💡 Why it matters: Mental health problems affect people everywhere, and many struggle to find help because there are too few specialists. Psychiatrists are doctors who can diagnose conditions, prescribe medicine and arrange talking therapies.
🌍 Around the world
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics).
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦3M – ₦7M
- Mid-career
- ₦8M – ₦18M
- Senior
- ₦18M – ₦40M
≈ ₦667k – ₦1.5M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇺🇸 United States
Median pay only; BLS shows no percentile range for this group.. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Annual wages as shown by Job Bank (low/median/high); many psychiatrists are paid by fee, so the spread is wide. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Talk with patients about how they think, feel and behave
- Diagnose conditions such as depression, anxiety and psychosis
- Prescribe medicines and review how they are working
- Plan treatment with psychologists, nurses and social workers
- Support families and help people stay safe and well
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Listening
- Empathy
- Problem solving
- Staying calm
- Communication
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Medical degree, then housemanship (internship), then psychiatry residency
- Psychology degree first is a related start but not a route into medicine
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Graduate-entry medicine if you already have a degree
- Medical school widening-access and foundation-year courses
🇺🇸 United States
- Combined bachelor's and MD programmes at some universities
- Post-baccalaureate pre-med programmes if you change course
🇨🇦 Canada
- Some medical schools accept students after 2 to 3 years of university
- Programmes for Indigenous and rural applicants at some medical schools
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Study Biology, Chemistry and English at school
- 2Get into medical school and complete your medical degree
- 3Complete internship or foundation years as a junior doctor
- 4Train for several years as a psychiatry resident or specialty trainee
- 5Pass specialist exams and work in a hospital or clinic
⏰ A day in the life
You start by meeting a young woman who has not slept for days and feels very low. You listen carefully, ask gentle questions and agree on a plan with her. Later, you join a team meeting with nurses and a psychologist to review patients on the ward.