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Archive for the ‘Psychiatry’ Category

What Psychology Majors Don’t Learn in School

Whether you’re interested in attending one of many psychology schools or just interested in seeking out a psychologist, it’s important to understand a few things about what psychology majors learn in school, or more importantly, what they don’t learn in school. People often confuse psychologists and psychiatrists or use their names interchangeably, but this is incorrect. Psychology students have a very different educational path. Their training and credentialing are quite different. Although they may both provide counseling services and they are both interested in aspects of the human mind, the similarities end there.

What psychology students don’t learn in school are the intricacies of dispensing medicine. They cannot prescribe medication to patients, although they may be able to help patients adjust to or cope with medications that have been prescribed by a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist actually gets a degree in medicine, while a psychologist will get a doctoral-level degree in psychology, which is either a PhD or PsyD in clinical or counseling psychology. After this is completed, which can take five to seven years, psychology students may also have to complete an internship to get their license depending on which state they live in.

A student of psychiatry will be trained on how to assess, diagnose, prevent and treat mental illnesses, just as a typical medical doctor learns how to do the same with the human body. They have to go to medical school just like other doctors; they must complete residencies, and they are technically considered MDs. They can prescribe medication to treat mental illnesses and conditions. There are a couple of states in which people are trying to get legislation passed in order to allow psychologists to prescribe medications after first consulting with a psychiatrist, but as of yet it is still not legally permissible.

Psychology schools focus on theories about human development and how the brain works, and students may choose to go into the areas of counseling or into the areas of research, or even both. They may share some traits with psychiatry students, but psychology students are trained in different areas than psychiatry students.

Institutions offering quality Child Psychology Programs include University of Phoenix, Argosy University, South University, Brown Mackie College and Hesser College.

Increasing Scope In Psychiatric Education

We might feel that mental illness is not very common in a well to do society but the astonishing fact is that about 25% people in the US are due to have some kind of a mental illness in a given year. This is a straight forward consequence of the increasingly busy lifestyle of people and the ever growing pressure to earn more.

Mental illnesses are of many kinds from the most minor ones like anxieties and manias to the most complicated ones like schizophrenia. Today the medical sector requires people working in fields related to psychology. Hence psychiatric education has become a very promising field of medical education.

There are number of psychiatric fields which require varied levels of educational qualifications. To be a full fledged medical psychologist you ought to have a post graduation in the field of psychology or neurology. Psychiatric certification in the US is provided by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. There are fields related to psychology which require minimal specialization.

One can easily become a psychiatric pharmacist by pursuing a two year diploma or vocational course. Established psychiatric pharmacists earn almost equal to doctors with a post graduation in psychology or neurology. Another exciting field in the field of psychiatry for those already having a DO degree is surgical neurology. It requires specialization and proper psychiatric certification but gives very high earnings.

It seems that one can just get a two year degree and easily earn incomes equal to psychologists but it is not true. To be an established pharmacist is as difficult as being an established psychologist. Psychiatric certification is granted by most renowned medical colleges of the US which are accredited to give post graduate degrees.

Another field related to psychiatric training is counseling. Counselors are required by variety of organizations like schools and colleges and even by business firms. The problems of depression have become very common today and hence starting a private practice as a counselor is also not in any case less promising. It requires good skills and years of practice to be an established counselor.

There are a number of medical colleges in the US that offer complete as well as vocational psychiatric training but since all psychiatric professions are completely based on experience one should opt for colleges with experienced teaching faculty. It must be kept in mind that though the profession of psychiatry provides a lot of promise only the most skilled ones are able to establish themselves.