Psychologist vs psychiatrist

The differences between psychologists and psychiatrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychiatrist has an average salary of $229,034, which is higher than the $97,803 average annual salary of a psychologist.

The top three skills for a psychologist include patients, crisis intervention and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Psychologist vs psychiatrist overview

	Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$97,803	$229,034
Hourly rate	$47.02	$110.11
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	12,516	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	47	48
Years of experience	-	6

What does a psychologist do?

Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.

What does a psychiatrist do?

A Psychiatrist is a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They treat patients utilizing psychotherapeutic methods and medications.

Psychologist vs psychiatrist salary

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

	Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$97,803	$229,034
Salary range	Between $68,000 And $139,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Sierra Corporation	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between psychologist and psychiatrist education

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

	Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Medicine
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Psychologist vs psychiatrist demographics

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

	Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Average age	47	48
Gender ratio	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratio	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%	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	20%	10%

Differences between psychologist and psychiatrist duties and responsibilities

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.

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.

Psychologist vs psychiatrist skills

Common psychologist skills

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

Common psychiatrist skills

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

Psychologist vs. similar jobs

Psychologist related careers

Psychologist related jobs

Psychologist jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Psychologist
Psychologist vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs