Psychiatrists
What Psychiatrists Do
Diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental disorders.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
- Self-employed
- 3.7%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 5 of 5Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Job training
- Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.9/5
- Psychologyimportance 4.9/5
- Medicine and Dentistryimportance 4.8/5
- English Languageimportance 4.3/5
- Biologyimportance 3.8/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.7/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.7/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
- Telephone Conversations4.9/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.9/5
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.8/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Marriage and Family Therapists99% skill match
- Rehabilitation Counselors99% skill match
- Healthcare Social Workers98% skill match
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers98% skill match
- Sociologists98% skill match
- Political Scientists98% skill match
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- History Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 4.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.9/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.5/5
- Instructingimportance 3.5/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.3/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- ADL Data Systems OptimumClinicals Electronic Health Record
- Advantage Software Psych Advantage
- Allscripts Sunrise
- Blumenthal Software PBSW24
- Cerner ProFile
- Computer Assisted Diagnostic Interview CADI software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Epic EpicCare Inpatient Clinical System
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Empathy
- Integrity
- Dependability
- Self-Control
- Attention to Detail
- Sincerity
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- SocialHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticLow
- RealisticLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where psychiatrists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Rochester, MN6.08× national avg
- 2Eugene-Springfield, OR3.56× national avg
- 3New Haven, CT2.82× national avg
- 4San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA2.76× national avg
- 5Ann Arbor, MI2.68× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Pediatricians, GeneralLateral Move
- Marriage and Family TherapistsCareer Change
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersCareer Change
- Healthcare Social WorkersCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Medicine
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (Erie, PA)grads earn ~$138,038
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (Blacksburg, VA)grads earn ~$153,927
- Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI)grads earn ~$130,503
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Philadelphia, PA)grads earn ~$139,981
- Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, FL)