Deaneries

The UCD-Mater deanery offers trainees the opportunity to work on the north of the River Liffey in Dublin’s inner city and adjoining areas or in the south east of Ireland or a mixture of both. Some trainees opt to do all of their training in the south east. Others prefer to base themselves in the capital. The Dublin training centres and affiliated clinical sites are in or very close to the city centre. Trainees in every deanery must gain a combination of urban and rural experience so those trainees who opt to base themselves in Dublin must do one post outside the city. This can provide a chance to explore a hitherto unknown part of the country, such as Kilkenny, Ireland’s finest medieval city or Waterford, voted best place to live in Ireland, Irish Times 2021, and may even lead to a wish to return later in one’s career.

Other deaneries have training sites in Dublin. Those in the UCD Mater Deanery are mainly in the city centre or within a couple of kilometres of the centre so can be readily accessed by public transport or on foot or bicycle. The area is diverse, lively and historically, culturally and architecturally rich.

Prior to commencement of basic specialist training, the vice dean discusses location preference for foundation year with trainees. The two six-month posts in foundation year are in general adult psychiatry and are both in the same training centre. Where possible, trainee preference is accommodated. If there is competition for a particular training site, the score at the interview for basic specialist training will determine allocation.

Key Features

Basic specialist training involves acquiring the clinical skills essential to the work of a psychiatrist. Competition for higher specialist training and consultant posts involves demonstrating competency in clinical skills, research, audit, teaching, management and psychotherapy. The training experiences and opportunities that the UCD Mater Deanery provides allow the learning outcomes for basic specialist training to be met and the training portfolio to be completed and trainees are well placed to be successful at interview for higher specialist training and later for consultant posts.

• All the training centres have academic programmes. Trainees are active participants and present cases and journal papers.
• Audits are an integral part of the training experience and trainees present their audit findings at local audit meetings. Trainees are advised to conduct audits during foundation year as they are in the same training centre for a year and this allows an audit cycle to be completed.
• The main training sites are all affiliated with universities (UCD or RCSI or both). Basic specialist trainees supervise medical students on clinical placement and have the opportunity to deliver tutorials and participate in the organisation of medical student exams.
• Balint or reflective practice groups take place in the training centres.
• Trainees have the opportunity to be members of committees and annually to apply for the role of lead NCHD in mental health. https://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/leadership-education-development/met/leadnchd/leadnchdresources/lead-nchd-job-description-2021.pdf
• The deanery has consultant trainers with established records in research. Trainees are supported in completing research projects. The deanery research day provides an opportunity to learn about research fundamentals, meet trainers from other sites and to present research (poster or oral presentation) and compete for a prize. Presentation of research at the spring and winter College of Psychiatrists of Ireland meetings is also promoted.
• Trainees are usually supervised by psychologists but occasionally by consultants with psychotherapy training to carry out a psychotherapy case.
• Exam practice sessions (OSCE and CFME) are held with trainees in advance of the clinical exams. Mock interviews are organised for trainees at the end of basic specialist training, in advance of the higher specialist training interview.
• Attendance at mental health tribunals (and review boards and court in the National Forensic Service) is routine, if trainees wish to avail of this experience.
• Trainees are encouraged to seek election to the Trainee Committee, a subcommittee of the Postgraduate Training Committee of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. One trainee from the deanery acts as deanery liaison officer. The Trainee Committee has at least one member from each deanery so that each deanery can be represented and all trainees can have a link with the committee. https://irishpsychiatry.ie/members/committees/trainee-committee/
• On call is on site in most of the training centres, apart from some child psychiatry posts and the National Drug Treatment Centre. All sites are compliant with the European Working Time Directive. Being on call allows trainees to gain confidence in decision making, while being supported by senior clinicians

Clinical Exposure

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin 7 – The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital (MMUH) offers placements in liaison and general adult psychiatry. The emergency department and St. Aloysius ward (the admission unit) provide trainees with experience in acute mental illness management. Liaison psychiatry in the MMUH includes psychiatry of later life and addiction psychiatry to give trainees a truly holistic experience. Neuropsychiatry and transplant psychiatry are also part of the experience. The MMUH prides its self on ensuring trainees are making clinical decision for themselves within a carefully supported and supervised environment.

Phoenix Care Centre, Dublin 7 – Opened in 2013, on the grounds of the former St. Brendan’s Hospital, and now Technical University of Dublin, it is a state of the art tertiary referral centre. Here trainees gain experience of psychiatric intensive care and rehabilitation psychiatry. Trainees working in Usher’s Island, on the programme for the homeless, work on call in this hospital. The homeless service post is consistently rated very highly by trainees as a valuable learning experience.

St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview, Dublin 3 – Founded in 1857, St. Vincent’s is a psychiatric hospital and is the inpatient hospital for most of the north inner city and surrounding areas. There is an acute admissions unit, a psychiatry of old age ward, a continuing care ward, a rehabilitation service and an adolescent inpatient unit. The catchment area is culturally and socioeconomically diverse. Liaison with forensic psychiatry, addiction and homeless services is common. Audits are allocated to and completed by trainees. The hospital has software for the completion of audits. Completed audits are presented by trainees at an audit meeting. The principal psychologist and a senior psychologist supervise trainees in psychotherapy cases. Trainees may gain management experience by joining committees such as the drugs and therapeutics commitee. Students from UCD and RCSI are allocated to the service and trainees supervise them and participate in their examinations. There is a weekly Balint group and a weekly academic programme of case presentations, journal clubs, and expert speakers. Once every six months there is a book club. These training and educational opportunities and the range of presentations to the service mean that learning outcomes and portfolio completion are readily achieved.

