Aims and method Northern Ireland presents itself as an anomaly – a region in which only 31.8% of doctors enter into any training programme after completion of the Foundation Programme, but where Core Psychiatry has been consistently oversubscribed. Here, we aim to find what other regions can learn from this success. All doctors of any grade, working in psychiatry, who had been though the Foundation Programme were questioned on their motivations for becoming a psychiatry trainee. Results Sixty-two doctors currently working in psychiatry responded, including over 60% of current trainees, and 45% stated they had not considered a career in psychiatry before their foundation attachment. Over 80% preferred foundation placements in FY2 only, rather than in either foundation year 1 or FY2. Clinical implications This survey identifies that for the majority of people who ultimately chose to train in psychiatry, in a region that has consistently attracted candidates to core and higher level training, completion of a foundation psychiatry post was an influencing factor in this decision. A strong majority of doctors prefer the foundation psychiatry placement to be offered in FY2.

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AimsRecruitment into psychiatry is a major issue nationally. Northern Ireland (NI) consistently punching above it's weight with psychiatry recruitment - in a region that only attracts 31.8% of F2s to enter into any training programme, Core psychiatry has been consistently oversubscribed. Here we look to examine the experiences of F2s in NI, including those who have had a placement in psychiatry and those who have not - what can we learn from NI?BackgroundThe exposure to psychiatry during the F2 year is a crucial time for recruitment to psychiatry. In NI, where there has been an 100% fill rate at core training level for many years, trainees and consultants have pointed towards a positive experience in the F2 year.MethodQuestionnaires were given out at a sample of F2 Generic Skills sessions, gathering a range of quantitative and qualitative data. A representative sample of over half of current F2s wrote about there preconceptions and experiences of psychiatry, whether they had worked in it or not. An a priori approach was taken towards generating codes as part of a framework analysis from which 4 major themes were identified.Result93/148 F2 doctors who were approached responded to the survey of which 36.6% had experienced a Foundation placement in psychiatry. Major qualitative themes that emerged were exposure to psychiatry, the nature of working in psychiatry, being valued and stigma. Doctors who had an F2 placement were much more likely to be willing to pursue a career in it, regardless of whether they had been allocated a placement with psychiatry by choice or not.ConclusionThis survey adds to the literature that exposure to psychiatry in undergraduate and postgraduate level has a huge role in shaping attitudes towards the specialty of psychiatry, and indeed the likelihood of a foundation doctor going on to become a psychiatry trainee. Stigma in the medical profession towards mental illness and psychiatry remains prevalent.

AimsRecruitment into psychiatry remains a major issue nationally despite recent progress with the #choose psychiatry scheme. Here we look to establish why Northern Ireland (NI) has been able to have 100% fill rates by speaking to the people who have work in the frontline of psychiatry. What is done differently in NI and are there lessons that could benefit other regions?BackgroundNI presents itself as an anomaly – In a region that only attracts 31.8% of F2s to enter into any training programme, Core psychiatry has been consistently oversubscribed for many years. One difference is the allocation of trainees in the Foundation programme. NI offers psychiatry placements to 33% of F2 doctors with none in the F1 year.MethodAll doctors of any grade working in psychiatry who had been through the Foundation programme since 2006 were asked to complete a survey on their foundation experience and reasons for choosing a career in psychiatry using SurveyMonkey technology. Qualiative and quantiative data was collected and analysed.Resultin total 67 doctors from CT1 to Consultant and SAS doctors responded, including over 60% of all current trainees, providing a huge amount of information. Remarkably, 45% of psychiatry doctors working in NI surveyed hadn't considered a career in psychiatry until their foundation placement. NI is the only region in the UK that does not have an F1 placement in Psychiatry. Over 80% of doctors here feel that this is a positive. White space answers revealed other aspects of training that positively influenced them to choose psychiatry including a reputation for high quality training, as well as close links between the local medical school, the local brach of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the NI deanery.ConclusionThis study is the first to examine the reasons behind psychiatry's success in NI. The quality of the training scheme locally and presence of an excellent training to service provision balance were also mentioned. This study supports the presence of psychiatry in the F2 year only.