Healthcare Field
See also: Health Psychology and Mental Health Field
Health care practitioners diagnose and treat illness and injury, as well as promote better health and wellness through preventative care. There are many pathways to careers in healthcare, including specific training, licensure, and/or certification for the specific type of practice (e.g., medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine).
Students interested in becoming a health care practitioner would typically be on the pre-health or nursing track, as this coursework will prepare them for licensure and careers in health care. However, pre-health is not a major, and many pre-health students will take psychology courses and/or major in psychology. Psychological science is foundational for effective health care practice by providing an understanding of the complex, biopsychosocial context of health. Psychology illuminates the mind-body connection, as well as how to foster effective doctor-patient communication and behavioral change, which is key to the promotion of health. (It is no accident that the MCAT now includes psychology content.) In addition, studying psychology includes critical evaluation of research, which is a vital skill for health care practitioners.
While all health care practitioners benefit from a solid grounding in psychology, the specific focus would depend on your planned career path. For example:
- Students interested in psychiatric health care would prepare for the relevant degree, licensure, and/or certification (e.g., BSN, M.D.) with additional, specialized training in the diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. Related career options would include psychiatric technician, therapist, counselor, and psychiatric social worker. Courses in clinical psychology would be especially relevant.
- Students interested in family medicine would prepare for the relevant degree, licensure, and/or certification (e.g., BSN, M.D.). Courses in developmental psychology would be especially relevant.
In other words, it can be helpful to think about your potential career interests and choose courses in psychology and cognate fields that would be most relevant.
Careers in health care are varied and include different training and licensure requirements. You can explore options through Pre-Health Studies at Georgetown, the School of Health, and the Berkley School of Nursing. Some careers only require a bachelor’s degree (e.g., BSN), and others would require post-graduate training (e.g., M.D.). In addition, there are many opportunities for mental health practitioners to serve vital roles within traditional health care settings (e.g., hospitals), so another pathway would be to pursue graduate training to become a licensed therapist.
Relevant courses in Psychology:
As noted above, depending on the type of career you are considering, many Psychology courses are potentially relevant.
- PSYC 1000 General Psychology
- PSYC 2200 Physiological Psychology
- PSYC 2300 Cognition: Information in the Brain
- PSYC 2600 Lifespan Development
- PSYC 2700 Psychological Disorders
- PSYC 2710 Personality and Clinical Science
- PSYC 3210 Social and Affective Neuroscience
- PSYC 3220 Health Psychology
- PSYC 3400 Cultural Psychology
- PSYC 4200 Stress, Coping, and Health
- PSYC 4220 Health Behavior and Cancer Prevention Across the Lifespan
- PSYC 4430 Digital Well-Being
- PSYC 4450 Empathy and Communication
- PSYC 4700 Theories of Therapy
Cognate courses in the biomedical sciences would be highly relevant, as well (and are typically required as part of a pre-health curriculum). Other pertinent courses include those in Medical Humanities and the School of Health.
Want to find out more? Chat with Profs. Adam Green and Deborah C. Stearns.
