Things You'll Need:
- Undergraduate degree
- Medical degree
- American Board of Psychiatry certification
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Step 1
Complete your undergraduate degree at an accredited college or university. Since you are pursuing a career in psychiatry, you need to select a degree program in biology, psychology or chemistry. Pre-med programs can also be helpful, although they are not required.
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Step 2
Sign up, take and pass your MCAT. All medical schools will require that you take this test. You can find an application and test preparation materials for this exam at the official website for the MCAT (see Resources below).
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Step 3
Complete 4 years of medical school. During the first 2 years of medical school you will want to focus your studies on psychiatry, behavioral science and neuroscience. However, you will still need to complete the other required courses for a medical degree. During the last 2 years of your medical school education you need to select a psychiatry clerkship. This is where you will gain your practical experience.
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Step 4
Specialize in psychiatric medicine by completing a 3-year residency program in psychiatry. During this program you will shadow clinical psychiatrists and learn more about what psychiatrists do and how they assess and treat patients. As this program progresses, you will take on more patient care responsibilities.
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Step 5
Sub-specialize in osteopathy psychiatry. After you specialize in psychiatry you will want to complete a 4-year sub-specialization program in osteopathy psychiatry. During this phase of your professional training, you will explore the unique techniques used by osteopathy mental health professionals such as the use of cranial secral massage. You will also explore the field of holistic medicine, which looks at the connection between the mind, the body and the spirit.
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Step 6
Apply for your professional credentials. To start with you will want to take the United States Medical License Exam, also referred to as the USMLE (see Resources below). Passing this exam will qualify you for a medical license, and allow you to practice medicine. Next you will want to get certified by the American Board of Psychiatry. This certification is optional, but it will help establish your credentials as a medical professional and you will be able to call yourself a “certified psychiatrist.”
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Step 7
Work as an osteopathy psychiatrist. You can work in a clinical setting or in a research setting. Find jobs by exploring local resources or by checking out special online job boards like MedHunters.com and PracticeLink.com (see Resources below).
Comments
jkhamlin said
on 7/10/2009 I go around CORRECTING factual errors in articles. Just because you can't refute my statements on a factual basis, doesn't mean you can personally attack me. Abuse reported.
jkhamlin said
on 5/12/2009 Ok, extra small quota for comments.Step 4: In a psychiatry residency, you don't "shadow" a psychiatrist, you are a physician at that point, and you work as a psychiatrist, supervised by a fully licensed psychiatrist.Step 5: You don't become an osteopathic psychiatrist by sub specializing for four years after a psychiatry residency, you become an osteopathic psychiatrist by first attending an osteopathic medical school for the DO degree (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.Step 6: You can take EITHER the COMLEX or the USMLE for basic licensing. Then you can work in a psychiatry residency. After that, you can be certified by EITHER the American Board of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrist or the American Board of Psychiatry, depending on whether you did an American Osteopathic Association accredited residency or an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited reside...
jkhamlin said
on 5/12/2009 The person who wrote this article has never been to medical school, and I doubt she has ever even read anything about it beyond a cursory glance.Factual errors.Title: The correct term would be Osteopathic Psychiatrist.Step 1: No specific subject is required for undergrad. The undergrad major that has the highest rate of admission to medical school is PHILOSOPHY. The most popular premed major is biology. Most medical schools don't even require an undergrad degree, as long as specific course prerequisites are taken and a minimum number of credit hours (usually 90) have been achieved.Step 3: Medical school is a rigid, structured, intense curriculum. There is little to no room for electives in the first two years. You simply cannot "focus your studies on psychiatry, behavioral science and neuroscience."Step 5: You don't become an osteopathic psychiatrist by sub specializing for four year...