Psychiatrist Life Videos:

Here’s a brief list of what Psychiatrists do:

Diagnostic Assessment: Conducts comprehensive psychiatric evaluations to diagnose mental health disorders, including interviews, assessments, and reviewing medical history.
Medication Management: Prescribes and manages psychiatric medications to treat mental health conditions, adjusting dosages and medications based on patients' responses and symptoms.
Psychotherapy: Provides psychotherapeutic treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychoanalysis, or interpersonal therapy, to address psychological and emotional issues.
Collaboration: Works collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, including psychologists, social workers, and primary care physicians, to coordinate comprehensive care for patients.
Crisis Intervention: Responds to psychiatric emergencies and crises, including suicide attempts, acute psychotic episodes, and severe mood disturbances, providing immediate assessment and intervention.
Research: Conducts research studies and clinical trials to advance understanding of mental health disorders, treatment efficacy, and psychopharmacology.
Education and Training: Provides education and training to medical students, residents, and other healthcare professionals on psychiatric disorders, treatments, and psychiatric care practices.

Here’s how YOU can become one:

Start by earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. While specific majors aren’t always required, coursework in biology, chemistry, psychology, and other sciences can provide a strong foundation.
Maintain a high GPA and participate in relevant extracurricular activities, such as research projects or volunteer work in healthcare settings.

After completing your bachelor’s degree, attend medical school to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. Medical school typically takes four years to complete.
During medical school, coursework will cover foundational sciences (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology), clinical skills (history taking, physical examination), and medical ethics.

After graduating from medical school, aspiring psychiatrists must complete residency training in psychiatry. Psychiatry residency programs generally last four years.
Residency training provides supervised clinical experience in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders. Residents rotate through various psychiatric subspecialties, such as child psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, or forensic psychiatry.

After completing residency training, psychiatrists must obtain a medical license to practice independently. Licensure requirements vary by state but typically include passing the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX).
Some states may have additional requirements, such as background checks or jurisprudence exams.

Psychiatrists can choose to pursue fellowship training to specialize further in a specific area of psychiatry, such as geriatric psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, or forensic psychiatry. Fellowships generally last one to two years and provide advanced training and research opportunities.

While not always required, board certification demonstrates a psychiatrist’s expertise and commitment to high standards of practice. The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) offers certification in psychiatry.
To become board certified, psychiatrists must pass written and oral examinations that assess their knowledge, clinical skills, and ability to apply evidence-based practices.
This is a very brief and general plan. To know your specific academic path for this career please talk to an advisor at the college or program you plan on attending!