Future child and adolescent psychiatrists: a further survey of senior registrar training

Christopher Bools,David Cottrell

doi:10.1192/pb.14.10.611

Abstract

Child and adolescent psychiatry is a growing speciality. Significant increases in workload, the reasons for which have been described elsewhere (Black, 1989), have led to an expansion in consultant posts across the UK. Recently the Joint Planning and Advisory Committee (JPAC) reviewed senior registrar numbers and recommended an increase in the establishment by 38 whole-time equivalents in England and Wales, a rise of 38%, to meet the expected shortfall. How existing senior registrars, as well as this large number of new recruits, are trained is clearly a matter of some importance.

Highlights

Registrar and SHO posts are increasingly linked to specialist train ing rotations and it is becoming more difficult for future child psychiatrists to find posts where they can do 6-12 months of paediatrics
As Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Committee (CAPSAC) states that experience of working with children with mental handicap is a mandatory training requirement, this suggests either that come schemes do not meet these requirements or that ex perience acceptable to CAPSAC seems inadequate to trainees
Future child and adolescent psychiatrists One possible explanation for trainees' high expec tation is the widespread knowledge of the role and function of CAPSAC and of the higher training re qthueireCmoellnetgse. 'sIt ewnacsoduirsaagpepmoeinnttingof hjuonwieovrerd,otchtaotr girveepn resentation at all levels, so few trainees were aware of their representatives on the Collegiate Trainees CoImnmcoitntecelu. sion, it would seem that today's trainees are more eclectic, more research orientated and more community based

Summary

Introduction

With the above changes in mind, a further survey of all senior registrars in child and adolescent psy chiatry was carried out. (d) Attitudes and availability Trainees were asked to rate the importance and availability of a range of clinical conditions, therapeutic skills, clinical supervision and educational oppor tunities. Twenty-two trainees (27%) reported having less than one hour of individual supervision with their consultant each week.

Results

Conclusion