Psychiatry is the field of medicine focused on understanding and treating mental health

disorders and psychological distress.

Psychiatrists can diagnose and treat mental conditions using either medication or non-pharmacologic

therapies.

To become a psychiatrist, you must complete 4 years of medical school, followed by 4 years

of psychiatry residency.

They are not to be confused with psychologists who complete either Master’s or PhD level

training and only use non-pharmacologic therapies to treat patients.

In terms of competitiveness, psychiatry is ranked #22 on the 2022 Med School Insiders

Competitiveness Index and is the third least competitive specialty in our analysis.

The average psychiatrist earns $287,000/year and works 47 hours per week.

If you enjoy spending time with patients, psychiatry is hard to beat.

You can regularly have 45-60 minute appointments in addition to having the opportunity to see

them develop and improve with time.

That being said, psychiatrists also often deal with difficult patient populations that

can be challenging to manage.

You must also be comfortable helping patients work through emotionally heavy situations

and listening to upsetting and tragic stories.

But if you’re interested in the mind and enjoy talking with people and hearing their

stories, psychiatry may be a good fit.