Psychiatrist Career

Imagine a job where you talk people get through their problems, diagnose patients, and prescribe medications. Those are just a few of the things that psychiatrists have to do on a daily basis. To become a psychiatrist, it is crucial to prepare through the appropriate schooling and training, to

Abraham Lincoln once said “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Both careers I have chosen fit my goals, however, one career seems to fit my goals better than the other. I have decided to choose between an Occupational Therapy Assistant and a Psychiatric Nurse. Someday, I want to have a family, I want a career that will financially support my family and I also want a career that I will love doing for years, until I am at the retirement age. I want to be able to be content with the career I choose, and not go back and forth between careers.

I have 20 plus years as a State of California employee and have worked in several state departments. I began my State career as a Psychiatric Technician with the Department of Developmental Services. Subsequently I worked with the California Conservation Corps as an Office Technician and Personnel Specialist; the Department of Transportation. In addition I worked as a Staff Services Analyst with the Department of Personnel in their HR Department. Currently I am privileged to work with the Department of Social Services as a Licensing Program Analyst. I have five plus years working as a Licensing Program Analyst. A major portion of (LPA) duties are conducting reviews of facilities to identify any immediate health and safety risk to children.

Psychiatry has always weaved its way into the fabric of my life. When I was a young adult watching my father battle with alcoholism was challenging. The only time I witnessed change was once we found a compassionate and understanding Psychiatrist. I marveled at his work, how he applied his medical knowledge and his articulate communication which resonated with his patients. I went on to complete a honors degree in psychology and enter medical school with a focus on psychiatry. I attended various psychiatric lectures within the hospitals and found my psychiatry rotations fulfilling and a perfect fit. At the 2017 APA national conference, my choice to become a psychiatrist became solidified. I met enthusiastic and loving physicians, residents and staff. They illustrated their lifestyles, patient dynamic, and future medical opportunities. My goals

The career of interest that I will focus my report on is a career in forensic psychology. Specialties within forensic psychology include knowledge in the clinical and legal career fields. Two other occupations that do similar work are, of course, the two specialty areas of clinical psychology and law. Other careers I would consider if I did not decide to pursue a career in forensic psychology would be careers in clinical psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, and the legal system. Daily tasks and activities of a forensic psychologist include assessing offenders for risks, probability of re-offending, possible mental disorders, and self-harm.

A GP might refer a person to a specialist to help with the diagnosis. For example, they may be referred to a clinical psychologist which is a healthcare professional who specialises in the assessment and treatment of mental health conditions. Another specialist who the GP might refer someone to is a psychiatrist and they

A psychiatrist is trained to provide medical and psychiatric evaluations, treat psychiatric disorders, provide psychotherapy, and prescribe and monitor medications. They have to have a M.D. or D.O. with four years of specialized study and training in psychiatry after their master’s degree (NAMI, 2013).

They help people address aging problems or emotional and mental health issues. Often working with a group, they counsel individuals and their families dealing with drug or alcohol addictions. The counselor helps their clients prevent and rectify conflicts or problems. A mental health counselor gets his or her information through observations, interviews and tests so they can decide the best course of action to help their client. Some of the other professionals they work closely with when necessary are psychologists, family and marriage workers, psychiatric nurses, school counselors, psychiatrists, and social workers. Many counselors choose to specialize in specific areas or with certain age groups like substance abuse or teenagers.

There are two reasons that instantly come to mind when I think about why I chose to pursue a career in the mental health field. One being because I’ve always loved helping people and from the first time I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up I knew I wanted to help people. At first I had wanted to be a doctor, a firefighter, president, or a physical therapist. It wasn’t until I was a freshmen and college that I realized I wanted to be a substance abuse councilor. That year I was in college it seemed like every other week I was reading an article of someone I knew or someone I went to school with had overdosed or went to jail because of drugs. I felt sick to my stomach reading these articles and after reading them I always though “what

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another” (Dickens). My goal in life is to help others, whether it be physically or mentally. Based on my goal I decided I could be a doctor or a psychologist. I am not infallible so even if I have good intentions someone would get hurt, if I chose to be a doctor. Therefore I chose the latter. “Psychologists study human processes and behavior by observing and interpreting how people relate to their social environments” (“Summary”). I would be in human services and my job title would be psychologist. People may think that choosing your career is as easy as choosing where to eat, but it takes a lot of careful consideration about so many factors such as environment, pay, future job markets, requirements, and simply a personal choice.

The career field that I chose to go down in is human services. And this gets my attention because I want to go into psychology and in that field of work you deal with people that are experiencing a difficulty with something. Because if you help somebody you feel better about it. The work environment of a psychologist is usually just an office of some sort that is relaxing and nice so that the person they are working with feels comfortable. I can enter this career from getting a bachelor's degree and a lot of colleges do such as UNL.

Psychiatry is often mistaken to be psychology, psychiatry does connect to psychology, but is a more rigorous area of psychology. Psychiatry focuses on mental illnesses and prescribes medicine to those who require it. Unfortunately, psychiatrists can have more mental consequences as compared to psychologists. A psychiatrist can face many difficult mental challenges such as a patient dying from a medicine they prescribed, or they begin to believe they have a mental illness. These both can take a toll on a psychiatrist and possibly drive them insane. Even though there are many dangers of becoming a psychiatrist, there also are many rewards to it too. For instances, the pay is higher than psychiatrists, observing patients as they improve their lives, and much more. Throughout my research I became aware of the mental consequences, social consequences, and rewards of becoming a psychiatrist, contributing to my desire to become a psychiatrist and apart of the medical field.

A career as a child psychologist involves studying the behavior of children from the time they are born up to their teenage years. In order to become a child psychologist I would have to earn a bachelor's degree or if i wanted to pursue further, a masters and a PHD would be required.

Mental health counselors work with individuals, families, and groups to address and treat mental and emotional disorders and to promote mental health. They are trained to address a wide range of issues, including depression, addiction and substance abuse, suicidal impulses, stress management, problems with self-esteem, issues associated with aging, job and career concerns, educational decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting, and marital or other relationship problems. Mental health counselors often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors. (US Department of Labor)

There are hundreds of different careers in the medical field ranging from neurosurgeons to nurse practitioners. Psychiatry deals specifically with the diagnosis and treatment of mental, behavioral, and emotional ailments. The main purpose of a psychiatrist is to help people coop with issues and stress in their environment that make it difficult to lead a normal and healthy lifestyle. These issues may arise from abuse, addiction, mental disability, disease, or physical injury. It is the psychiatrist’s job to ensure the patient can maintain a healthy attitude and continue to provide for themselves. A Psychiatrist may choose to specialize in many sub classes of mental health including children and adolescents, geriatric psychiatry, addiction,