Obtaining a college degree is the first step to becoming a psychiatrist. Medical schools do not require a specific degree for admittance, but premedical degrees are often pursued by students wishing to practice psychiatry. Most universities do not offer specific pre-med degrees, but instead offer a pre-med track to degrees such as biology, physics, chemistry, psychology or humanities degrees. Pre-med activities in college include taking pre-med courses, gaining clinical experience, and volunteer work.
Medical school typically takes four years to complete. Medical programs are usually divided into two years of classroom and laboratory study followed by two years of supervised study in clinical settings. Courses medical students take include immunology, anatomy, pathology, physiology and pharmacology, among others. Medical students study in a number of clinical settings to determine which specific field of medicine they want to pursue. Students learn how to examine and diagnose patients before they must pass their medical board exams.
Residency for medical professionals typically takes four years to complete. Doctors are paid during their residency, with the first year completed in a hospital setting. Psychiatrists take part in rotations of numerous medical fields including family medicine, neurology, emergency care, pediatrics, internal medicine and others. All psychiatrists are then required to complete at least 36 months of psychiatric training in clinical settings to become an M.D. of Psychiatry.
All physicians must pass the United States Medical Licensing Exam. After completing a four-year residency, psychiatrists must then become certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. To become certified, they must pass a written and oral exam. Psychiatrists must be re-certified by the ABPN every 10 years. In order to prescribe medications, psychiatrists must also register with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and obtain a narcotics license. Many psychiatrists practice general psychiatry, but some focus on addiction medicine, forensic psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry and other subspecialties.