Congratulations on such a lofty goal. This will take A LOT of hard work and dedication, though. And at least another eight years of education and training–and that’s only AFTER you finish high school.

While you’re still in high school, if possible, take as much math and science as you can. You’re going to need physics, chemistry and biology.

Once you start looking at colleges, you need to make sure that they have the premedical courses that will be required for you to get into medical school. This is HUGE because if you spend four years getting a degree in psychology, it’ll suck to find out that you haven’t taken the right courses to get you admitted to med. school.

So, figure out NOW the basics requirements for medical school, then look into colleges that offer those classes. The basic requirements for premedical include two years of chemistry and one year (each) of biology and physics.

Keep your grades up–especially your science grades–in college because your GPA is a pretty big factor in what schools (if any) you get into for medical school.

Take the MCAT exam in the junior year of college.

Once you get into medical school, your first two years are going to be more studying of the sciences like human anatomy, histology, pathology, etc. The second two years will mean more exposure to the varying fields of medicine. When you finish med. school and pass the medical board exams, you’ll have earned your MD.

After you finish medical school, you’ll be a resident psychiatrist (basically a psychiatrist getting on the job training). This usually last four more years. The first year is more of an internship than anything else, so you’ll be assisting “real” psychiatrists and observing. After the first year, you’ll be trained and given more responsibilities in your desired speciality (there are many types of psychiatry, so you’ll probably have an idea of what you want to focus on by this point). Depending on your state, you might have to take a medical licensing exam.

Also, if you like, you can receive board certification in a sub-specialty like child psychology.

WARNING: Be careful not to confuse a psychiatrist with a psychologist. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D.) who writes out prescriptions and decides whether physical and mental disorders are from physical or psychological origins. A psychologist, however, is a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) or a doctor of psychology (Psy.D). Those are not medical degrees, and a psychologist cannot prescribe medicine

(http://www.ehow.com/how_18117_become-psychiatrist.html).

Some things are determined by the licensing requirements of your state, but here are a few things that should help you sort out some of the differences. A psychiatrist is a physician. It’s an MD, who completes not only medical school, but is a specialist in the medical treatment of mental illnesses, who does additional medical training for that. They often treat people with psychoses, like schizophrenia, bi-polar, etc., and people for whom psychotherapy alone has not been effective. Psychiatrists are the only mental health practitioners who can write prescritions, and other mental health professionals (see below) with patients who need medication have to refer them to either a psychiatrist, or an internist, etc. Shrink is just a slang term for psychiatrist—it is a version of the word “head shrinker,” which is a play on the old witch doctor idea. In the past, popular culture joked about psychiatry as if it were a very mysterious practice, akin to voodoo or something. A psychologist is a non-medical person, who has a minimum of a master’s degree, but often a PhD (doctorate). This person can be a researcher, a teacher, or a clinical therapist, as you describe with your own practice, seeing patients, etc. A psychotherapist is at its most basic a person trained to treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. A psychologist in clinical practice can be a psychotherapist. Therapy is just a variation on the term psychotherapy, but they are at the most basic both the same type of relational intervention to aid clients in the problems of living. Another professional who can deliver therapy also includes those who have a master’s in social work and are licensed as therapists. They can provide individual counseling, family counseling, vocational counseling, marriage counseling, or group counseling. Hope that helps.

At a minimum, you have to complete four years of college, then four years of medical school and, finally, four years of psychiatry residence training. After all that hard work, you’ll have to put up with being called a “shrink.”

Step One

Take lots of science courses in high school to best prepare yourself for a college premedical program. Include physics, chemistry and biology.

Step Two

Visit the Medical Schools Web page (aamc.org/medicalschools.htm) for a list of U.S. and Canadian medical schools. Contact your top choices about the college premedical courses that you’ll need for admission.

Step Three

Peruse the Princeton Review Web site (review.com) for a listing of colleges and their programs. Send for catalogs and applications. Be certain that the colleges to which you apply offer all the prerequisite premedical courses.

Step Four

Maintain a high grade point average, especially in your science courses. The competition for medical school is intense.

Step Five

Take the Medical Admission Test (MCAT) at the end of your junior year in college. Ask your adviser how to best handle the paperwork involved in medical school applications.

Step Six

Complete four years of medical school, pass your medical boards, and you will have your Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree and, most likely, an enormous loan to repay.

Step Seven

Begin your four-year residency in psychiatry, which is actually on-the-job training for which you will receive a salary. Depending on the state in which you work as a resident, you will take your medical licensing examination sometime during this period.

Step Eight

Consider continuing your training to receiving board certification in a subspecialty such as forensic psychiatry, child psychiatry or geriatric psychiatry.

You’ll need an undergraduate degree in psychology or biology and then you’ll be off to medical school.

i dunno want to do the same let me know. [email protected]