Psychiatrists and psychologists:
Doctors of psychology and doctors of philosophy in psychology—who earn PsyD degrees and PhDs, respectively—get four to six years of graduate-level education plus a one-year internship. Moreover, psychologists complete a one-year internship while psychiatrists (MDs, DOs) get between 12,000 and 16,000 hours of patient care during their four- to six-year residency program. That only comes after completing four years of medical school.
More important even than years of training, however, is the nature of the education these two types of health professionals get. The core issue is that, while psychologists may be well-equipped behavioral experts, their educational requirements include zero training in medicine. While psychologists provide care for emotional and behavioral issues, they are not equipped to provide the medical care psychiatrists provide.
Physicians and pharmacists:
Pharmacists get four years of postgraduate education, which includes 1,740 hours of clinical training. They have no residency requirement.
By contrast, physicians get four years of post-graduate education in medical school, plus three to seven years of residency training. Included in this is some 12,000–16,000 hours of clinical training—which is, about seven times as much as what pharmacists get.
In addition, physician education includes performing differential diagnoses, treating patients for a broad range of illnesses and diseases, and caring for patients during each phase of the lifecycle. Pharmacist training does not include making a diagnosis, being exposed to patients with any specific medical conditions or even conducting a comprehensive physical examination.
Blogfinger. Some schools offer Pharm D. degrees in pharmacology. It is the highest level of practice, and those with the Pharm.D. don’t often work at CVS. Instead they are found in institutional settings such as hospitals or med schools. This degree usually takes 6 years, and the jobs pay better. But they are not called “Doctor.”
In some educational settings, they may be found rounding with house staff. I can see how they would add an extra dimension when discussing pharmacologic therapies on patients. But I have never had the chance to see such a professional at work as part of a team.
Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC.