High School

If you think medical school is in your future, you should focus on college preparatory classes in high school. Take plenty of science and math courses, including biology, chemistry, physics, algebra, and calculus. To prepare for your later psychology studies, take sociology, psychology, and history classes. English courses that teach you to research, write, and speak well are also important, as you will need to express yourself clearly not only to patients but also to the other professionals you'll work with.

Postsecondary Training

Since you will need to attend medical school to become a geriatric psychiatrist, you should plan your college curriculum to meet medical school admission requirements. You will benefit from consulting the Association of American Medical Colleges' online database Medical School Admission Requirements (https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-medical-school/applying-medical-school-process/medical-school-admission-requirements), which has information on entrance requirements for schools in the United States and Canada, as well as information on other topics such as schools' curricula and financial aid. Typical majors for those planning on attending medical school include biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. You should also continue to take psychology and English classes. Some universities now offer undergraduate courses in gerontology that cover topics such as the sociology of aging and public policy issues affecting the elderly. Scores from the Medical College Admission Test are required for admission by most medical schools. Students usually take this test during their junior year of college.

In medical school, you will need to complete a four-year program of medical studies and supervised clinical work to earn your M.D. degree. Most instruction in the first two years is given through classroom lectures, laboratories, seminars, and the reading of textbook material. You will also learn to take medical histories, examine patients, and recognize symptoms.

During the last two years of medical school, you will become actively involved in the treatment process, spending a large proportion of your time in the hospital as part of a medical team headed by a teaching physician. You will be closely supervised as you learn techniques such as how to take a patient's medical history, how to make a physical examination, how to work in the laboratory, how to make a diagnosis, and how to keep all the necessary records. In addition to this hospital work, you will continue to take course work.

Psychiatrists can also attend an osteopathic medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). These programs are accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, https://www.aacom.org.

Once you have completed four years of medical school, you will need to complete a residency. First-year residents work in several specialties, such as pediatrics or internal medicine. After that, residents wanting to become psychiatrists complete three years of work at a psychiatric hospital or a general hospital's psychiatric ward. In addition, residents may complete a geriatric psychiatry fellowship, a program typically lasting one year and providing specialized geriatric training. Completing such a fellowship is highly recommended. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education provides a list of geriatric psychiatry fellowships at https://apps.acgme.org/ads/public/reports/report/1. 

Other Education or Training

Continuing education opportunities are provided by many national and state organizations, including the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Medical Association, American Osteopathic Association, American Psychiatric Association, and Academy for Gerontology in Higher Education. Contact these organizations for more information.

Certification or Licensing

The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is the certifying board for all psychiatrists regardless of their specialty. To become an ABPN-certified psychiatrist you will need to pass a computer-administered psychiatry certification examination and meet other requirements. An ABPN-certified psychiatrist may treat geriatric patients. Those in the field, however, recommend that you complete a geriatric psychiatry fellowship program, which qualifies you to apply for the subspecialty certification of geriatric psychiatrist. To obtain this subspecialty certification, also available through ABPN, you must pass an examination exam covering topics such as psychological and social aspects of aging and diagnostic methods. This certification is highly recommended because it will enhance your professional standing as well as demonstrate to your patients and their families your extensive training in this field.

After receiving their M.D. or D.O. degree, all doctors must pass a licensing test in order to practice medicine in the state in which they will work. Depending on the requirements of your state, you may need to pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (which is managed by the National Board of Medical Examiners) or an individual state licensing test. Because these requirements vary, you will need to check with your state's licensing board for specific information.

There is no way to obtain direct experience in high school, but it's a good idea to take as many health and science classes as possible and participate in science clubs. During your medical training, you will gain experience by completing a four-year residency in internal medicine and psychiatry and at least one year of training in a geriatric psychiatry fellowship.

Geriatric psychiatrists need to be compassionate, patient, flexible, and intelligent. To be effective in their work, they must understand a vast array of medical, technical, and psychological information. They need analyzing and diagnosing skills, excellent listening skills, and administrative skills. Decision-making ability, time-management skills, and writing skills are also important in this career. Like any doctor, they must be committed to lifelong learning in order to keep up with advancements in the field, such as new medications.

Perhaps most important, though, geriatric psychiatrists must enjoy working with older people, listening to them and helping them with their unique set of problems. A successful geriatric psychiatrist must have a firm belief that, with the right treatment, mentally ill seniors can get relief from their pain and lead improved and fulfilling lives.