International Diploma

Applications are now closed for the 2024/25 cohort. We will update the information here when the next cohort opens. Please register your interest by contacting internationaldiploma@rcpsych.ac.uk.

To apply, you should:

• review the entry requirements to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria
• send all documents in PDF or Word format only
• name each file with the document number and your name (for example, "Application Form - Dr Forename Surname")
• submit your application in one single email.

To apply please complete the below International Diploma Application form and submit to internationaldiploma@rcpsych.ac.uk.

• RCPsych International Diploma – 2024/25 Application Form

You will also need to submit:

• Evidence of a primary medical qualification from a recognised medical institution, with certified translations if not in English
• Evidence of professional medical registration
• Copy of photo ID e.g. passport, driving licence (with all details clearly legible)

The programme emphasises an international focus and will allow learners to broaden their understanding of the clinical and service-related complexities of working within older adults' mental health. In addition, learners will contribute to an international community of practice for psychiatry of older people, providing the skills and knowledge to develop services for older people within their own clinical practice, particularly in limited resource settings.

• Commitment: one year part-time, 42 weeks up to four hours a week
• Format: 100% online
• Nine modules
• Course cohort: Max 30 learners
• Proposed course start date: September 2024
• Fees: £6,000 to be paid in full before the start of the course
• Open to members and non-members of RCPsych

The diploma is targeted at doctors outside of the UK, to support ongoing training in sub-specialty areas in countries where psychiatric training is focused on working age adults, including:

• Psychiatrists
• Doctors in other relevant medical specialties e.g. general practitioners, geriatricians, family doctors, neurologists aspiring to practise in this field

• Confidence in the assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders presenting in older adults.
• Ability to effectively and safely prescribe medications used within older adults’ mental health.
• Understanding of the clinical and service-related complexities of working within older adults' mental health.
• Skills and resources to develop services for older people within your own clinical practice.
• An approach to understanding older adults’ mental health from a global perspective and an appreciation of the challenges in the delivery of high-quality healthcare in diverse socioeconomic settings.
• On successful completion of the course, candidates will be awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ International Diploma in Older Adults’ Mental Health.

• Access to a community of global experts in older adults’ mental health. Our faculty has been selected based on their subject expertise and experience to ensure the highest standards of educational excellence.
• Participants from across the globe. Study together, learning from each other's experiences and challenges.
• Easy-to-use learning platform. The course is delivered using the RCPsych web-based platform, which offers a modern and flexible learning experience to students with access to all the learning resources at any time.
• Support of a dedicated course administrative team.
• Skills acquisition, employability and career progression in fields related to older adults’ mental health.
• Flexibility around work and home commitments and accessibility of content at a time and pace that suits each learner. 

• Primary medical qualification from a recognised medical institution. Please visit the World Directory of Medical Schools.
• Three years’ postgraduate experience working as a psychiatrist, or as a doctor in another relevant medical speciality.
• Professional medical registration with your local regulatory body.
• Recommended English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS Level 6.
• Professional experience in older adults’ mental health or an aspiration to practise in older adults’ mental health.

If you would like advice about requirements before applying, please contact us at internationaldiploma@rcpsych.ac.uk.

This interactive programme will be delivered fully online through a model which blends self-directed learning with tutor-led group learning including:

• eLearning modules
• tutor moderated discussion forums, emphasising peer-to-peer knowledge and experience sharing
• regular webinars so learners can interact with experts in the field
• interactive case-based and problem-based learning
• written reflections encouraging participants to engage critically and apply the learning to their experience and practice in their own healthcare systems
• access to an extensive online library
• formative exercises and assignments
• individualised feedback points during the programme
• a summative piece of written work at the end of the course

This course consists of 9 modules covering the following topics:

• Introduction to older adults’ mental health
• Assessment in older adults
• Dementia
• Non-pharmacological management of Dementia
• Mood and Anxiety Disorders
• Delirium
• Psychotic disorders in older adults
• Neuropsychiatric disorders in older adults
• Prescribing in older adults

To successfully complete the programme, you will be expected to:

• regularly login and participate in the course
• spend approximately 15 hours per module (3 to 4 hours a week) on your studies
• complete a written reflective activity at the end of each module
• participate in discussion forums throughout the course
• attend monthly live sessions and actively participate in discussions
• produce a written piece of summative work at the end of the course

An expert reference group has been assembled, including advisors and clinical experts across all international divisions, who have brought their knowledge, experience and skills to help build this exciting initiative and lead on the strategic and clinical direction of the diploma.

• Dr Alex Bailey, International Diploma Course Co-Director
• Dr Kallur Suresh, International Diploma Course Co-Director
• Professor Subodh Dave, Dean
• Dr Abdul Raoof, Associate Dean for Advanced Learning and Conferences
• Professor Mohammed Al-Uzri, Presidential Lead for Global Mental Health
• Dr Mani Krishnan, Chair Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry RCPsych, Consultant & Specialty Clinical Director, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Anne Bonnici Mallia, Psychiatry Trainee at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Ben Underwood, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
• Dr Bob Barber, Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Newcastle University
• Dr Catherine Mutisya, Chief Specialist (Psychiatrist) at The Ministry of Health, Nairobi Mental Health Services
• Dr Chris Tsoi, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS, Singapore
• Dr Conor Barton, Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
• Dr Dan Georgescu, Head – Dept of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Old Age Psychiatry and Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, Psychiatrische Dienste Aargau AG (PDAG), Switzerland
• Professor Dilip Jeste, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, University of California San Diego
• Dr Emad Shoukry Soliman, ST5 Trainee Psychiatrist, Honorary Clinical Teacher, Sheffield University
• Dr Feras Al Saif, Senior Psychiatry Resident, Ministry of Health, Bahrain
• Dr George Crowther, Consultant in Old Age Liaison Psychiatry, Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust
• Professor George Tadros, Consultant Psychiatrist, Professor of Psychiatry and Dementia, Aston Medical School, Aston University
• Dr Harleen Kaur Birgi, Fellow in Medical Education, North East London NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Kapila Sachdev, Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist, Tower Hamlets Mental Health Care for Older People
• Dr Karel Wildschut, Clinical Director, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Leo Chouliaras, Assistant Professor in Old Age Psychiatry, University of Cambridge
• Professor P T Sivakumar, Professor of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, India
  
• Dr Rashi Negi, Consultant Psychiatrist for Older adults, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Shabbir Amanullah, President, Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry
• Dr Sharmi Bhattacharyya, Consultant & Clinical Lead, OPMH, North Wales, BCUHB
• Dr Sheeba Ninan, Assistant Professor / Sr. Consultant, (Telemanas) Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, India
• Dr Suhana Ahmed, Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist & Clinical Director, West London NHS Trust
• Dr Tariq Khan, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
• Dr Vanessa Raymont, Senior Clinical Researcher and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford
• Professor Zuzana Walker, Professor of Psychiatry of the Elderly, Division of Psychiatry, University College London