LUCK! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Great question! You'll need to complete medical school to become a psychiatrist. Here is the general breakdown:
1. Complete high school
2. Research what college you want to go to for your bachelor's degree. Most medical schools will consider any degree as long as you've completed the prerequisites for the med school. You might want to consider an undergrad degree in psychology.
(I have a bachelor's in biomedical science with minors in chemistry and sociology, and my friends in medical school have English, Russian history, and Psychology degrees.)
3. Take as many classes as you can for your degree at your community college to save money (but make sure they transfer to a university)! Apply for financial aid through FAFSA. Some community colleges have programs to get you from that community college and into a nearby university.
4. Apply for and graduate with at least a bachelor's degree.
5. Prepare for and take the MCAT (medical college admissions test).
6. Prepare for and apply to medical schools (both MD (medical doctor) and DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine) can become psychiatrists).
7. Complete 4 years of medical school (the first 2 years are book learning, second two years are clinical rotations). Licensing exams are done after the 2nd year of medical school and another after the 3rd year. Then the 3rd one is done during residency.
8. Apply for and attend the psychiatric residency - another 4 years of training. (Take your 3rd major exam here.)
GOOD LUCK! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Terinn
LaTerricka Osborne
Delivery Associate
16
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
LaTerricka’s Answer
There is never one way to do things because everyone is different. The path that you think might be perfect originally could turn out to be terrible for you because you don't operate that way. The best thing to do in my opinion would be to research for your state the path to becoming a psychiatrist and whatever schools you were interested in and create the path that works best for you. It personally took me years to graduate from college but I also took summer classes because I found that it helped me get through school easier once I got behind and summer classes were faster but better for me based on how I operated and wanted to work. It definitely wasn't perfect but I still graduated without overstressing myself in the end.
Noah Godwin
Student
55
Answers
Kirtland, OH
Updated
Noah’s Answer
To become a psychiatrist you need a bachelor's and a medical degree. Generally it doesn't matter what your bachelor's is in but it helps greatly to have a background in either biology or psychology. You can also become a psychiatric nurse practitioner but that's quite a different route. As for AP courses, I recomend that you take whatever interests you and you feel won't cause too much stress or wasted time. AP Psychology & Bio would definitely be at the top of my list though.
Also, if you're interested in either saving money on your undergrad or getting it 1-2 years sooner, I highly suggest looking into CLEP & Sophia credits. Both allow you take an online course and test for college credit. Depending on the course, it can take under a month to complete and usually costs $50-$100 per course compared to the traditional college alternative of $1,500+. I'm currently taking CLEP, Sophia & CCP courses in order to get my undergrad even before I graduate highschool & with $0 debt. I'll link some resources below.
Once you get your undergrad, you'll be able to take the MCAT & get started on your graduate degree in psychiatry.
Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions you have :)
CLEP - https://clep.collegeboard.org/
Modern States - https://modernstates.org/
Sophia - https://www.sophia.org/
College Hacked - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlzg7N3vt_0&t=255s
HG - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90adCirK5Sw
Also, if you're interested in either saving money on your undergrad or getting it 1-2 years sooner, I highly suggest looking into CLEP & Sophia credits. Both allow you take an online course and test for college credit. Depending on the course, it can take under a month to complete and usually costs $50-$100 per course compared to the traditional college alternative of $1,500+. I'm currently taking CLEP, Sophia & CCP courses in order to get my undergrad even before I graduate highschool & with $0 debt. I'll link some resources below.
Once you get your undergrad, you'll be able to take the MCAT & get started on your graduate degree in psychiatry.
Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions you have :)
Noah recommends the following next steps:
Blanche Williams, Ph.D.
Clinical psychologist
16
Answers
Jacksonville, Florida
Updated
Blanche’s Answer
There really is a single route to becoming a psychiatrist, though exploration to be sure this is what you want can take many forms. Essentially, you'll need to go to college and take a pre-med curriculum, after which you'll take the MCAT test and submit applications to medical schools. In medical school, which takes 4 years, you will study the basics of medicine, gain exposure to most of the medical specialties, and ultimately become a general physician. In order to specialize in psychiatry, you will apply for a psychiatric residency, which usually takes 3 years. I recommend that you read about the process. There are numerous books written about this -- for example, How to Become a Physician: The Official Roadmap, by Wu and Mehta.