Women in Psychiatric Training

Abstract

Training in psychiatry involves a fascinating and rewarding journey, and is a wonderful career for women. This chapter explores what it means to be a female psychiatric trainee. The authors discuss the recruitment crisis within psychiatry and the way that stigma and financial pressures upon the NHS compound this. They discuss their own experiences as medical students interested in psychiatry, particularly with regard to overcoming prejudices within the wider medical profession. There are certain challenges that are particular to training in psychiatry that women trainees face, including everyday sexism and how it impacts on self-esteem, as well as exposure to violence and stalking, and the effect of social media on medical practice. The authors discuss their own experiences in facing these challenges, what more could be done to support trainees, and they consider the importance of self-care and the way in which training as a psychiatrist can give trainees particular skills of self-reflection and insights into group dynamics that can be invaluable in developing as medical leaders.