The psychiatric department of Landspítali offers organized special education in psychiatry. The program has been officially recognized.

Duration: 5 years

Objective

Specialist training in psychiatry takes a minimum of five years. Trainees may choose to complete all of their training in Iceland within the psychiatric services at Landspítali, but are encouraged to gain experience and knowledge abroad for part of their training period. This is a 5 year program at the psychiatric ward of Landspítali in advertised places. The special education program is based on

• regular attendance and clinical work at the psychiatric service sites

• participation in meetings

• teamwork

• courses and other relevant activities within the field and related to the specialist training

• participation in trainee on-call duties

• structured education in accordance with the training plan .

Self-study outside regular working hours is expected. Progress in the specialist training is assessed at least annually in a scheduled evaluation meeting between the trainee, the programme director, and the professor of psychiatry. The assessment is based on factors such as the trainee’s logbook of clinical competencies, exam results, and performance evaluations.

Locations

During the training period, the trainee works in various clinical settings. It is recommended that this includes at least 12–18 months in an acute psychiatric inpatient ward, preferably in two periods with varying levels of responsibility in line with the trainee’s progress, four months in an emergency psychiatry ward, four months in an addiction psychiatry ward, and 6–12 months in rehabilitation psychiatry wards, in a community mental health team, or in an early intervention in psychosis team.

Focus

During the first two years of specialist training, the trainee is introduced to the fundamentals of psychiatry, including diseases and diagnostic categories, their nature and causes, diagnosis, treatment, available interventions, ethics, and professionalism in both study and practice. During this period, the trainee works in close collaboration with their clinical supervisors and other specialists.

In the following two years, responsibility for the treatment and follow-up of patients gradually increases in line with the trainee’s growing experience and competence. At the same time, efforts are made to accommodate trainees’ wishes for increased specialisation according to their area of interest. During these two years, trainees are particularly encouraged to participate in research activities.

In the fifth and final year of training, the trainee works largely independently, while still receiving supervision. At this stage, they often lead their own team in a ward in cooperation with the responsible consultant and take part in teaching junior trainees and medical students.

Recognition of studies

Regarding official recognition: This is a five-year programme leading to specialist certification in psychiatry, approved in the summer of 2017 by the Evaluation and Credentials Committee. According to Regulation No. 467/2015 on the education, rights, and obligations of doctors, and the requirements for obtaining a general medical licence and specialist licence, the committee is responsible for approving curricula and training sites.