How to Become a Psychiatrist

Many people use the words “psychologist” and “psychiatrist” interchangeably. However, psychiatrists are not psychologists.

While both professionals work to diagnose, treat, and prevent mental health conditions, psychiatrists are medical doctors, while psychologists do not attend medical school.

One major difference in their practice is that psychiatrists prescribe medications while psychologists do not. To become a psychiatrist, you’ll need to first earn a bachelor’s degree, then complete medical school and a four-year psychiatry residency.

You may also need to pass additional licensing exams. Keep reading to learn more about how to become a psychiatrist.

Through your education and training, you’ll gain broad psychiatry skills, such as assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for mental health issues.

The first step to becoming a psychiatrist is earning a bachelor’s degree. You’ll spend around four years in your bachelor’s program, earning around 120 credits in total — or around 30 credits per year. Ensure you’re on track for medical school, majoring in psychology, chemistry, biology, or a related field.

If you major in an unrelated field, you can complete a pre-med track at the same time or enroll in a post-bacc program afterward.

You will have to take the MCAT in order to apply to medical school. You can take the MCAT at the same time as completing your bachelor’s degree or after you graduate. The MCAT is one of the biggest factors in getting into medical school, so make sure you get a good score.

Medical school is highly competitive, so in addition to a good MCAT score, boost your application by gaining clinical experience and getting good letters of recommendation.

Once you get in, medical school lasts four years and includes classroom learning and clinical rotations in teaching hospitals.

You’ll also take two board exams. During the last few months of medical school, you’ll match into a residency program.

During your residency, you can practice medicine under supervision. Your psychiatry residency will take four years to complete, and you won’t be able to practice alone until you’ve completed your specialty boards. You’ll take two exams before you can finish your residency.

Once you’ve completed your residency and passed your exams, you can acquire your board certification and practice without supervision.

To get certified, you’ll need to pass a licensing exam and meet state-specific requirements. You must also pass the psychiatry board exam, which involves written tests and clinical skills evaluations.

After high school, you’ll spend 12 years in education and training before you can become a psychiatrist. You’ll likely spend at least four years in college, four years in medical school, and four years in a psychiatric residency program.

After your residency, you may choose to attend a voluntary fellowship in a subspecialty such as addiction, forensic, or child and adolescent psychiatry. Fellowships typically last one year.

Each person’s journey to becoming a psychiatrist can vary in length depending on your education choices, program timelines, and specific career goals.

Psychiatrists earn high wages across the United States, according to the BLS. In the top-paying states, psychiatrists earn an average salary between $338,000 and $295,000 annually. Those in Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Missouri earned the highest average salaries.

Practice in Missouri, and you can earn an average of nearly $300,000 annually; in Minnesota, you’d earn over $304,000. Psychiatrists in Louisiana earn an average of nearly $319,000 per year.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics