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Resources to promote psychiatry to school students and sixth-formers
Please use the resources and advice below to help school students and sixth formers understand more about career in psychiatry.
Hold a school talk or workshop
You can use the following resources to aid a discussion or workshop with students.
Slides
Below are two presentations that can be used for talks/assemblies for school students:
Video - The life of a psychiatrist
Professor Sir Simon Wessely, a former president of the Royal College, talks about the life of a psychiatrist and gives a glimpse into his career as a psychiatrist who is highly respected in the field.
STEM Learning
The Wellcome Trust have produced material for 16-19 year olds which have explored contemporary issues within biology and medicine. The Inside the Brain Edition contains videos exploring how imaging research has changed the way we look inside the brain. You can also download the Big Picture which looks at the basic structure and function of the brain, the use of functional and structural imaging in research, and some social, ethical and legal issues to do with the brain.
Video - Why psychiatry matters
A short film in which medical students interview GPs and other doctors about how much psychiatry is involved in their areas of work
Work experience
Work experience is a great way for students to improve their knowledge and understanding of psychiatry.
There are many hospitals throughout the UK that offer work experience to Year 10/11 students, sixth formers and medical students. The College cannot organise placements for students.
Students can find out what’s available by contacting their local hospital or mental health trust directly, and we have linked to resources for them on our pages for students.
HEE have produced a comprehensive toolkit for secondary care providers wishing to provide work experience. You, as an employer offering work experience, may also wish to review HEE’s work experience quality standard. Even if you do not wish to apply for accreditation against the standard, you may find it useful to bear these standards in mind when setting up your work experience.
If offering work experience in psychiatry, consideration should also be given to psychiatry-specific factors that may affect students attending work experiences placements. Please read our position statement at the bottom of this page for further details.
Let them know about summer schools
Summer Schools are a fantastic opportunity for students to find out more about psychiatry.
Careers materials
If you wish to help us promote psychiatry using RCPsych careers resources, please contact our careers team.