Trainee Section

News Section for Trainees

New - PSYCHIATRY NEEDS YOU: A TRAINEE CAREERS DAY IN PSYCHIATRY

Friday, 1st December 2006, 2:00pm – 5:00pm, New Lecture Hall, St. Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin 8
The Trainee Section of the Irish College of Psychiatrists is organising an information day for students, interns and NCHDs with an interest in psychiatry.

New - CTC Elections
The following doctors have been newly elected to the CTC and will represent the Irish College of Psychiatrists:
Dr. Anita Ambikapathy, Dr. Fiona Campbell and Dr. Alan Murtagh.

New - The Dean of the RCPsych, Prof. Dinesh Bhugra has written a number of newsletters summarising the current developments in postgraduate education and training. To read more please click here.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has published a new book OSCEs in Psychiatry. This is a practical guide for candidates preparing for the Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) of the MRCPsych. The first part of the book gives tips on preparing for and passing the exam. The second part explores the skills tested in the different OSCE ‘stations’ that a candidate is likely to encounter.

The book is backed up by an accompanying CD-ROM, on which interactive video footage allows prospective candidates to experience ‘virtual’ OSCE stations and test their own performance. For further information please click here.

Congratulations to Dr. Peter Fitzgerald, Registrar, Cork who recently won the inaugural essay competition of the Faculty of Substance Misuse Psychiatry. Dr. Fitzgerald provided a comprehensive account of harm reduction and its role in the treatment of addictions. He was presented with a commemorative medal and a prize of Euro 500.

Introduction to the Trainee Section
The Trainee Section of the Irish College of Psychiatrists was launched in May 2002. This Section represents psychiatric trainees in Ireland. Its broad remit is to concentrate on improving the quality of postgraduate training in psychiatry in Ireland and promote greater trainee involvement in college activities. The business of the Trainee Section is overseen by a committee which meets on a monthly basis in Dublin. The new committee of the Trainee Section was elected with a 2 year term of office with effect from June 2006. Membership of this committee includes:

· Dr Anita Ambikapathy (Chair)
· Dr Blanaid Gavin (Honorary Secretary)
· Dr Gavin Rush
· Dr Dermot Cohen
· Dr Nicolas Ramperti
· Dr F Ademola
· Dr Annette Kavanagh
· Dr Shruthi Guruswamy
· Dr Marie Whitty
· Dr Aoife NiChorcorain
· Dr Izu Nwachukwu
· Dr Peter Leonard (one year Ex officio)
· Dr Larkin Feeney (one year Ex officio)
· Dr Miriam Kennedy (one year Ex officio)
· Dr Nicholas Carrigan (SR)
· Dr Jackie Montwill (SR)
· Dr Conor Barton (NI)
· Dr Ashling O'Hare (NI)

Collegiate Trainees Committee
This Committee is made up of locally elected psychiatric trainee representatives from all areas of the UK and Ireland. There are 3 elected trainee representatives from the Irish College of Psychiatrists and 3 elected trainee representatives from the Northern Ireland Division. In addition, the Chair of the Trainee Section has been co-opted onto the CTC and it is hoped that this arrangement will continue. The new ICPsych trainee representatives are Dr. Anita Ambikapathy, Dr. Fiona Campbell and Dr. Alan Murtagh. The term of office for these representatives will end in October 2007.

Non-EU Doctors
There are two representatives of this group of doctors on the Trainee Section Committee - Dr. Daniel Gboloo-Teye (N. Ireland) and Dr. Izu Nwachukwu (Kilkenny). The RCPsych has produced a handbook for overseas doctors and this is available on the RCPsych website.

Representation on other committees
The Trainee Section has representation on many College and external committees. For details click here.

Inceptorship
Most trainees in psychiatry are not yet members of the College, and we are very keen to encourage future members to be actively involved in College activities. The best way of achieving this is for trainees to enrol as an Inceptor. Inceptorship - What is it?

