<p>I'm thinking of possibly going into the field of psychology. I have profound interest in it and I like helping others,but I'm worried about the requirements,I'm not particularly good at math(quite bad), and outside of psychology,sociology, I'm indifferent to the life sciences (Biology,Chemistry,Biochemistry).</p>
<p>Would a Clinical psychologist be better suited for me?</p>
<p>Do you mean you are thinking about going into the field of PSYCHIATRY? That is very different from PSYCHOLOGY, and you seem to understand that. Going into PSYCHIATRY means first and foremost, you are going into medicine, and all that that entails. While the pendulum is swinging in different directions, practicing Psychiatry and practicing Psycholgy, can be very different experiences. It might help for you to describe your interests, but if you want to spend a lot of time taking Psychology classes in undergrad, and do not look forward to taking science classes, your interest may be more in Psychology than in medicine.</p>
<p>I am only a junior in high school but i am also interested in the field of pyschology AND psychiatry. But the difference between them is a bit unclear to me. Is pyschology more of the study of the mind and how it works while pyschiatry is more hands on with actual patients and practicing therapy? And if I wanted to go into pyschiatry, would I still have to take the same classes any other pre-med student would take? Since to become a pyschiatrist you would have to get a PhD and get into Med school.</p>
<p>A couple of distinctions:</p>
<p>A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in the treatment mental health disorders (depression, bipolar, addiction, personality disorders, schizophrenia, etc). They can prescribe medications. They are trained in a variety of therapeutic paradigms (eg, psychoanalysis). To be a psychiatrist does not require that you have PhD, only that you graduate from medical school.</p>
<p>A clinical psychologist is also specializing in the treatment of mental health disorders. They also see patients. They however are not able to prescribe medications because they're not MD's. They must rely on using the therapy methods to help their patients. Post-grad training in either a PhD or PsyD program is required. </p>
<p>A research psychologist will not see "patients" but is interested in doing experiments to test theories and outcomes. This may involve research subjects who do have mental health issues or that could be entirely normal. Suffice to say, psychology as a research discipline is exceedingly broad. </p>
<p>If you want to be a psychiatrist, then yes, you need to take the pre-med requirements, since first and foremost you have to become a physician. But again, you don't need a PhD to be a psychiatrist.</p>
<p>So, you are saying that you don't need a PhD to become a psychiatrist. So what would be the advantage of getting a PhD if you wanted to become one? And if you go into med school, isn't the goal to graduate and get your PhD and complete your residency? Why would you graduate med school and not get a PhD degree?</p>
<p>The degree you get, and presumably want, from med school, is an MD. ( A doctor of medicine). A PhD can be nice ( I think it will help you better understand and evaluate research, which is being treated very skeptically by many right now) , but is not neccesary to practice medicine/Psychiatry. You do your internship and residency after you get your MD.</p>
<p>Oh I see. One of my biggest concerns in going into medicine and getting an 8 year education is the problem of supporting myself. Sure, I could get a minimum-wage job and work at some fast food joint, and not only would I hate working at some place like that, but to be able to sustain myself for that long of a period I would have to work long hours when I really should be studying. In a perfect world I would LOVE to somehow get a job that is related to whatever I'm studying in. But I feel this is too unrealistic... Is this a problem all medical students face?</p>
<p>I don't understand. Do you mean you would have to work in a fast food place to support yourself during medical school? I worked several jobs in my journey; none in fast food. Some memorable ones were nurses aid ( which I got certified to do in high school), unit clerk, something like an RA ( providing medical coverage in the dorm in exchange for free housing there); some medical students don't work at all.</p>
<p>Sorry. I have no idea what lifestyle med students go through. Heck I'm only in high school. I have 6 years till I get to med school (if i get in). I just want to be proactive with this sort of thing. It makes me breath a little easier that there are a lot of oppotunities like what you just mentioned. I'm just trying to find out as much as I can now so I know all the information I can before I make such a huge decision as to what I want to do with my life.</p>
<p>Very few med students actually work during med school. They take out massive amount of loans to fund their way through school.</p>
<p>Well that is something i'm not looking forward to either. It mustn't feel very pleasant when you feel yourself going deeper and deeper into debt. And is it possible to get some relief from scholarships in med school like it is in under-grad? I am looking into under grad programs and there is scholarship money just floating around for everyone to take as long you know where to look. Is it the same situation in med school? The reason why I ask is that to get into med school alone is such a huge producion at less than 1 in 3 applicants getting in. To be accepted into med school alone would be a blessing. So would universities give much repreive to you in scholarship opportunities?</p>
<p>There is some scholarship money but it is difficult to get. The average debt upon graduation is approx. $130,000-160,000 (depending on if you are graduating from a public or private med school). Debt is going to be a fact of life if you plan on attending medical school.</p>
<p>I think you should focus on your life now, including what it will take to have the life you want in college. I kow times have changed since I did it, but I beleive the rest will work itself out. And at my age, I can't help but think you could be dead tommorow, so be sure to enjoy the journey! That part about "scholarships floating around"; not so sure about that. My D did not find that to be so true for her undergrad of choice this year, nor did my H who graduated from medical school in the late 80's and is still paying off loans. I did get a military scholarship but would not reccomend that route for everyone.</p>
<p>Alright thanks for the advice. It is just tough sometimes to just enjoy the ride and not look 10 years in the future when every day we are reminded about it not only from our parents but especially our teachers and counselors. I am taking 4 AP classes this year as a junior and it all just feels kind of surreal to me when the majority of my schedule is presumably "college-level courses". I definitely don't feel like a college student yet. I feel like our generation is being thrust into the real world before we are ready. I don't think it is a very slow transition at all. Just kind of hard not to worry about it</p>
<p>Don't JUST enjoy the ride, but pay attention to enjoying SOME of it. Now is a good time to look a FEW years into the future, but it will change a lot in 10 years, so I wouldn't put All my efforts into planning for that. I tell my son ( 15 years old) "PLAN, so you can have some fun today, SOME fun next week, and SOME fun next year!".</p>
<p>really, the debt becomes pretty easy to live with, unless you're one of those severely debt averse people...</p>
<p>Personally, when I've been living on budgets of about $5k during college and $15k during medical school, dealing with $160k+ of debt is honestly like monopoly money in my mind at this point.</p>
<p>Alright that's good advice thanks. It is just extremely easy to get caught up with it all. I'm really glad I found this site because I can talk to you guys who have actually been through the ropes, so it's very valuable info :). What were some of the biggest problems you guys ran into when you went into college then onto medical school?</p>