Core psychiatry training

Core Psychiatry training is a three-year scheme, designed to give trainees a grounding in clinical psychiatry before moving on to higher training. Over the three years, trainees will undertake a number of placements of a six month duration, including:

• CT1 - general psychiatry
• CT2 - developmental psychiatry, comprising six months in older persons and six months of either child and adolescent or intellectual disability
• CT3 - subspecialties such as addictions, forensic or rehabilitation.

Trainees will work in a mixture of inpatient and community settings and will also gain experience of psychiatry in general hospitals.

During the three year period, trainees will also develop skills in psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as well as more generic skills in quality improvement and research. Trainees will be expected to pass all parts of the MRCPsych (Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists) examinations within their core training.

Training in Wales

Core training in Wales is arranged around the six health boards, so trainees will be located in one geographical area for the entire three year period. Each trainee is allocated an educational supervisor from their local area for the whole three years, to help guide them through their training. Each placement is supervised by an experienced, approved trainer.

We have an all-Wales MRCPsych course, as well as advanced communication skills training and a very successful Clinical Assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC) preparation course available to all trainees. The training scheme also has close links to the universities in Wales, offering opportunities for teaching and research.

We pride ourselves in taking care of our trainees with support locally but there are also central resources available. There are also regular meetings between trainees and the specialty school to ensure that our trainees have the best experience possible.