The Actual Status of Postgraduate Training

Abstract

In this chapter, the current status of postgraduate training in psychiatry will be discussed in a global context. International professional organizations promote standards for psychiatric postgraduate training, including World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and European Psychiatric Association (EPA). The European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) has a section of psychiatry, which has provided guidelines for postgraduate training in psychiatry to harmonize the training in Europe. Globally psychiatry and mental health has not been prioritized in many countries, and this has particular implications for the training of psychiatrists in low- and middle-income countries, and postgraduate training programs are often not available in low-income countries. Some countries have collaborated with high-income countries to develop in-country training programs (e.g., Ethiopia and Cambodia). Competency-Based Training frameworks have increasingly been introduced into postgraduate medical training worldwide, and a number of novel procedures have been introduced to assess the residents’ competence. A full postgraduate education in psychiatry should provide an integrated approach including psychotherapy training as well as training in pharmacotherapy, neuroscience, and other relevant disciplines. Considering the increasing international migration, residents also need to develop competencies in providing high quality and effective care to immigrants. Users of mental health services increasingly expect to participate in the postgraduate training of psychiatrists, and there is a need to provide training for the users as educators. The efforts to improve postgraduate training in psychiatry worldwide should be guided by stepped up research focusing on the content of the training, the teaching methods, and the assessment of the residents.