The Changing Face of the Psychiatrist in Training

Extract

The following enquiries into the careers of trainee psychiatrists were undertaken as part of a personal attempt to contact all doctors working in psychiatry in sub-consultant grades in the South-Western Region. The original intention was to establish a register of trainees in the Region, which is geographically large, extending from Gloucester down to the furthermost parts of Cornwall. The academic centre has traditionally been in Bristol, with its University Medical School and Professorial Department of Mental Health. The Regional Clinical Tutor in Psychiatry organizes regular post-graduate meetings and courses, and some of these take place throughout the Region. The Avon Membership Course, now in its fourth term, takes place on Friday afternoons in Bristol during University term time, providing a two-year theoretical framework for trainees preparing for the M.R.C.Psych. The meetings are traditionally open to all interested persons from any discipline, but trainees working at a distance from Bristol find it difficult to attend this course.