Is it possible to become a psychiatrist in 8 years?

<p>i realized it would take me 12 years of school all together to become a psychiatrist</p>

<p>i was thinking though,
if i didnt take summer off in between semesters and just, kept going with school [since it really doesn't bother me having to go to class a few times a week] would that help boost things along?</p>

<p>all replies appreciated</p>

<p>No. Medical school and residency don't have summers, so that doesn't help.</p>

<p>It should be pointed out that residency is not school. It is a training program, but also a job, and you do get paid. So you're in school for 8 years (undergrad and medical school), after which you will have earned your MD, but you will not be eligible to become board certified until you complete a residency program. And in most states you cannot become licensed to practice medicine without having completed at least a year of residency.</p>

<p>well i knew residency was paid and such but i should have specified better
i meant to become board certified</p>

<p>and thanks for the replies.
i didnt know medical school didnt go throughout summer
but a residency...if its a job as well wouldnt it be all year?</p>

<p>Don't have summer vacations, I should have said. The point is you can't use summers to abbreviate, because you're expected to be there anyway.</p>

<p>gotchya</p>

<p>thanks for the replies
all were really helpful</p>

<p>i guess ill just suck it up and put in the time
it'll be worth it in the end.
but perhaps i can speed up some undergrad years by using my summers.
maybe take a year off schooling.</p>

<p>thanks =]</p>

<p>From what I've seen, medical schools actually don't like that very much. Beyond that, you need to use your summers for useful extracurriculars -- volunteering, maybe research, etc.</p>

<p>good points
thanks =]</p>

<p>ill just stick it out then
it'll be worth it in the end i hope</p>

<p>im just afraid of like, not having too much of a life in my twenties ya know
i want a family and like, to be able to go out and do things.</p>

<p>If you don't want to give up your twenties, don't go to medical school. Law school doesn't seem nearly as bad. </p>

<p>If you really don't want anything to change from undergrad to grad school, get your MBA. If you were a science or engineering major, you'll likely party more in business school than you did in undergrad (they call it 'networking' or something)...</p>

<p>Law school isn't nearly as bad as medical school, but young associate life can be around as tough as young resident life -- actually, it's likely tougher than young psychiatry-resident life.</p>

<p>Most things are tougher than life for psych residents...</p>

<p>Sorry, I just didn't enjoy my psych clerkship much. I'm glad that there are people out there who can and will do that type of medicine because it is definitely not for me.</p>

<p>That said, it does depend a lot on the firm. Certainly, 100-hour work weeks at the big firms in big cities (along with the big salaries that accompany them) are common. But I have enough friends who are elsewhere or doing other things with their JD to know it's not anywhere near that at every place.</p>

<p>well, what i meant by having a life wasn't meant to sound like i want to party all the time</p>

<p>see, i actually enjoy the research and figuring out how people work, so med school would probably be more enjoyable for me</p>

<p>but when i say i want a life, i mean, i would like to be able to go out with friends once in awhile
not like, everyday because thats unreasonable
but more like, once every week or two</p>

<p>and since i skipped a grade in highschool i figured i would be out of med school and done with a residency by time i was 28-29</p>

<p>but i was thinking about how i would like a family, and i have horses so id like to be able to spend time with them</p>

<p>i guess ill have to put that aside until i get a good job though
im sure there will be time. just perhaps not as much as i would like there to be.</p>

<p>Med school faculty here. At most med schools, your only free summer is the one between 1st and 2nd years. Residencies very in length depending upon the specialty and program. They begin July 1st and end June 30th. Psych is long for a reason but I think you were looking at either psychoanalysis or neuropsych, I think those are longest of all. Best advice: talk to people in the field you are interested in. you may decide to do something else entirely. If time in training is a concern, consider a field with shorter time.</p>

<p>Here's something from a Psychiatry forum I frequent. Not sure if it belongs here, but I thought the perspective might be interesting.</p>

<p>"As already mentioned, these changes are certainly not limited to psych residents. There are significant changes in expectations and identification throughout medicine (if not society as a whole). My residents (anesthesiology) used to think of themselves as physicians first. Now they see themselves as something else (skiers, runners, travelers, etc.) who happen to practice medicine in order to make a living. There are feelings of entitlement that seem to run deep. I am not convinced that this is simply due to the shortened work week during residency. I think there are larger societal issues at play (some of which have already been noted). I am still amazed when we interview people fresh out of residency for an attending slot, who will tell us at interview that they won't take call, won't work weekends and need to leave the O.R. by 5 p.m. The approach to work is sloppy. The response to criticism is "whatever". While I can still find good residents now and again, I feel that many of them are just training to be technicians rather than what I would think of as a physician."</p>