When it comes to rewarding careers, it’s harder to find a better one than psychiatry. With high average salaries and the task of diagnosing people’s mental issues, you can earn a good living while helping others move towards living a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

Maybe you’ve been tossing around the idea of pursuing a career in psychiatry, but are unsure of where you should start. Fear not–today we’re here to weigh the pros and cons of a career in psychiatry so that you can make an informed choice for your future.

First, let’s discuss some logistics.

EDUCATION

Of course, school tuition, location, financial aid, miscellaneous school fees, and your living expenses will be the deciding factors in choosing your school. Buckle up for some school debt too; the average psychiatry student amasses over $200,000 of school debt throughout their schooling, which is usually around 12 years. Four years of undergraduate education leads to four to five years of medical school, and then another four years in a psychiatric residency. Does this still sound like the job of your dreams?

If your answer is yes, then first: that’s great! Second, read on for some of the hardships you’ll probably encounter during your career as a psychiatrist.

PATIENTS

Unfortunately, psychiatrists are at higher risk of experiencing violence in their daily work life; this is because they deal with psychiatric patients whose troubles can range from anger issues to outright psychosis. People who are not in possession of their mental faculties are more likely to act irrationally or even hostile, so be prepared to seek out guidance on how to handle these (hopefully rare) situations.

Another drawback is, of course, the school debt. While a high average salary offsets the mountain of debt you acquire throughout schooling, most psychiatrists take decades to pay it off in full. Consider, too, that the length of your schooling will cut into the time you could spend jump-starting another career that requires less education. If time is a significant factor in deciding your career path, you may want to seriously think over whether or not this investment is worth it to you or not.

STRESS

Furthermore, this job is just plain stressful. Between dealing with potentially volatile patients at work and dealing with a sizable amount of debt at home drives many psychiatrists to the point of career burnout. While this can technically happen to anybody in any field, those who work in the social and medical areas are more prone to it since there is a near-constant caregiving component to their career. Professionals term this stress and emotional depletion that arises as a result of caring for others as “compassion fatigue.”

There’s no denying that this field isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you think you’ve got what it takes, then help is readily available. If you’re interested in checking out psychiatry jobs in your area, check out physician psychiatry jobs at practicematch.com. Practicematch.com is a top website for healthcare professionals seeking employment in the industry. Head over today to discover the opportunities that await you.