388 publications, relevant seminars and workshops to discuss and promote EMCRs. These activities would act as a significant impetus for new researchers to enter the field and to actively promote further research in mood disorders. In this way, we aim to build a collaborative cohort of future leaders in bipolar and depressive disorders that will contribute to the promotion of a better research landscape for the future. We invite interested EMCRs to become a part of the ASBDD EMCR membership to promote affective disorders research in Australia. Note For further information or to become part of the membership, visit: http://bipolardisorders.com.au/about-asbdd/earlymid-careerresearcher-sub-committee-emcr/ or contact [email protected]
Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the ASBDD for their support of the EMCR committee and its activities.
Towards protecting the endangered discipline of psychiatry Zaza Lyons and Aleksandar Janca School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Corresponding author: Zaza Lyons, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. Email: [email protected] DOI: 10.1177/0004867415574313
The recent Editorial by Henderson and colleagues (2015) expressed concern that academic psychiatry in Australia and New Zealand is ‘endangered’. Not long ago, a similar international trend was identified by Katschnig (2010), who posed an
ANZJP Correspondence Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of interest TEVR has received financial support from Swinburne University and the Helen McPherson Smith Trust. SKD has received funding from the NHMRC, the University of Melbourne and Beyondblue. FG has received support from the University of Melbourne, the Australasian Society for Bipolar & Depressive Disorders (ASBDD/ AstraZeneca Scholarship) and Pfizer via a Neuroscience Research Grant. He has also received support from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). EG has received funding from Australian Rotary Health and the Ian Parker Bipolar Research Fund. OMD has received grant support from the Brain and Behavior Foundation, Simons Autism Foundation, Australian Rotary Health, Stanley Medical Research Institute, Deakin University, the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program, Lilly, the NHMRC and an ASBD/Servier grant. She
almost identical question: ‘Are psychiatrists an endangered species?’. Both articles discuss strategies that could assist in reviving psychiatry to become an attractive career pathway for students, interns and clinicians that is adequately remunerated, resourced and respected. The authors acknowledge that the first step is to improve recruitment of medical students to psychiatry as a career; however, for decades it has been unpopular the world over. A number of negative factors that detract students from psychiatry have been identified, including a perception that psychiatry is an unscientific, stressful and second-class speciality. Psychiatric patients are perceived as dangerous and emotionally draining, and treatment as questionable and ineffective (Lyons, 2013). We agree with the view expressed by Henderson and colleagues who suggest that in order to protect
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(4)
has also received kind support from Biomedica Nutraceuticals, NutritionCare and Bioceuticals.
References Clark J (2014) The neglect of science. CAUT Bulletin. Available at: www.cautbulletin.ca/en_article. asp?articleid=3831 (accessed 24 December 2014). Ferrari AJ, Charlson FJ, Norman RE, et al. (2013) Burden of depressive disorders by country, sex, age, and year: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. PLoS Med 10: e1001547. National Health and Medical Research Council (2014) Outcomes of funding rounds. Summary details of the 17 Oct 2014 Announcement. Available at: www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/outcomes-funding-rounds (accessed 21 December 2014). National Institute of Health (2014) Success rates. Training and Research Career Development Programs: Postdoctoral fellowships (F32s): Applications, awards, success rates, and funding, by degree of applicant. Available at: www. report.nih.gov/success_rates/index.aspx (accessed 21 December 1014). World Health Organization (2008) The global burden of disease: 2004 update. Switzerland: WHO.
academic psychiatry, educators should aim to improve teaching in medical schools to make the student experience as rewarding and stimulating as possible.
Limitations of the psychiatry rotation The clinical rotation is usually the first exposure that students have of psychiatry, providing them with the opportunity for involvement in patient care and interaction with clinical and academic psychiatrists. Psychiatry rotations are an integral component of medical courses in Australia, and their core role is to teach the basics of the discipline, including patient interviewing, symptom recognition, diagnosis and classification of mental disorders. However, psychiatry rotations are not primarily developed as a recruitment tool, and while they can be effective in improving students’
389
ANZJP Correspondence attitudes towards psychiatry, evidence of their impact on psychiatry as a career is mixed. The move by many universities from undergraduate to 4-year graduate courses has resulted in greater competition between disciplines for clinical teaching time and a significant reduction in rotation length. With less time to teach, we need to work harder and do more to promote psychiatry as a rewarding and fulfilling professional career to ensure that the psychiatric workforce is sustainable. In our view, this can be achieved by the implementation of more creative and innovative teaching strategies that deliver enrichment programmes that are over and above expected conventional teaching and more specifically designed and targeted towards attracting students to psychiatry as a career.
