Is becoming a psychiatrist hard?
The thing that worries me is medical school and their interview..i'm really scared about that i'm only in 11th grade right now in high school, so i shouldn't be worried about this right now already, but.....it's scaring me :/
What courses are needed in high school to become a psychiatrist (in Canada)?
There are no specific courses required in high school but you should make sure you take science courses (Chemistry, Biology, Physics) where available. This will make it easier when you go to university to take and do well in the pre-requisites you’ll need to get into an MD program.Your university degree can be in any field but you’ll have specific courses you’ll have to take, along with completing the Medical Colleges Admission Test (MCAT), a very tough test of basic sciences.Your GPA (grade point average) and your scores on the MCAT will have the biggest influence on your admission potential.Example requirements from the University of Toronto:Two full-course equivalents (FCEs) in life sciences and one FCE in a social science, humanities or languageMinimum GPA of 3.6Minimum MCAT score of 375A full-course equivalent is either one year-long course or two courses that are a semester (e.g. Biology I and Biology II)Note that many students have a 3.7 GPA or higher and an MCAT score of 450 or more (with 500 being typical.)Additionally you’ll need extracurriculars. These are things like:Shadowing a physicianVolunteering in a hospitalStaffing a crisis line, food bank or other non-profit organizationSitting on the executive of a campus club or other leadership experienceAs you can see, there are a lot of requirements to be a competitive applicant. Once you get into medical school, you’ll complete 4 years of training. The first 2 years are basic sciences and the last 2 years are clinical rotations.Then you’ll complete a 5-year residency in Psychiatry. Good luck.
What extracurricular activities should an aspiring psychiatrist pursue in order to maximize his/her chances of admittance to medical school?
When you say that you have graduated, I am presuming you mean that you have completed an undergraduate degree and that you are seeking a medical school admission as a postgraduate qualification. In Australia, entry to the Psychiatry Training Program requires a minimum of 3yrs of general hospital residency following graduation as a doctor, before an application will be accepted. It is expected but not compulsory that within those three years of general residency, the candidate will perform some work in psychiatry, so as to be at least somewhat familiar with the field that they wish to enter. In Australia, selection for psychiatric training is via a panel of psychiatrists that conducts interviews with candidates, reviews references and obtains candidates' academic record. The smart candidate will of course want to maximise their chances of selection and would be well advised to plan a pre-program residency that not only exposes them to psychiatry, but if possible, also exposes them to members of the selection committee in the normal course of their work. Candidates who have managed to impress selection panel members in the years prior to application for the formal training program (5yrs duration), are much more likely to be selected. The other important strategy for getting known around the psychiatric world prior to the application process, is to request to be placed on mailing lists, such as departmental notices of lectures, seminars and conferences, pharmaceutical company sponsored meetings etc. and attending whenever you can. Being judged as someone keen to become a psychiatrist definitely boosts your chances, as does a few insightful questions asked at these meetings! Beyond that, nothing "extracurricular" is likely to achieve much and of course, I caution against overdoing the above advice and becoming a stalker for selection!!
Can i become a psychologist /psychiatrist going to a community college after high school?
If you go to a community college after high school, you can complete an Associate's degree and then transfer to finish the rest of your undergraduate work, culminating in a Bachelor's degree. You cannot gain qualifications to become a psychologist or psychiatrist at a community college, of course, but your time there will help you to save a lot of money for the second half of the degree. To become a psychologist, you will need to finish a Bachelor's degree (4 years, including your 2 at community college) and a Master's degree (2 years). Psychology courses taken at community colleges generally transfer without much difficulty, and a great number of psychologists, human services workers, and social workers start their paths that way. That will be your fastest and most affordable path. To become a psychiatrist, you will need to earn a Bachelor's degree (4 years, including your 2 at community college) while studying both psychology and pre-med. You will then need to go to medical school (another 4 years) and complete a residency (another 5 years). That is obviously a much longer and more expensive path. In addition, a good number of community college students have difficulty transferring pre-med science credits, so that is something to keep in mind. Don't forget that financial aid is always available if you qualify, and funding is also available to strong students at the graduate school level. By saving money through attending a community college and then selecting the best yet most affordable transfer college option before going to grad school, you can potentially save a good amount of money.
What are some extracurricular activities that show my interest in psychology?
You could focus on activities that show your interest in scientific research and social outreach. Maybe you could find an unpaid internship as a lab assistant in a neurosciences department. You could work as a volunteer in a mental health hospital, or also as an assistant for a psych department or a psychologist/psychiatrist. Also, you could start your own community-centered outreach program, set up a foundation, and help people in need, like the homeless.
Which extracurricular activities should I do while in medical school?
Great question, I think that most medical students focus too much on acquiring medical knowledge per se and forget about many other important skills that a doctor or researcher should possess.Learn a foreign language. German, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, you name it. Learning a second or third language provides the ability to access a completely new world. Despite the relative uniformity of medical practices around the world, different cultures do things differently. Being able to take a look on what others are doing is refreshing and educational.Delve into completely new subjects. Acquiring skill sets from other industries can be a great advantage for a doctor. For example, I taught myself how to program and created a few apps - one of them is published. Knowing how to code changed the way I look at medical technology and who knows? It may even pave the way towards a medical startup one day.Public speaking and presentations. Communication skills in general are important for doctors. Knowing how to speak to patients and colleagues is essential, but addressing crowds is part of the job too. The ability to design quality slides, structure a speech and deliver an interesting talk is highly valued by our peers. [Shameless plug, I wrote a book on the subject :)]Start a research project. In most medical schools, it's possible to contact a researcher and become his or her apprentice. Eventually, you'll come up with a research project of your own, which may end up as published peer-reviewed paper. That's great for your skill set and your CV. It also forces you to tackle biostatistics and scientific thinking.Basically, do whatever you like that contributes to your education personally and professionally.
Would seeing a psychiatrist affect my chances in medical school admission?
Medical schools do not ask and they have no legal right to do so. Do not advertise to medical schools that you will/have seen a psychiatrist. It carries a terrible stigma that you do not want. If you have a slump in grades or time off that you attribute to the reason you are going to see/have seen a psychiatrist, come up with a difference explanation. The stigma could be deadly for an application depending on what it is.