Child Psychiatrist – A Booming Career

Jul 17
09:21

2009

 michael

michael

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

Child Psychiatrists are those people who specialize in counseling, study behavioral problems of children and offer support to them. A child Psychiatrist undergoes a bachelor's degree, four years of medical school and three to eight years of residency followed by fellowship.

mediaimage
Duties and Responsibilities of Child Psychiatrists

Child Psychiatrists work with children who go through behavioral difficulties and help them resolve the same by finding emotional and educational solutions for them. Some of the methods used by psychiatrists are medication,Child Psychiatrist – A Booming Career Articles psychotherapy and even hospitalization, if the need be. Child Psychiatrists engage patients to enter into discussions with them and by using evaluative methods such as psychoanalysis, etc they diagnose and decide upon the treatment plans for patients.

Some doctors focus their knowledge on specific age groups such as infants, kids, teens, etc while others diagnose and treat particular kinds of disorders such as obsessive-compulsive behavior, pediatric depression, drug abuse, etc. However, there is no hard and fast rule to specialize as one can play a number of roles together effectively. Child Psychiatrists may pursue private practice or may choose to work as administrators, consultants or supervisors.

Career Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS – www.bls.gov ), the demand for physicians including child psychiatrists is predicted to increase by 14% between the period of 2006 to 2016, which is a much faster rate as compared to the national average. In 2006, the median annual income of psychiatrists in general was as high as $173,992.

As per the American Academy of Adult and Adolescent Psychiatry ( www.aacap.org ), the demand for Child Psychiatrists is on a rise due to the new federal legislation encouraging employment.

Job and Educational Requirements

Individuals having an inclination towards Child Psychiatry need to earn a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Bachelor of Science in Counseling, or a comparable degree before going ahead with a medical degree. Students are required to pass the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), graduate from an accredited medical school program and undergo residency training for three years and 2-year fellowship in the field of Child Psychiatry. One needs to satisfy requirements of state for certification as a Child Psychiatric.