Dundee University
Psychiatry Society has been running since 2008: something that
started out as a brainstorm between a few students has enjoyed
unprecedented support, and we have members from all years of the
medical school.
We aim to run interactive
and informative events on psychiatry-related topics that are of
particular interest to students, to provide advice and guidance to
students who are considering psychiatry as a career and to link
interested students with enthusiastic mentors. In addition, we also
attempt to raise awareness and increase understanding of
psychiatric issues within the medical school as a whole.
"The creation of this
society allowed me to meet other students similarly interested in
psychiatry; it’s great to meet and feel comfortable in helping each
other develop an interest in an area of medicine that has held such
'taboo' for generations. I think in months/ years to come the
society will provide the perfect avenue for promoting careers in
mental health, and more importantly to raise the profile of and
help to abolish the stigma that surrounds mental health issues
among fellow students and the wider community."
Laura McDonald,
1st Year Medical Student
Our first event, a
workshop on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, lead by Mr John Swan,
director of Dundee University’s MSc CBT, was so oversubscribed that
we had to organise a repeat of the session. This was followed by a
talk on ADHD from Dr Chris Steer, a paediatrician with an interest
in child psychiatry, and a lively debate on the issues surrounding
diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
The Society enjoys
excellent support from the Medical School and we work closely with
the Department of Psychiatry; we are liaising with the Teaching
Dean to produce OSCE revision sessions, with SpRs and consultants
taking students through potential OSCE stations and video
questions. We anticipate good student attendance at these
workshops which, if successful, could become an annual
exam-preparation event.
All our sessions are open
to medical students from 1st to 5th
year. As the Society wishes to be as widely accessible as
possible, there is no membership fee to join the
society. However, those students who are on our mailing list
are given priority for places. To request to be added to the
mailing list, please contact our Secretary at: E.G.M.Gunn@dundee.ac.uk You
can also join our
facebook group
Gill Paterson, Events Convenor, University of
Dundee
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Page last updated on 22 February 2009
by E Baker-Glenn