Expert: Jayson Lett - 6/21/2009

Question
QUESTION: Thank you and one more thing.I want to get a doctrines degree in psychiatry so how many years in college or medical school will I have to take?And also will a scholarship or loan or grant pay or help pay for that many years?

ANSWER: Hi Corrina. You actually would pursue a doctoral degree for psychology, not psychiatry. I found this website that explains in some detail what is involved if you decided in psychology as your career path. www.guidetopsychology.com/be_psy.htm

On the other hand, a psychiatrist would spend 4 years in college, 4 years in medical school and an additional 4 years in residency at a teaching hospital.

Financial aid would help pay for some of the costs of your education, but a significant portion of new doctors will have some debt associated with their educations. Another thing to keep in mind is that residents are paid for seeing patients while in residency. I think a good ball park figure would be around $30,000 a year.

Take a look at this link for more information on financial aid.

www.aamc.org/students/considering/financial.htm

Take Care,

Jayson Lett
The Curare Group
www.PhysicianRecruiting.com


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What's a teaching hospital?

Answer
Hello Corrina. I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I didn't realize you had an additional question about the definition of a teaching hospital. A teaching hospital is a facility that offers your typical hospital services to the community such as an ER, surgery, etc. It also serves as a hospital where resident physicians and nurses continue their training and education.

Take Care,

Jayson Lett
The Curare Group
www.PhysicianRecruiting.com