Clinical psychiatrist vs psychologist

The differences between clinical psychiatrists and psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a clinical psychiatrist has an average salary of $236,940, which is higher than the $97,803 average annual salary of a psychologist.

The top three skills for a clinical psychiatrist include outpatient clinic, mental illness and practice nurses. The most important skills for a psychologist are patients, crisis intervention, and rehabilitation.

Clinical psychiatrist vs psychologist overview

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Psychologist
Yearly salary	$236,940	$97,803
Hourly rate	$113.91	$47.02
Growth rate	7%	6%
Number of jobs	57,742	12,516
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	48	47
Years of experience	6	-

Clinical psychiatrist vs psychologist salary

Clinical psychiatrists and psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Psychologist
Average salary	$236,940	$97,803
Salary range	Between $139,000 And $403,000	Between $68,000 And $139,000
Highest paying City	Tacoma, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	California
Best paying company	Carilion Clinic	Sierra Corporation
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between clinical psychiatrist and psychologist education

There are a few differences between a clinical psychiatrist and a psychologist in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Psychologist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Nursing	Psychology
Most common college	Columbia University in the City of New York	Northwestern University

Clinical psychiatrist vs psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between clinical psychiatrists' and psychologists' demographics:

	Clinical Psychiatrist	Psychologist
Average age	48	47
Gender ratio	Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 19.4% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	20%

Differences between clinical psychiatrist and psychologist duties and responsibilities

Clinical psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Implement individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments to stabilize patients during their hospitalization.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.

Psychologist example responsibilities.

Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.

Clinical psychiatrist vs psychologist skills

Common clinical psychiatrist skills

Outpatient Clinic, 56%
Mental Illness, 40%
Practice Nurses, 4%

Common psychologist skills

Patients, 18%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Mental Illness, 5%
Clinical Supervision, 5%
APA, 4%

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Clinical Psychiatrist
Clinical Psychiatrist vs Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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