Psychologist Salary
What is a psychologist?
This is a medical professional that performs therapy and research on the patient’s mind and even the unconscious mind will become a part of the study. The field of psychology is described as the “scientific study of perception, emotion, attention, personality, behavior, interpersonal relationships, and motivation.” Psychology has been practiced since the time of the Ancient Greeks. In time it branched off from philosophy into its own field.
Being a psychologist you will have 3 main areas of focus which are teaching, research, and practice. Although most psychologists are trained in practice and research they may emphasize 1 area more than the other area in their practice. One thing that many people do is confuse a psychiatrist and psychologist but both are very different. One big difference between the two is what their underlying focus is. A psychologist uses treatments that are more non-medical and a psychiatrist has a medical focus of treatment because they are licensed physicians. Another difference is a psychologist cannot prescribe medicine and a psychiatrist can.
Being a “psychologist” is a general term as there are different specialties that a psychologist can major in such as:
- Neuropsychologists—they deal with the delicate relationship between the brain to overt behavior and psychological processes
- Developmental psychologist—they deal with the crucial stages of development.
- Clinical psychologist—this is the largest specialty of all. They help people to cope with their emotional or mental problems.
A physician is a healthcare practitioner who is trained to diagnose and treat injuries and illnesses. There are also many other names that a physician assistant is known by such as Physician Associate, Orthopedic Physician Assistant, Certified Physician’s Assistant, Family Practice Physician Assistant, Surgical Physician Assistant, Pediatric Physician Assistant or just PA. In the early 1960’s the profession of physician assistants were introduced to the American Medical Association. This reason was because at this was the first time that there was a shortage of physicians became evident. Today the role of a physician assistant is more important than it ever was because the demand for physicians is growing as the baby-boomers near their age of retirement and they will need someone to take care of them.
They are a medical professional that works primarily with patients that are being treated for cancer. In Canada, Australia, and the UK they are more commonly referred to as Radiotherapist or Radiation Oncologist. In the United States they are also referred to as Radiotherapist or Therapeutic Radiographers. Being a radiation therapist is a very vital medical professional in the oncology department in various healthcare facilities and hospitals. They will work with other health care professionals like nurses, nutritionists, radiation oncologists, and other radiation therapists. 
This is a medical professional who works in an operating room and makes sure that it is safe and clean before each operation is done. They are also referred to as an operating technician. The surgical technologist is part of the surgical team and will typically support any medical personnel, including nurses and physicians that are going to be part of the patient’s operation. A surgical technologist is also known by other names like OR Tec, Certified Surgical Technologist, Surgical Scrub Technologist, or Surgical Technician. Many times they are called “Scrubs”. A surgical technologist is a very important part of the surgical team.
A medical assistant is a vital part of every health care team and plays the part of a physician’s aide but they are not a physician assistant. A physician assistant has the ability to prescribe medications and has a broader scope of practice which a medical assistant does not. If you are considering becoming a medical assistant you need to know that what they do can be split into two main areas: administrative medical assistant and clinical medical assistant. A medical assistant can also be known as certified medical assistant, medical office assistant, or registered medical assistant. A medical assistant is also the person who helps the physician spend more time with the patient examining them and finding out what is wrong instead of spending more time on taking vital signs, taking medical history, etc. 
They are considered a health care professional who treats patients who have cardiopulmonary ailments and breathing problems under the supervision of physicians. A respiratory therapist is the one that helps to relieve the patient’s symptoms and restores their breathing function. A respiratory therapist does not have as much authority as a physician but they do have more authority than a nurse. A respiratory therapist also needs to have a good bedside manner because they may have to deal with patients that are worried or upset so having an understanding calm presence can be helpful. In becoming a respiratory therapist means that you will be dealing with patients of all ages from a premature baby to elderly patients. 
This is a medical professional who administers anesthetics to patients in a hospital or outpatient setting when they are having a medical procedure done where they need to either be asleep or have a certain area of their body numb while the procedure is being done. Anesthetics is the medication that is used to cause a reversible loss of sensation or causes anesthesia which means they are helping a patient minimize discomfort, shock, and pain during the medical procedure. 
A psychiatric technician is a trained health professional who deals with people having mental issues, or illnesses, not to mention the patients who are very unstable when it comes to emotional states. Their work is held under the observation of other healthcare professionals such as psychiatrists or psychiatric nurses. Psychiatric technicians deal with mental illnesses that include dementia, depression or others. These are mental disorders that affect a lot of people’s thinking and the way they react to every outside influence and not only.