Switching to Psychology from a pre-med

[DancingDO]

Hello Everyone! A bit of a long post ahead:

I'm not sure if a similar thread has been posted before but I am a student that switched from being very pre-med focused to psychology. I have always had an interest in Psych but never looked seriously into it as a career until I started working at a Pain clinic as a medical assistant. Working with patients that constantly deal with pain and seeing how it affects them mentally made me realize gain a lot of interest. I am really interested in studying behavioral and neurological changes that come with pain and prolonged opiate use. Another area of interest is the gut-brain axis!

Some background:
Undergrad: BS in Microbiology and a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences (Graduated 2021)
2.5 years of research experience in a Microbiology lab with a Poster presentation and an Assistantship award.
Volunteered at multiple clinics throughout undergrad.
Founder and President of a chapter of MannMukti, an organization that focuses on South Asian Mental Health Awareness. Held leadership positions in various other organizations.
Have not taken the GRE yet (plan to pretty soon)
GPA: pretty low (3.2), minor GPA is around 3.5

From the research I've done so far and considering my GPA, I assume doing a Masters's would be the safest bet. I enjoy research and want to do research in the future but I do primarily want to do clinical work and value interaction with patients that goes beyond therapy (I would like to do testing and neuro analysis); therefore I want to eventually pursue a PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psychology (most likely with an emphasis on Neuropsychology).

Currently, I am a little lost on what my next steps should be. I have found a Masters in Mental Health Counseling at a University near me that offers research opportunities and has a PhD program, but I am not sure if that Masters will help me with my path. I have been so invested in the pre-med route for so long that starting afresh is very daunting and I would appreciate any advice!

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[summerbabe]

Check out Mitch’s Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology. It begins by outlining different mental health degrees/professions and that's where I would focus because a PhD is not necessary to have a fulfilling career in mental health and can end up being a terrible financial choice for self-pay for PsyDs.

I would like to do testing

What interests you about testing and how informed are you on what psychological/neuropsychological assessment really entails? That's a super important question to answer before committing potentially a decade of your life to become a neuropsychologist.

I have found a Masters in Mental Health Counseling at a University near me that offers research opportunities and has a PhD program, but I am not sure if that Masters will help me with my path.

If you have the opportunity to complete a thesis with original data that is publishable and also hopefully be involved in smaller roles on other projects that can lead to poster submissions or 3rd/4th author on papers, that could be very helpful. But definitely inquire further. A program that requires all MS students to be engaged with research will have different opportunities and infrastructure than one that would be supportive of somebody independently pursuing research projects. And one that leads to licensure is helpful in case you decide a PhD is not the right fit later since a lot can change (I knew plenty of peers who stopped after their MS or began in PhD programs and left with a terminal MS).

If not, you're potentially better off trying to find paid RA or unpaid volunteer work with a lab (and have conversations about your goals before accepting a position) if you're pretty deadset on a doctorate.

 

[Creative-thinker]

Hello Everyone! A bit of a long post ahead:

I'm not sure if a similar thread has been posted before but I am a student that switched from being very pre-med focused to psychology. I have always had an interest in Psych but never looked seriously into it as a career until I started working at a Pain clinic as a medical assistant. Working with patients that constantly deal with pain and seeing how it affects them mentally made me realize gain a lot of interest. I am really interested in studying behavioral and neurological changes that come with pain and prolonged opiate use. Another area of interest is the gut-brain axis!

Some background:
Undergrad: BS in Microbiology and a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences (Graduated 2021)
2.5 years of research experience in a Microbiology lab with a Poster presentation and an Assistantship award.
Volunteered at multiple clinics throughout undergrad.
Founder and President of a chapter of MannMukti, an organization that focuses on South Asian Mental Health Awareness. Held leadership positions in various other organizations.
Have not taken the GRE yet (plan to pretty soon)
GPA: pretty low (3.2), minor GPA is around 3.5

From the research I've done so far and considering my GPA, I assume doing a Masters's would be the safest bet. I enjoy research and want to do research in the future but I do primarily want to do clinical work and value interaction with patients that goes beyond therapy (I would like to do testing and neuro analysis); therefore I want to eventually pursue a PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psychology (most likely with an emphasis on Neuropsychology).

Currently, I am a little lost on what my next steps should be. I have found a Masters in Mental Health Counseling at a University near me that offers research opportunities and has a PhD program, but I am not sure if that Masters will help me with my path. I have been so invested in the pre-med route for so long that starting afresh is very daunting and I would appreciate any advice!

I am current Psy.D student and I always get asked by Doctors in the ER why I didn't just become a Psychiatrist. It's probably because I was too lazy for med school . But, if I were you being a Psychiatrist is way worth it, they can actually prescribe drugs and they do brief psychotherapy, and they make is three times then what we will make ever they are averaging 300k or higher, while we are at a max of 180k. Only a few states allow Psy.D's to prescribe , California is not one of them yet. I love neuro also, which is why I am going to do a post-doc masters in Clinical Psychopharmacology for perscribing its mainly about how drugs will affect the brain (it'a through alliant and FDC, which are APA accrediated). I know this isn't something you wanted to hear, but ppl will always ask someone like us why we just didn't go to med school to become psychiatrist. God Bless !

 

[Creative-thinker]

I am current Psy.D student and I always get asked by Doctors in the ER why I didn't just become a Psychiatrist. It's probably because I was too lazy for med school . But, if I were you being a Psychiatrist is way worth it, they can actually prescribe drugs and they do brief psychotherapy, and they make is three times then what we will make ever they are averaging 300k or higher, while we are at a max of 180k. Only a few states allow Psy.D's to prescribe , California is not one of them yet. I love neuro also, which is why I am going to do a post-doc masters in Clinical Psychopharmacology for perscribing its mainly about how drugs will affect the brain (it'a through alliant and FDC, which are APA accrediated). I know this isn't something you wanted to hear, but ppl will always ask someone like us why we just didn't go to med school to become psychiatrist. God Bless !

Yeah, sorry forgot to mention, just skip the masters program and get into the one you want right way wether it's a Psy.D or a Ph.D. program. M.S's are normally a waste of time and money, I have one. Doesn't help much, but it is allowing me to become a Psych assistant to accumulate my state hours, but then again depending on the Psy.D or Ph.D program you go to you can submit your transcripts to get a registration number.

 

[WisNeuro]

I am current Psy.D student and I always get asked by Doctors in the ER why I didn't just become a Psychiatrist. It's probably because I was too lazy for med school . But, if I were you being a Psychiatrist is way worth it, they can actually prescribe drugs and they do brief psychotherapy, and they make is three times then what we will make ever they are averaging 300k or higher, while we are at a max of 180k. Only a few states allow Psy.D's to prescribe , California is not one of them yet. I love neuro also, which is why I am going to do a post-doc masters in Clinical Psychopharmacology for perscribing its mainly about how drugs will affect the brain (it'a through alliant and FDC, which are APA accrediated). I know this isn't something you wanted to hear, but ppl will always ask someone like us why we just didn't go to med school to become psychiatrist. God Bless !

You should check out some of the specialty salary surveys, as this is simply not true.