University of Keele outranks University of Cambridge in creating psychiatrists of the future

Press release
20 October 2017
  • Peninsula College medical school ranked bottom of the psychiatry league table with on average just 1.4% of its medical school graduates progressing to psychiatry in the last three years
  • The University of Keele has produced on average more than double the percentage number of psychiatrists than the University of Cambridge since 2014

  • The RCPsych says medical schools in England must do more to put mental health at the heart of their curriculum to create a robust psychiatric workforce

20 October 2017: New figures uncovered by the Royal College of Psychiatrists show that in the last three years, the University of Keele produced on average more than double the percentage number of psychiatrists than the University of Cambridge.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists examined data showing the proportion of graduates from Universities in England who went on to become psychiatrists.

Between 2014 and 2016, 4.3% of medical school graduates from Keele went on to become psychiatrists compared to just 1.6% of graduates from the University of Cambridge.

Peninsula College ranked bottom of the table with only 1.4% of its graduates becoming psychiatrists since 2014.

The University of Keele, which was given university status in 1962, ranked first place alongside the University of Oxford for producing on average the highest percentage of psychiatrists across the three year period.

With 720 consultant psychiatrist vacancies in 2016, the RCPsych has created a psychiatry league table to encourage English medical schools to take steps to boost their contribution to creating psychiatrists of the future.

Psychiatry League Table

Average progression from medical school to psychiatry in England, 2014-16:

1.

University of Keele – 4.3%

= 1.

University of Oxford – 4.3%

2.

University of Leicester – 3.6%

3.

University of St George’s – 3.4%

= 3.

University of Lancaster – 3.4%

= 3.

University of Warwick – 3.4%

4.

Brighton & Sussex Medical School – 3.2%

5.

Barts & The London – 3.1%

6.

Norwich Medical School, UEA – 2.8%

= 6.

King’s College London – 2.8%

= 6.

University of Liverpool – 2.8%

7.

Hull York Medical School– 2.7%

8.

University of Birmingham – 2.6%

9.

University of Newcastle – 2.3%

= 9.

University of Nottingham – 2.3%

10.

University of Sheffield – 2.1%

= 10.

University College London – 2.1%

11.

University of Bristol – 2.0%

= 11.

University of Southampton – 2.0%

12.

University of Leeds – 1.7%

= 12.

Imperial College – 1.7%

13.

University of Manchester – 1.6%

= 13.

University of Cambridge – 1.6%

14.

Peninsula College – 1.4 %

 

Health Education England has said it will work to ensure a proportion of the 1500 additional medical school places promised by the Government will be allocated ‘to universities with a proven track record in producing psychiatrists’.

The RCPsych says medical schools must do more to put mental health at the heart of the curriculum. Its Choose Psychiatry campaign aims to tackle stigma against the profession and encourage more medical students to consider specialising in psychiatry.

For more information, visit www.rcpsych.ac.uk/choosepsychiatry| #ChoosePsychiatry | Choose Psychiatry, Make a Difference short film: http://bit.ly/2xfByCX

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