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. 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 Department of Health and Ageing, Specialist Training Program (STP). Information on the STP is available on the Department’s website at: specialist training
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 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?
Psychiatry outside teaching hospitals will provide psychiatry trainees with high quality, appropriate training opportunities that complements training occurring in major public teaching hospitals.
The Specialist Training Program will establish and support a variety of training posts which form part of an integrated program of learning for psychiatry trainees pursuing a fellowship program.
How does it work?
This measure is a collaborative working arrangement between the Australian Government, state and territory governments and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry.
Trainees will rotate through a network of accredited training posts in health care settings that may include private hospitals, specialists’ rooms, clinics, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) and publicly funded health care facilities. Available training posts can be full-time or part-time with multiple trainees rotating through a single training site.
The Department of Health and Ageing is working with The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry to undertake program administration, identify additional training opportunities and provide the necessary infrastructure and support to ensure the long term sustainability of the Specialist Training Program.
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?
Under the 2009-2010 Budget Health and Ageing Measure Workforce program the psychiatry outside teaching hospitals program was incorporated into the Specialist Training Program. The Specialist Training Program started in January 2010.
How is psychiatry training outside teaching hospitals progressing?
The March 15 budget measure, Building a National Health and Hospitals Network, will further enhance and expand the STP more than doubling the number of training placements funded under the STP from 360 in 2010 to 900 in 2014. This will provide additional training opportunities for all medical specialist training including psychiatry.
Further information
For further information, please visit the Department of Health and Ageing's website: specialist training.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatry: http://www.ranzcp.org.
Australian Government’s www.yourhealth.gov.au website
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;
- Building a National Health and Hospitals Network.
Page currency, Latest update: 09 September, 2010