Resource Book for Trainees in Psychiatry in Ireland
In 2003, the Trainee Section of the Irish College of Psychiatrists published a handbook entitled: Psychiatry Training in the Republic of Ireland – A Resource Book for Trainees. It is aimed at those currently undertaking psychiatry training or thinking of psychiatry as a career. It is also a useful resource for tutors and trainers. The content of the handbook has been updated and the most recent version (May 2005) is available to download here Free copies of the published handbook are available from the ICPsych Administration Office. All comments and suggestions are welcome and can be sent to Trish at pvahey@eircom.net

Annual National Meetings
Following on the success of the 1st National Trainee Section Meeting in November 2002 the 2nd Annual National Trainee Section Meeting was held in the Westin Hotel in Dublin on the 28th November 2003. The meeting was attended by close to 100 trainees from all over Ireland and offered great learning and social opportunities. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Kate Ganter, Chairman of the Irish College of Psychiatrists, and included a number of fascinating talks. Dr. Jogin Thakore spoke about his research into schizophrenia, Professor Femi Oyebode offered insights into the OSCE examination, while Dr. Brendan Cassidy discussed the Health Service Reform Programme and its implications for psychiatric trainees.

The 3rd National Trainee Section Meeting was held on Saturday, 20th November 2004 in the Ramada Hotel, Belfast. Dr. Maria O'Kane spoke about mandatory training requirements for psychotherapy. Dr. Julian Beezhold discussed the impact of the European Working Time Directive and Dr. Gurpal Gosall gave a presentation on how to prepare for the MRCPsych Exam. The Trainee Section of the Northern Ireland Division of the RCPsych was launched at the meeting and we wish it every success!

The 4th Annual National Trainee Section Meeting was held in Dublin on the 2nd December 2005. Dr. Mary Staines, Chair of the IPTC discussed the future of psychiatry training in Ireland. Dr. Teresa Carey, Inspector of Mental Health Services gave a presentation on mental health legislation and human rights. Dr. Bangaru Raju spoke about his experiences as a non-EU doctor training in psychiatry in Ireland.

Other Events
The New Members Reception was hosted by the Irish College of Psychiatrists and the Northern Ireland Division at the Winter Meeting of the All-Ireland Institute of Psychiatry in Belfast City Hall on 9 November 2006. This ceremony welcomes new members (those who have recently passed their MRCPsych examination) to the College and this year's ceremony was officiated by Dr Cathal Cassidy, Chair of the Northern Ireland Division and Dr Kate Ganter, Chair of the Irish College of Psychiatrists. The ceremony was followed by a Collegiate Dinner in City Hall, which was very well attended and enjoyed by new members, their families and guests.

OSCE Examination
Dr. Martin Mahon has recently produced a paper on the new OSCE examination. This is based on his observations at the pilot OSCE examination in London. The paper is useful for all Part 1 candidates and for tutors. Click here to see the latest version of the paper

Links with Other Trainees
The Trainee Section of the Northern Ireland Division of the RCPsych was launched on Saturday, 20th November 2004. Two trainee representatives from Northern Ireland sit on the ICPsych Trainee Section Committee, thereby forging links between the two bodies. It is expected that a number of cross-border initiatives will be organised in the future which will further strengthen these links.

We have developed links with the European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) and the Irish Trainee Section is now an officially recognised member. Dr. Brian Parsons and Dr. Miriam Kennedy represented the Irish Trainee Section at the 2004 EFPT meeting in Cambridge. The 2005 meeting was held in Istanbul, Turkey and Dr. Anita Ambikapathy attended on behalf of the Irish Trainee Section. The next EFPT Forum will take place in Riga in June 2006. Further information regarding the EFPT is available at www.e-fpt.org

If you have any queries please contact the Administration Office or e-mail Trish at pvahey@eircom.net

Also, if you know of any trainees who might be interested in joining the Trainee Section or who would like to become inceptors of the College, please pass the above information to them.