PTC strategy 2023-2024

We believe that improving workforce wellbeing will enable trainees to achieve their professional potential and deliver the best possible care to people with mental illness.

Actions

• Be involved in existing college work around serious incident (suicide and homicide) support projects with a particular focus on trainee wellbeing.
• Be involved in any college work surrounding sexual harassment of trainees after recent reports in the media.
• Promote existing wellbeing resources with trainees:
  • Psychiatrists ’Support Service
  • ‘You are not alone ’podcasts
  • Wellbeing webpages/resources.
• Continue to promote wellbeing as a key theme throughout.
• PTC publications and events:
  • Explore reflective practice for PTC meetings with the reflective practice working group.
• Ensure trainees feel supported during industrial action.

We believe that ensuring students and trainees feel listen to, valued, and supported is an important to promote recruitment and retention throughout training.

Actions

• Maintain contact with local PsychSocs at UK universities.
• Continue to promote and support Choose Psychiatry.
• Collaborate in the College review regarding Physician Associate work in mental health representing trainees views.

Actions

• Present the results of the National Study leave survey and agree recommendations for improvement.
• Explore options of LTFT representation in the PTC.
• Continue to explore and collaborate to address trainee concerns about geographical disparities in psychotherapy experience.
• Engage with international work ongoing in the college to increase awareness and provide trainee opportunities for international work.
• Advocate for interests of International Medical Graduates during training recognising particular challenges they may face.

We believe that ensuring trainees have access to good level of training and opportunities to develop is essential.

Actions

• Deliver a trainee conference in Spring 2024 in location that is different to the previous years but maintaining accessibility to trainees across the UK. This will be an exciting for trainees to attend, meets their curriculum needs and includes renowned speakers and interesting workshops.
• Review current experiences of trainees in Special Interest time.
• Continue to contribute to development, education and troubleshooting regarding the new curricula and portfolio, and advocate for standardised ARCP processes when reviewing curriculum-based competencies.
• Continue to contribute to the review and implementation of the College’s assessment strategy.
• Continue to engage with ETC and advocate for usable and useful for exam preparation.
• Promote resources to help trainees fulfil sustainability competencies..

We believe that increased engagement between trainees and the PTC using the channels and opportunities available to us will better serve to further our work and ambitions.

Actions

Engagement of Trainees via PTC

• Continue the regular email newsletter.
• Continue the editorial work of the Registrar, issued three times a year.
• Delivering a successful annual PTC conference.
• Delivering successful welcome events to new CT1s and ST4s.
• Continuing with an annual Twitter/X takeover.
• Maintaining activity on Twitter/X account.
• Promote College opportunities via local reps.
• Explore ways of engaging with local trainees to enable trainees to connect with the college (e.g. podcasts, portfolio, Twitter).

Engagement of PTC representatives

• Update and promote use of the ‘quick start guide ’which gives clear guidance on the roles, requirements and expectations of the PTC reps.
• Executive officers will co-lead on individual projects.
• Executive officers to lead three ‘mentoring groups’ where they will regularly check in with members of their group that they are:
  1. supported
  2. clear on their role
  3. accountable.
• Executive officers to lead three ‘mentoring groups’ where they will regularly check in with members of their group that they are:
  1. supported
  2. clear on their role
  3. accountable.
• One PTC rep from each region will be required to submit a report before each meeting and, if necessary, any points can be discussed in the PTC meeting. This will also help us identify common issues and help set the agenda for meetings.
• Increasing local engagement through divisional representatives by supporting them to engage local trainees.
• Encourage PTC reps to promote the college including using PTC resources.
• Increase social and networking opportunities for PTC members at meetings and events.