Pathways to Becoming a Psychiatrist: Requirements After a Psychology Degree

Medical degree (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO): After completing your bachelor's degree, you must earn a medical degree (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree from an accredited medical school. This typically takes four years.

Psychiatry residency: After graduating from medical school, you must complete a four-year psychiatry residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). During residency, you will receive supervised clinical training in psychiatry, including diagnosing and treating mental illness, managing psychiatric medications, and providing psychotherapy.

Board certification: After completing your residency, you can become board-certified in psychiatry by passing the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) certification exam. Board certification demonstrates that you have met certain standards of competence in psychiatry.

State licensure: In addition to board certification, you must also obtain a state license to practice psychiatry in the state where you plan to work. State licensing requirements vary, but typically involve submitting your medical degree, residency training, and board certification information to the state medical board.

Additional training and experience: Some psychiatrists choose to pursue additional training and experience in subspecialty areas of psychiatry, such as child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, or forensic psychiatry. This additional training can be obtained through fellowships or continuing medical education courses.

Ongoing maintenance of certification: Board-certified psychiatrists must complete continuing medical education requirements every three years to maintain their certification. This ensures that psychiatrists stay up-to-date on the latest advances in psychiatry and maintain their competence in the field.