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Psychiatrist

Healthcare

Diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental disorders.

ScienceAllied Health

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.
  2. 2Gather and maintain patient information and records, including social or medical history obtained from patients, relatives, or other professionals.
  3. 3Design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments.
  4. 4Collaborate with physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals to discuss treatment plans and progress.
  5. 5Analyze and evaluate patient data or test findings to diagnose nature or extent of mental disorder.
  6. 6Examine or conduct laboratory or diagnostic tests on patients to provide information on general physical condition or mental disorder.
  7. 7Counsel outpatients or other patients during office visits.
  8. 8Advise or inform guardians, relatives, or significant others of patients' conditions or treatment.
  9. 9Teach, take continuing education classes, attend conferences or seminars, or conduct research and publish findings to increase understanding of mental, emotional, or behavioral states or disorders.
  10. 10Review and evaluate treatment procedures and outcomes of other psychiatrists or medical professionals.
  11. 11Prepare and submit case reports or summaries to government or mental health agencies.
  12. 12Serve on committees to promote or maintain community mental health services or delivery systems.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • MD
  • Doctor
  • Physician
  • DO Physician
  • Psychiatrist
  • Psychiatrists
  • Psychoanalyst
  • Psychiatric RN
  • Neuropsychiatrist
  • Adult Psychiatrist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. Typical entry

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationPost-doctoral training

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

BiologyDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Sports ScienceDraws directly on Therapy and Counseling — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Medicine and Dentistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Therapy and Counseling99%

    BiologySports Science

  • Psychology98%
  • Medicine and Dentistry95%

    BiologyChemistry

  • English Language85%

    English

  • Biology76%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Education and Training73%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersVery high
  • Handling conflict situationsEvery day
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherAlmost never
  • Noisy environmentRarely

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Perform mental health evaluations to provide information to courts of law on patients' mental states.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

26%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Related careers

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Psychiatrists

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org