How to Become a Psychiatrist

An Individual who opts for a career as a psychiatrist assesses mental and physical symptoms. As part of his or her work, a psychiatrist can provide urgent care for a sudden mental illness. As a component of the clinical evaluation process, a psychiatrist may utilize a psychological status assessment, a physical assessment, or brain imaging, for example, computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography (PET) scan and blood testing. Here in this article, we will be providing you with how to become a psychiatrist after 12th.

Evaluate

Individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist must have the ability to analyze as well as evaluate patients’ data and test in order to diagnose the nature and extent of mental disorders. Having the capability to evaluate is important in the profession of a psychiatrist as he or she is required to make several judgments with respect to the patient's treatment.

Psychotherapeutic treatments

Individuals who opt for a career as psychiatrists use psychotherapeutic treatments in order to prescribe, direct, as well as administer treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, and or behavioural disorders. This treatment is important in order to take the patient in confidence so that the psychiatrist can take measures to heal the patient.

Collaboration

There are several cases that psychiatrists deal with and many or a few of them may require him or her to collaborate with other physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals in order to discuss the current treatment plans and progress of the patient. Individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist may take suggestions from their end in order to help the patient recover sooner.

Gather patient information

The role of a psychiatrist is to deal with mental problems that are not visible from the eyes, he or she cannot put a bandage on a wound to heal it. Individuals who opt for a career as psychiatrists need to gather and maintain patient information and records, including social and medical history obtained from patients, relatives, and other professionals for the patient’s speedy recovery.

Design treatment plans

Individuals who opt for a career as psychiatrist deal with the mental issues of a patient. Every mind works differently, therefore, a psychiatrist must design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatment methods for the speedy recovery of the patient.

Examining

In order to treat a patient, a psychiatrist needs to conduct several examinations so that he or she can diagnose the actual problem that the patient is dealing with. And according to the result of the examination, several treatment methods are used for the patient’s recovery.

Advisory

Not everyone understands the level or the degree of the problem a psychiatric patient is going through simply because the wounds are not visible. Therefore, a psychiatrist advises and informs guardians, relatives, and significant others of patients' conditions and treatment and he or she also makes them understand how to take sensitive care of the patient.

Review

For better results, a psychiatrist reviews and evaluates treatment procedures and outcomes of other psychiatrists and medical professionals that have been conducted on the patient in order to have a better understanding of his or her problems.

Research work

A psychiatrist's work includes a lot of research as not every aspect of mental illness has been covered so far. Therefore a psychiatrist conducts research and publishes findings to increase understanding of mental, emotional, and behavioural states and disorders.

In this section, we have discussed all the types of a psychiatrist and the careers related to them. 

Geriatric Psychiatry: A geriatric psychiatrist is also known as geropsychiatry. He or she is a psychiatrist of old age. This type of child psychiatrist's job description includes conducting tests and taking measures in order to treat the mental illness of people due to old age. According to research, a geriatric psychiatrist is comparatively in more demand in a developing nation than in any other nation.

Psychosomatic Medicine: It is a treatment process in which the mind and the body of the patient are cured. Mental illness not just affects the patient’s mental emotions but also affects his or her physical structure. It aims at finding relations between the patient’s social, psychological, as well as behavioural factors.

Addiction Psychiatry: It is a specialized branch of psychiatry wherein a patient who is dealing with any sort of addiction which may be more than one in number is evaluated, diagnosed, and then treated. The addiction can be to something that seems as harmless as food and as harmful as illegal drugs.

Forensic Psychiatry: A forensic psychiatrist specializes in this branch of psychology in order to deal with criminology. A forensic psychiatrist interfaces the field of law as well as medicine. A Psychiatrist career required treating criminals who are in prison.

Clinical Neurophysiology: A clinical neurophysiologist uses a computer, electrical, magnetism, and electronic methods for researching and recording the capacity of the cerebrum, the spinal cord, spinal roots, the peripheral nerves, and muscle to analyze the disorders of the nervous or the sensory system. Clinical neurophysiologist treats several conditions, for example, epilepsy.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: A child psychiatrist is a specialist who evaluates, diagnoses as well as carries out treatments in order to help them cope with mental illness. This type of child psychiatrist job description includes dealing with a number of problems like anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and several other problems.

Clinical Psychologist: In order to understand their physical, emotional, and behavioural challenges, clinical psychologists consult with clients. Any existing or potential problems may be identified by the psychologist through observations, interviews, and tests. Instead, along with the customer, he or she devises a rehabilitation plan according to the client's needs. A career as Psychologist periodically requires monitoring the client's progress to ensure that the course of action meets their needs and, if possible, to alter it. 

Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India work in a variety of settings, including private practices, clinics, general and psychiatric hospitals, university medical centres, community agencies, courts and prisons, nursing homes, industry, government, military settings, rehabilitation programs, emergency rooms, hospice programs, and many others.

Does Psychiatrist require travelling?

