Neuroscientist vs psychiatrist

The differences between neuroscientists and psychiatrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a neuroscientist, becoming a psychiatrist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a psychiatrist has an average salary of $229,034, which is higher than the $76,267 average annual salary of a neuroscientist.

The top three skills for a neuroscientist include literature reviews, animal models and experimental design. The most important skills for a psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Neuroscientist vs psychiatrist overview

	Neuroscientist	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$76,267	$229,034
Hourly rate	$36.67	$110.11
Growth rate	17%	7%
Number of jobs	23,046	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	41	48
Years of experience	4	6

Neuroscientist vs psychiatrist salary

Neuroscientists and psychiatrists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Neuroscientist	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$76,267	$229,034
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $133,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Meta	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between neuroscientist and psychiatrist education

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

	Neuroscientist	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Biology	Medicine
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Neuroscientist vs psychiatrist demographics

Here are the differences between neuroscientists' and psychiatrists' demographics:

	Neuroscientist	Psychiatrist
Average age	41	48
Gender ratio	Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 27.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between neuroscientist and psychiatrist duties and responsibilities

Neuroscientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Neuroscientist vs psychiatrist skills

Common neuroscientist skills

Literature Reviews, 43%
Animal Models, 28%
Experimental Design, 16%
R, 8%
Scientific Data, 4%

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

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Neuroscientist vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

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