Career essentials
Explore our site for more information about the career path in psychiatry and life as a psychiatrist, or use the links below to find quick answers to your questions.
Health Education North West manage recruitment to psychiatry training in England Wales and Scotland and provide information on everything you need to know to apply to either CT1 or ST4.
If you want to apply in Northern Ireland, visit the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency.
For England, the Medical Specialty Recruitment website also provides information including competition ratios for posts, and how and when to apply.
Location
There are training jobs in psychiatry available all over the UK. You will apply for training posts in a particular region and then have placements in different locations within that region. You can apply for your foundation, core and higher training all in the same region meaning that, assuming you are successful, you can settle in one particular area of the country.
Part-time/less than full-time training
The BMA provide information on different working patterns including training less than full time.
Research
You can undertake research alongside your clinical commitments at any point during your career. You can also choose to undertake formal academic psychiatry posts, for all or part of your training. These posts (academic foundation programmes, academic clinical fellowships and clinical lectureships) combine research with clinical training.
Travel
As a trainee you can apply to take time out of your training programme allowing you to travel. This could be to undertake work that would count towards the completion of your training or as a career break.
The BMA provide information on contracts and salaries.
There may be times during your career that you find challenging or stressful. There are many people and organisations who can support you at these times:
- Your educational supervisor or director of medical education can be a helpful first stop.
- The College’s Psychiatrists Support Service (PSS) offers free confidential support as well as providing guidance on a number of problems many doctors face.
- The PSS also provides a list of other sources of support.
