What is psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals?
Psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals is an element of the Additional Education Places, Scholarships and Clinical Training in Mental Health measure. It aims to expand the range of settings in which psychiatry trainees undertake their training beyond public teaching hospitals. The expanded range of settings may include the private, community and ambulatory sectors. Psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals forms part of the Australian Government's Mental Health Reform package and contribution to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Action Plan on Mental Health 2006 - 2011.
Responsibility for this element rests with the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. The Department has established the Specialist training Program.
(STP) to provide specialist medical training opportunities in settings beyond traditional teaching hospitals. Additional information on the STP may be found at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/work-spec
Why is this important?
Australia's health system relies on the dedication and skill of its workforce to deliver high-quality care for all Australians. The Australian Government's Mental Health Reform package helps to ensure that the health workforce is able to respond to the evolving care needs of the Australian community, while maintaining the quality and safety of health services. Specialist trainees will have the opportunity to be part of high quality training across an expanded range of settings, resulting in better trained specialists.
Who will benefit?
This element will promote better mental health services and provide additional support to people with mental illness, their families and their carers.
The education benefit for psychiatry trainees will be significant as their exposure to service delivery outside major metropolitan public teaching hospitals will ensure that they receive the breadth of knowledge and experience necessary for the practice of psychiatry.
Increasing trainees' exposure to the less acute spectrum of psychiatry services is also aimed at encouraging more trainees to enter the psychiatry training program and alleviate shortages in the profession.
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What will psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals deliver?
An expanded range of settings in which psychiatry trainees undertake their training.
How does it work?
It is expected that the creation of psychiatry training positions in an expanded range of settings will be delivered through Memorandums of Understanding/contracts/funding agreements with the relevant health care providers. This will allow for interested organisations to 'opt-in' and allows for different approaches among different states and territories.
What funding is the Australian Government committing?
$103.5 million has been provided over 5 years for the entire measure, of which $13.5 million over 4 years has been provided to expand the range of settings in which psychiatry trainees undertake their training.
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When will psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals start?
A system will be established by January 2008 for specialist trainees in psychiatry (among others) to undertake rotations through an expanded range of settings, beyond public teaching hospitals. These new arrangements will build over the coming years, to meet an anticipated increase in medical graduates in 2012 seeking to specialise in psychiatry and other fields. This anticipated increase is a result of the Australian Government initiative (announced April 2006) to fund 605 new medical school places.
How is psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals progressing?
Some psychiatry training already occurs outside of public teaching hospitals.
The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing is working with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry on the element, including work to identify opportunities to expand training and develop support to help sustain expanded training.
Further information
For further information, please visit the Department of Health and Ageing's website: http://www.health.gov.au/better-specialist-training.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry: http://www.ranzcp.org/publicarea/aboutpsy.asp.
The following are related initiatives:
- Better Mental Health Services for Australia - Additional Education Places, Scholarships and Clinical Training in Mental Health measure;
- Structural Reform of Psychiatric Training.
Page currency, Latest update: 08 October, 2010