Our approach to creative teaching and recruitment In 2008, the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Western Australia established an innovative enrichment programme: the Claassen Institute of Psychiatry for Medical Students (the Claassen Institute). The Claassen Institute is an intensive, week-long programme that provides students with an extended view of the discipline with the aim of increasing their interest in psychiatry as a career, and raising awareness of areas for subspecialisation. Students participate in interactive seminars and debates that cover a range of diverse topics and visit local community and hospitalbased mental health services. Students are able to interact informally with presenters throughout the week,
which provides opportunities for future mentorship. Places are limited to 20 and over the years students from New Zealand and Hong Kong have attended, adding an international perspective and allowing for crosscultural exchange between students. An initial evaluation of the Claassen Institute undertaken in 2010 found that students’ interest and knowledge in psychiatry had improved, and that the number of students seriously considering psychiatry as a career had increased significantly (Lyons et al., 2010). The Claassen Institute has now been running for 7 years and 117 students have attended. A recent followup evaluation found that, by the end of the Claassen Institute week, 90 (77%) of these students were ‘definitely’ considering a career in psychiatry.
President RANZCP, personal communication, 17 October 2014). In summary, we firmly believe that creative and innovative enrichments programmes such as the Claassen Institute and more recent RANZCP initiatives are proving to be effective strategies to encourage students towards psychiatry as a career. The establishment of similar programmes in Australia and New Zealand will protect our endangered discipline and further strengthen and future-proof the psychiatric workforce for decades to come. Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of interest
RANZCP attempts to improve recruitment The importance of recruitment to psychiatry has also been recognised by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and, in response, a number of initiatives targeted towards medical students and junior doctors have been implemented. These include the development of a section of the RANZCP website specifically targeted towards students and graduates, and the Psychiatry Interest Forum (RANZCP, 2013). An initiative that encourages students to attend the annual RANZCP Congress and participate in a range of special activities has also been implemented. More recently, a series of weekend ‘Introduction to Psychiatry’ workshops have been run, aimed at encouraging students and junior doctors to consider psychiatry as a career (Maria Tomasic, Former
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. See Editorial by Henderson et al., 2015, 49(1): 9–12.
References Henderson S, Porter R, Basset D, et al. (2015) Why academic psychiatry is endangered. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 49: 9–12. Katschnig H (2010) Are psychiatrists an endangered species? Observations on internal and external challenges to the profession. World Psychiatry 9: 21–28. Lyons Z (2013) Attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry, and to psychiatry as a career: a systematic review. Academic Psychiatry 37: 150–157. Lyons Z, Power B, Bilyk N, et al. (2010) Evaluation of the Claassen Institute of Psychiatry for Medical Students. Australasian Psychiatry 18: 12–16. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (2013) Students & Graduates (Quick links). Available at: www.ranzcp. org/Quick-links/Students-graduates.aspx (accessed 25 January 2015).
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(4)
Copyright of Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the ASBDD for their support of the EMCR committee and its activities.
Towards protecting the endangered discipline of psychiatry Zaza Lyons and Aleksandar Janca School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Corresponding author: Zaza Lyons, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. Email: [email protected] DOI: 10.1177/0004867415574313
The recent Editorial by Henderson and colleagues (2015) expressed concern that academic psychiatry in Australia and New Zealand is ‘endangered’. Not long ago, a similar international trend was identified by Katschnig (2010), who posed an
ANZJP Correspondence Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of interest TEVR has received financial support from Swinburne University and the Helen McPherson Smith Trust. SKD has received funding from the NHMRC, the University of Melbourne and Beyondblue. FG has received support from the University of Melbourne, the Australasian Society for Bipolar & Depressive Disorders (ASBDD/ AstraZeneca Scholarship) and Pfizer via a Neuroscience Research Grant. He has also received support from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). EG has received funding from Australian Rotary Health and the Ian Parker Bipolar Research Fund. OMD has received grant support from the Brain and Behavior Foundation, Simons Autism Foundation, Australian Rotary Health, Stanley Medical Research Institute, Deakin University, the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program, Lilly, the NHMRC and an ASBD/Servier grant. She
almost identical question: ‘Are psychiatrists an endangered species?’. Both articles discuss strategies that could assist in reviving psychiatry to become an attractive career pathway for students, interns and clinicians that is adequately remunerated, resourced and respected. The authors acknowledge that the first step is to improve recruitment of medical students to psychiatry as a career; however, for decades it has been unpopular the world over. A number of negative factors that detract students from psychiatry have been identified, including a perception that psychiatry is an unscientific, stressful and second-class speciality. Psychiatric patients are perceived as dangerous and emotionally draining, and treatment as questionable and ineffective (Lyons, 2013). We agree with the view expressed by Henderson and colleagues who suggest that in order to protect
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(4)
has also received kind support from Biomedica Nutraceuticals, NutritionCare and Bioceuticals.
