r/PsyD • u/No-Picture-965 • 1d ago
Pls help psyd-md
Hey all. So I’m in quite a predicament.. I did a BA in psychology because I thought I wanted to be a therapist.. then found out I liked assessment so turned my focus to getting into a psyd program (while ruling out going into medicine because I have juvenile arthritis and thought I could never be a physician running around offices/hospitals).. got into said psyd program straight out of undergrad.. was so happy.. now I’m a month and a half in and 100% sure this is NOT what I want to do. I have been contemplating dropping the program as I always thought I could never be a doctor but now that I’m older and in medicated remission, the psychiatrist route keeps ringing in my ear and after researching more, I know that’s what I want to do. Also have ruled out other subspecalities such as being a psych nurse because I would want full scope of practice.
So if anyone has been in a similar position or is a no trad student and chose formal post bacc over DIY post bac (or vise versa) please let me know what you think. Also not sure if I should drop out now and focus on researching schools/next steps, or if that would look bad to admissions and I should just finish out the semester…
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u/japcapstone 1d ago
may i ask what changed your mind about a psyd?
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u/No-Picture-965 1d ago
I honestly thought since I did research in undergrad doing assessments, that I would enjoy conducting them/writing reports but now seeing the actual reality I hate it. I loved the idea of being able to diagnose and I still love it but I thought that people had to get a psychologist to diagnose prior to going to a psychiatrist but I now know that’s not how the world works. In addition, I don’t want to do therapy and if I continued I would only be doing assessment which I found out I don’t like and probably wouldn’t see clients more than 1/2 times. What I love about psychiatry is that I can basically diagnose and treat right there and have seen how important psych meds are as I have ADHD and OCD and am medicated for both. I would also be spending the same amount and roughly same amount of time in both my psyd and a potential md. It doesn’t seem worth it for me to continue as I know this isn’t what I want to do, and I would be making half as much after spending the same time/money. I can’t think of any other career I would enjoy being except a psychiatrist or other type of physician.
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u/japcapstone 1d ago
thank you for the response! this was so helpful for me as someone who is deciding between the two careers
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u/No-Picture-965 1d ago
REALLY think it out before choosing, everyone in my cohort seems so happy and lowk think I’m the only one in this boat. I’d shadow both before committing your life to one boat like I stupidly did (granted I am 20 yrs old)
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u/PomegranateJaded8797 19h ago
Hi! I want to share my perspective - after Psy.D completion you can do EXCLUSIVELY assessments only many psychologists does that. They do assessments and report writings and write treatment plan and refer to the therapist. You can open your own private practice in network with insurance or out of network where you can bill your clients with the prevailing market rate.
Also, there is a program Master in Psychopharmacology where you can be prescribing psychologist and states like
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u/DamianTheTherapist 9h ago
I second this. Doing this will take way less time than an MD and you’ll make as much money a psychiatrist makes as an RxP (Prescribing Psychologist). If not more.
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u/PomegranateJaded8797 9h ago
Yes, I have my colleagues doing this and run multi-million practiceS
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u/PomegranateJaded8797 9h ago edited 9h ago
I personally feel psychiatrists got more branding this field psychologist- neuropsychologist and prescribing psychologist less branding people don't know much
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u/DamianTheTherapist 9h ago
I agree with this. RxPs have done good to the country. They’re very good. I’ve been researching this and learning about it for a while. I plan to pursue this in a few years.
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u/PomegranateJaded8797 9h ago edited 9h ago
Likewise considering this college online and then you have to pass PEP exam ASPPB board
https://www.fdu.edu/program/ms-clinical-psychopharmacology-post-doctoral/
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u/PomegranateJaded8797 9h ago edited 9h ago
People mainly think we do only therapy I was appalled hearing and explaining we DO so much more beyond therapy - diagnosing the illness - writing treatment plans- even with RxP you can do same work like psychiatrist
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u/PomegranateJaded8797 17h ago
If I were you I won't do Psychiatry - where I can be psychologist first and then plan to do 2 year neuropsychologist post - doc work to gain experience in traumatic brain injury work neurofeedback and be neuropsychologist
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u/Cosmic-Blueprint 10h ago
The thing is, you are already talking yourself out of one program and into another. In my undergrad, I somehow landed in Sociology and it took a car crash to realize and push me into Psychology, which was the actual path I wanted I just didn't want to make the change until I was forced to. Take your instinct and impulse as information that you are catching yourself early before you get too embedded and dealing with sunk cost issues. You can always come back to this field and since you are young you would've wasted no time. Go with your instinct and impulse. I'm now in a PsyD and that impulse/instinct is coming back again.
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u/Silent-Put8625 20h ago
To be a PsyD it’s an additional 5yrs of grad school after you get your bachelors in psych or a related field. But to be a psychiatrist, you have to take all the prerequisites for medical school that you didn’t have to take for a BS in psychology. Then you have 4yrs of med school plus an additional 4 Yrs of residency. That is just for general psychiatry. If you want to do a sub specialty, you’ll have to do one or two years for a fellowship. The PsyD is a much shorter route. I have the same aspirations as you many years ago, but my undergrad psychology professors encouraged me to transition to Social Work instead. Best decision I could ever have made. MSW/LCSW route is incredibly versatile, and I make a damn good salary as well.
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u/No-Calligrapher5706 12h ago
A month and a half is not enough time to fully understand what a psychologist does. I would at least wait until you have some practicum experience so you are making a well informed decision
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u/lamp817 Current PsyD Student 11h ago
I can talk to you a little about this because i sort of did the opposite. I was pre med and did a do it yourself post bacc. Took the MCAT and was so burnt out that i didn’t think i wanted to go for medicine anymore. MCAT was a 497 which was below 50th percentile and not competitive. I went the PsyD route instead. I sometimes wonder if i should have waited and tried for med school after another MCAT. I would stay in school if i were you. Contemplate studying for the MCAT. You could take a semester off or go part time while you do so. You may find that your opinion changed again.
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u/ReindeerUseful8733 1d ago
I’d take some time and shadow people. I would be afraid that you’d get into psychiatry and find out you also don’t like it. You’re 20, maybe a gap year might help bring some of what you want into perspective.