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Although the decision to become a psychiatrist does not have to be made at high school, high school years are very important for your future career. When planning what classes to take in high school, you need to ask yourself two questions:

Your high school courses will have to satisfy the admission requirements for a liberal arts college. Electives will give you an opportunity to acquire a well-rounded background for college. Writing skills are very important as well.

Participation in extracurricular activities is very helpful in gaining admission to college, especially participation in premedical organizations, which will enhance your knowledge of your tentative career field.

When making a decision regarding which college to attend, you need to consider the following factors:

• the selection of the premedical courses which are prerequisites for medical school
• the availability of a good library and suitable science facilities
• competent faculty
• the percentage of students who go on to medical school after graduation
• the academic reputation of the school

Reading the school catalogs, visiting the campus, and meeting its current students will be helpful in your evaluation of the college. In addition, the college of your choice must have national accreditation in order to meet standards for further pursuing your medical education.

As you start your college career, you need to remember that your Grade Point Average (GPA) will play an important role in your acceptance to medical school. Therefore it is useful to apply one's full abilities from the very beginning of college studies.

It is up to you to decide what to major in as long as you complete the premedical requirements. Bear in mind that you still have an opportunity of being admitted to a medical school with a humanities or social sciences major as long as you complete your premedical requirements and have a solid academic background. Therefore, what major you choose is not as critical as your achievement as a college student.

Premedical requirements include two years of chemistry and one year of both physics and biology plus lab requirements. They serve two very important purposes:

The following credentials are considered important in the selection process:

Your references and personal statements reflect on your academic abilities, achievements, and personal attributes as well. These are taken into serious consideration at the time of evaluating your application.

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) is a non-profit centralized service provided by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for applicants and participating medical schools. 116 medical schools are participating in AMCAS as of 2003. The students who are willing to apply to medical school through AMCAS direct their application to the service as opposed to directing them to schools.

For more information visit the AMCAS web site at http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/start.htm or email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Information about the 16 Canadian medical schools can be obtained from the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges (ACMC).

The first two years of medical school are dedicated to studying science. During these years students take such courses as human anatomy, histology, pathology, immunology, and others. The next two years are dedicated to clinical training, during which students gain exposure to various fields of medicine.

At the completion of the fourth year of medical school the postgraduate residency training begins, which involves additional hospital training as a resident physician. For an adult psychiatrist the length of residency training is four years. During the first postgraduate year (PGY1) the residents may receive some training in their specialty, however, PGY1 is predominantly a medical internship. The specialty training starts in PGY2.

At the completion of PGY4 one can start fellowship training in a subspecialty chosen (research, psychopharmacology, child and adolescent psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, consultation liaison, geriatrics, forensic psychiatry and others). An exception to the rule is child psychiatry, for which the two year fellowship training can commence after the third year of residency training. Although the fellowship training is optional, it may be a requirement to take certain subspecialty board examinations.