A guide to a new short course to promote interest and engagement in psychiatry in medical students

Abstract

This article describes a new course for preclinical medical undergraduates designed to promote interest and engagement in psychiatry. The course employed a range of innovative teaching techniques alongside ward visits to provide students with early clinical experience. Unusually, assessment for the course involved the production of creative works as well as reflective writing about students' experiences. We collected a variety of feedback from participants showing that they found the course enjoyable and educational. We conclude that, overall, the course had a positive effect on student perceptions of psychiatry.

Not a real doctor: how public impressions discourage medical students from considering psychiatry as a career – a commentary

“…Another way to encourage medical students to consider psychiatry as a future specialty is to use innovative interactive methods when visiting psychiatric wards. For example, implementing a proper psychiatric course for students in the UK changed the perception of more than 42% of all students; none of them considered psychiatry at the beginning of the course 13 .…”

Evaluation of undergraduate psychiatric teaching in Sudan

“…Psychiatric hospitals exist mainly in the capital Khartoum, where the majority of consultant psychiatrists work (O'Connor et al , 2012). Reports on recruitment in the psychiatric literature showed a need to focus on undergraduate psychiatric education, to improve knowledge and attitudes (Langley et al , 2015) and to destigmatise psychiatry by using innovative teaching techniques and regular visits to psychiatric units.…”