Likely

The job of a psychiatrist does not require travelling. Unless individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist want to go and attend to a patient which requires travelling. Otherwise, conventionally this job doesn’t require travelling.

Employment Shifts

Full Time, On Call, Work From Home

The job of a psychiatrist is generally a 9-5 one. But, they also work in shifts or during weekends. It depends if the psychiatrist is a solo practitioner he or she can work according to the client's requirements. Otherwise, it depends on the hospital or institution he or she is working for.

Employment Nature

Permanent

The nature of the employment of a psychiatrist is permanent. Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India are hired by hospitals on a permanent basis mostly.

Work Place

clinic

Individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist usually work in a hospital, where he or she looks after the patients' mental needs. In some cases, a psychiatrist also has his or her own setup or a clinic where he or she practices trade. Some psychiatrist are also available over the phone or might pay a visit to the patient's residence.

Presence in Geographical Area

Semi-urban, Urban

Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India are concentrated mainly in urban settings. There are very few in semi-urban settings and there is almost no presence of a psychiatrist in a rural setting.

Time Pressure

Likely

Time pressure is moderate in the case of a psychiatrist. Individuals who opt for a career as psychiatrists work on weekends as well as in the evening hours. A lot of psychiatrists also do part-time work. In a career as a psychiatrist, individuals operate approximately forty-five hours a week while psychiatrists who are self-employed work more than this per week. So the time pressure for psychiatrists is more when working independently.

Overtime Details

An individual in a psychiatrist career in India works about eight to nine hours per day and up to twelve hours when required. While several psychiatrists work independently, some individuals work for reputed companies or medical institutions as part of a team.

Weekly Hours of Work

Min 48 Hours

The average psychiatrist spends more than 48 hours each week at work. Professional activities include administration, teaching, consultation, and research. Individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist spend over 60 per cent of their time with patients.

There are several types of a psychiatrist career in India. But, to be able to grab an opportunity one must possess some skills in the career as a psychiatrist. Here, in the article, we will discuss how to become a psychiatrist in India.

Sensitivity: Individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist must be able to judge how another is responding and why the patient is responding as such. Particularly when managing patients, a psychiatrist should utilize his or her own understanding and perception to decide potential dangers and advantages. For instance, choosing whether a patient may get perilous to himself or others. Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India should be sensitive to issues, perceiving that a problem exists regardless of whether no prompt solution is clear. 

Reasoning: As a psychiatrist additionally one needs to have both inductive and deductive thinking aptitudes in order to be successful in his or her career. Deductive thinking includes applying well-established realities and general standards to an issue to locate an intelligent answer. Whereas inductive thinking, on the other hand, includes joining grouped bits of information to arrive at a solution. The point when a psychiatrist takes an account of occasions that seem to have no connection to one another and consolidates them to discover a pattern, then it is applying inductive thinking.

Communication skills: Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India should be good listeners. He or she must be able to concentrate on the words, tone, and non-verbal communication utilized by others to pass on a thought or feeling. At the point when it is the ideal opportunity for the psychiatrist to talk, they should have the option to do as such so that the patient can't in any way, misunderstand what you are stating.

Individuals who opt for a career as a psychiatrist should likewise have the option to comprehend written notes, reports, or records with the goal that others can comprehend what he or she is trying to pass on. 

Compassion: Individuals in the psychiatrist career in India are a matter of first importance to healers. Therefore, they need to be compassionate towards other people. He or she should have an understanding of the issues, difficulties, and requirements of others to be the best. In clinical practice, a psychiatrist may hear explanations that stun, outrage, or repulse them personally. But, he or she should keep up their self-restraint and discretion, remain quiet about their feelings, and should entirely focus on helping the patient. 

Stress Tolerance: Working as a psychiatrist can at times be stressful. Sometimes the stresses are brief but intense, such as a patient unexpectedly becoming extremely agitated. At other times, the stresses are of a longer duration. For example, one might have to persist for many months or even years to achieve a breakthrough with a particular patient. All physicians, including psychiatrists, experience some failures, not all patients can be helped, and not all patients will remain happy with the same physician indefinitely.

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We have mentioned below the certifications that individuals want to establish a career as a Psychiatrist.

Junior Psychiatrist: A Junior  Psychiatrist is a professional who is responsible for evaluating and diagnosing patients and prescribing medication. A Junior Psychiatrist takes care of the patient and observes the changes in the patient.

Senior Psychiatrist: A Senior Psychiatrist is an experienced professional who is responsible for evaluating, examining, treating and prescribing medications to patients. A Senior Psychiatrist leads the team of a junior Psychiatrist and other staff members.  

In the psychiatrist career, there is immense growth at this point in time. The market is growing every day. Instead of joining as an assistant psychiatrist in a government or a private hospital, one also has the option to find some lucrative jobs in corporate hospitals. He or she not only pays them comparatively more but also provides a better job growth opportunity. Over the past five years the job opportunity, pay scale as well as growth in the career have all been witnessed. The psychiatrist's career outlook is positive and expected to grow in the future as well.