Senior House Officer In Psychiatry Research Articles

Books: Starting to Shrink: Every Doctor's Worst Nightmare.

John Eagles Austin Macauley Publishers, 2017, PB, 338pp, £8.99, 978-1786938541 Starting to Shrink starts with every doctor’s worst nightmare — a letter from the GMC about an upcoming hearing. In this case, Douglas Barker, a senior house officer in psychiatry, has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a patient. The story is set in the early 1980s, and follows Douglas through his first year as a psychiatry trainee in Scotland. Much …

William Dewi Rees

After national service, William Dewi Rees (who was always known as “Dewi”), met his future wife, Valerie, while a medical student in London. She was a biochemist at the Hammersmith...

Eric Jackson Thomas

Eric Jackson Thomas never wanted to be anything other than a doctor. He was born near Middlesbrough and qualified from Newcastle upon Tyne in 1949. He was a houseman in...

The Structured Clinically Relevant Interview for Psychiatrists in Training (SCRIPT): A New Standardized Assessment Tool for Recruitment in the UK

The multifaceted nature of training and the diverse backgrounds of potential Senior House Officers (Postgraduate Residents) require a novel approach to the selection of trainees wishing to pursue a career in psychiatry. The author reports the properties of a semi-structured interview (the SCRIPT) for assessing doctors short-listed for a large Senior House Officer Training Scheme in psychiatry in South East England. Data from 3 recruitment periods between 2005 and 2006 was examined to assess both interrater reliability and variation in scoring between interviewers. All questions were operationally defined and were modeled on General Medical Council (UK) guidelines for Good Medical Practice. For 3 consecutive recruitment periods, interrater reliability (measured by Cronbach alpha) retained a high level of significance (p<0.001). Differences between the maximum and minimum mean scores between panels differed by only 6% of the total possible score and differences between mean scores at the same (p values between 0.8 and 0.9) and different (p values between 0.2 and 0.4) interviews showed no significant differences. The development of a valid and reliable method for selecting Senior House Officers in Psychiatry shows promise in the recruitment of "tomorrow's psychiatrists." Prospective data on the positive predictive value of individual scores in career development awaits further exploration. Given the birth of a new 'Run Through Grade,' the interview may have its place in the assessment process within Modernising Medical Careers in the United Kingdom.

Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry (DCP) conducted by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Although the purpose of the diploma exam is to recognise competence in psychiatric care for doctors working in primary care, it is also suitable for psychiatry trainees who are interested in taking the exam for membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (MRCPsych). I did the diploma in October 2005. I was in my second year of basic specialist training as a senior house officer in psychiatry. I did it as practice for my part one MRCPsych exam and to gain an extra qualification. I studied textbooks seriously for three months and did lots of multiple choice questions (MCQs). …

Psychiatry at night: experience of the senior house officer

Aims and MethodWe gathered detailed prospective data for first on-call activity of senior house officers (SHOs) in order to help plan changes in service provision so that SHOs in psychiatry complied with the Working Time Directive and to determine whether service changes affected training experience while on call. The incumbent SHOs designed a simple form to monitor on-call activity in West Berkshire.ResultsAdmissions and assessments make up a quarter of calls but three-quarters of the work. An overnight crisis service reduced the number of assessments made by SHOs out of hours by 68%. Screening of calls by a senior nurse reduced the number of calls about in-patients by 60% on weekday nights. Between 73% and 100% of calls about in-patients after midnight were for assessment of patients in seclusion and rapid tranquillisation.Clinical ImplicationsThis survey helped to plan service delivery and to monitor the training of SHOs during on call. Screening of calls by a senior nurse, alternatives to seclusion and nurse-led prescribing for rapid tranquillisation would have the largest impact on the work generated by in-patients. The overnight crisis service reduced the number of assessments, but might have an adverse impact on training.

A career in child and adolescent psychiatry? Survey of trainees' views

Aims and MethodThe aim of the study was to elicit the views of senior house officers in psychiatry across London regarding the factors that influence their decision whether to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychiatry. Postal questionnaires were sent to a random sample of all senior house officers on London psychiatry training schemes.ResultsOf the respondents who recalled being taught child psychiatry at medical school, 91% found it interesting and 73% found it useful. Of those who recalled having such teaching during psychiatric training, 90% found it interesting and 85% found it useful. However, this had no significant impact upon subsequent career choice. Experience of working as a senior house officer in child psychiatry did influence future career intentions. Trainees who identified such placements as providing good clinical experience or job satisfaction were significantly more likely to consider the specialty for a future career.Clinical ImplicationsConsultants and managers should create and maintain senior house officer posts that will encourage trainees to perceive the specialty as a future career.

Engaging patients as teachers of clinical interview skills

Aims and Method To engage patients as teachers of psychiatrists in training and non-consultant career grades, for the purpose of enhancing doctors' understanding of the patient point of view and of the complexity of the doctor–patient relationship. Patients have been engaged as teachers in a recurrent cycle of ‘Basic Interview Skills' workshops and the views of the doctors about this initiative have been elicited through a brief anonymous and confidential questionnaire. Results Thirty-six psychiatric senior house officers (SHOs), general practitioners, Vocational Training Scheme SHOs in psychiatry, and staff grade and trust doctors in psychiatry have participated in four cycles of workshops. Five patients have engaged in the workshops as teachers, alongside the clinical tutor. Questionnaire feedback indicated some specific criticisms of a number of participants and dissatisfaction by a small minority of doctors, but the overall evaluation of the experience was positive. Clinical Implications Engagement of patients as teachers of psychiatrists in training and other new doctors in mental health services is desirable, feasible and welcomed by most doctors. With due attention to the legitimate sensitivities of participants, the practice of engaging patients as teachers of doctors working in psychiatry could be generalised in training schemes and services across the country.

Engaging patients as teachers of clinical interview skills

Aims and MethodTo engage patients as teachers of psychiatrists in training and non-consultant career grades, for the purpose of enhancing doctors' understanding of the patient point of view and of the complexity of the doctor–patient relationship. Patients have been engaged as teachers in a recurrent cycle of ‘Basic Interview Skills' workshops and the views of the doctors about this initiative have been elicited through a brief anonymous and confidential questionnaire.ResultsThirty-six psychiatric senior house officers (SHOs), general practitioners, Vocational Training Scheme SHOs in psychiatry, and staff grade and trust doctors in psychiatry have participated in four cycles of workshops. Five patients have engaged in the workshops as teachers, alongside the clinical tutor. Questionnaire feedback indicated some specific criticisms of a number of participants and dissatisfaction by a small minority of doctors, but the overall evaluation of the experience was positive.Clinical ImplicationsEngagement of patients as teachers of psychiatrists in training and other new doctors in mental health services is desirable, feasible and welcomed by most doctors. With due attention to the legitimate sensitivities of participants, the practice of engaging patients as teachers of doctors working in psychiatry could be generalised in training schemes and services across the country.