References Clark J (2014) The neglect of science. CAUT Bulletin. Available at: www.cautbulletin.ca/en_article. asp?articleid=3831 (accessed 24 December 2014). Ferrari AJ, Charlson FJ, Norman RE, et al. (2013) Burden of depressive disorders by country, sex, age, and year: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. PLoS Med 10: e1001547. National Health and Medical Research Council (2014) Outcomes of funding rounds. Summary details of the 17 Oct 2014 Announcement. Available at: www.nhmrc.gov.au/grants/outcomes-funding-rounds (accessed 21 December 2014). National Institute of Health (2014) Success rates. Training and Research Career Development Programs: Postdoctoral fellowships (F32s): Applications, awards, success rates, and funding, by degree of applicant. Available at: www. report.nih.gov/success_rates/index.aspx (accessed 21 December 1014). World Health Organization (2008) The global burden of disease: 2004 update. Switzerland: WHO.
academic psychiatry, educators should aim to improve teaching in medical schools to make the student experience as rewarding and stimulating as possible.
Limitations of the psychiatry rotation The clinical rotation is usually the first exposure that students have of psychiatry, providing them with the opportunity for involvement in patient care and interaction with clinical and academic psychiatrists. Psychiatry rotations are an integral component of medical courses in Australia, and their core role is to teach the basics of the discipline, including patient interviewing, symptom recognition, diagnosis and classification of mental disorders. However, psychiatry rotations are not primarily developed as a recruitment tool, and while they can be effective in improving students’
389
ANZJP Correspondence attitudes towards psychiatry, evidence of their impact on psychiatry as a career is mixed. The move by many universities from undergraduate to 4-year graduate courses has resulted in greater competition between disciplines for clinical teaching time and a significant reduction in rotation length. With less time to teach, we need to work harder and do more to promote psychiatry as a rewarding and fulfilling professional career to ensure that the psychiatric workforce is sustainable. In our view, this can be achieved by the implementation of more creative and innovative teaching strategies that deliver enrichment programmes that are over and above expected conventional teaching and more specifically designed and targeted towards attracting students to psychiatry as a career.
Our approach to creative teaching and recruitment In 2008, the School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Western Australia established an innovative enrichment programme: the Claassen Institute of Psychiatry for Medical Students (the Claassen Institute). The Claassen Institute is an intensive, week-long programme that provides students with an extended view of the discipline with the aim of increasing their interest in psychiatry as a career, and raising awareness of areas for subspecialisation. Students participate in interactive seminars and debates that cover a range of diverse topics and visit local community and hospitalbased mental health services. Students are able to interact informally with presenters throughout the week,
which provides opportunities for future mentorship. Places are limited to 20 and over the years students from New Zealand and Hong Kong have attended, adding an international perspective and allowing for crosscultural exchange between students. An initial evaluation of the Claassen Institute undertaken in 2010 found that students’ interest and knowledge in psychiatry had improved, and that the number of students seriously considering psychiatry as a career had increased significantly (Lyons et al., 2010). The Claassen Institute has now been running for 7 years and 117 students have attended. A recent followup evaluation found that, by the end of the Claassen Institute week, 90 (77%) of these students were ‘definitely’ considering a career in psychiatry.
President RANZCP, personal communication, 17 October 2014). In summary, we firmly believe that creative and innovative enrichments programmes such as the Claassen Institute and more recent RANZCP initiatives are proving to be effective strategies to encourage students towards psychiatry as a career. The establishment of similar programmes in Australia and New Zealand will protect our endangered discipline and further strengthen and future-proof the psychiatric workforce for decades to come. Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Declaration of interest
RANZCP attempts to improve recruitment The importance of recruitment to psychiatry has also been recognised by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and, in response, a number of initiatives targeted towards medical students and junior doctors have been implemented. These include the development of a section of the RANZCP website specifically targeted towards students and graduates, and the Psychiatry Interest Forum (RANZCP, 2013). An initiative that encourages students to attend the annual RANZCP Congress and participate in a range of special activities has also been implemented. More recently, a series of weekend ‘Introduction to Psychiatry’ workshops have been run, aimed at encouraging students and junior doctors to consider psychiatry as a career (Maria Tomasic, Former
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper. See Editorial by Henderson et al., 2015, 49(1): 9–12.
References Henderson S, Porter R, Basset D, et al. (2015) Why academic psychiatry is endangered. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 49: 9–12. Katschnig H (2010) Are psychiatrists an endangered species? Observations on internal and external challenges to the profession. World Psychiatry 9: 21–28. Lyons Z (2013) Attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry, and to psychiatry as a career: a systematic review. Academic Psychiatry 37: 150–157. Lyons Z, Power B, Bilyk N, et al. (2010) Evaluation of the Claassen Institute of Psychiatry for Medical Students. Australasian Psychiatry 18: 12–16. Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (2013) Students & Graduates (Quick links). Available at: www.ranzcp. org/Quick-links/Students-graduates.aspx (accessed 25 January 2015).
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 49(4)
Copyright of Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