Dublin North City and County Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAMHS)  – Trainees placed in child and adolescent psychiatry in Dublin North City and County CAMHS gain experience in a community CAMHS multidisciplinary team, working with young people with a diverse range of disorders including depressive episodes, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders and ADHD. CAMHS provides an opportunity for trainees to learn more about non-medication therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy, decider skills and family based treatment for eating disorders. Trainees in this service join a large group of child and adolescent psychiatrists and NCHDs from eight multidisciplinary teams who provide child psychiatry on call services to the Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street and on call to the Adolescent Inpatient unit at St Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview. This is a dynamic and expanding service, which is currently developing a new neurodevelopmental service. Many trainees have completed research projects during their placements.

St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny – St. Luke’s is the training centre where trainees in the Carlow Kilkenny Mental Health Service do inpatient, and on call work and attend the academic programme, The Carlow Kilkenny Mental Health Service is a well organised service where trainees can gain a broad experience across the range of mental health specialities, along with excellent support from senior colleagues. There is access to training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Electro Convulsive Therapy, recovery principles and potential to do sessions with neurology and geriatrician colleagues. Audit is actively encouraged and there are opportunities to complete audit cycles with support from senior colleagues. There are regular reflective practice groups and a well organised teaching programme for medical students that provide teaching and examining opportunities for NCHDs. NCHDs are welcome to join local quality and safety meetings.

The service has a continuing care/dementia assessment unit with two day hospitals, outpatient clinics, opportunities for domiciliary visits, a home based nursing service, a crisis house and high to low support rehabilitation hostels. The CAMHS service provides a high level of care to younger patients.

University Hospital Waterford (UHW) – The university hospital in Waterford city is the acute admission unit for Wexford and Waterford counties and is where trainees work on call in the emergency department and department of psychiatry. There are opportunities for acute hospital liaison.

Training and experience in delivering ECT is provided in University Hospital Waterford.

There are opportunities for committee membership, clinical audit and participation in service development.

A new crisis resolution team is currently being set up in the Waterford Region.

The weekly academic programme takes place in UHW and includes case conferences and journal clubs.

Balint group training and protected individual supervision sessions are facilitated for all trainees.

There are formal and informal opportunities for undergraduate teaching on the RCSI undergraduate medicine programme.

Wexford training posts are located in well-resourced community day hospitals in Gorey, Wexford town and Enniscorthy. Posts in general adult, rehabilitation and recovery, psychiatry of old age, and child and adolescent psychiatry are all supervised by community based consultant Ppychiatrists supported by multidisciplinary teams.

Waterford offers posts with both community and inpatient experience in the areas of general adult, psychiatry of old age, liaison psychiatry (based at University Hospital Waterford), and addiction psychiatry.  Posts are based in Waterford city and Tramore.

National Drug Treatment Centre and National Forensic Service – Posts in these two services are options to consider for trainees from any deanery in Ireland. The new forensic hospital is due to open shortly in Portrane Co. Dublin.

Trainee Involvement in Training Post Selection

Trainees will be in the same training centre for the first year of training (foundation year). Their location preferences will be discussed with the vice dean in advance of training commencement.  Midway through the first year, a training planning meeting with the vice dean will take place, trainees will be asked to express a preference for the remaining six posts and each trainee will receive a training allocation for the following three years of training.

Why Should You Choose the UCD Mater Deanery?

As well as excellent training opportunities, trainees who select the Mater UCD Deanery will have the option of working in one or both of two very different parts of Ireland. You will become equipped to work anywhere in the country as a future consultant.

Working in the north inner city can be challenging but major social investment is occurring. There are many community resources and services available to support the work of the mental health teams. The population is culturally and socioeconomically diverse and learning opportunities are plenty. The well-resourced multidisciplinary community teams, the regional psychiatric intensive care facility at the Phoenix Care Centre, the assertive outreach service offered by the Programme for the Homeless team, and highly engaged trainers provide exceptional training and learning experiences for future specialists.

Working and living on Dublin’s northside, close to the centre of a European capital city of literature and culture, sporting and entertainment venues and arts and architecture is an invigorating experience. The training centres are close to Croke Park, the Point Theatre, the Gate Theatre and Dublin’s major museums.

The neighbourhoods of Drumcondra, Phibsboro, Fairview, Marino and Clontarf are convenient to the training centres and close to the sea (Clontarf Promenade and Dollymount beach), parks (Phoenix Park, St. Anne’s, Park, Fairview Park and Bull Island National Nature Reserve) and the city centre. www.dublin.ie

Dublin’s two intercity rail stations, Connolly and Heuston, the LUAS lines, Busaras and DART stations at Clontarf and Connolly Stations are all close to the training centres. www.dublinpublictransport.ie

Anyone undertaking their training in Ireland’s ‘Sunny South East’ can avail of its many positive location factors. The region is well served with an excellent road network and also has good public transport connectivity with other major urban centres. The Dublin – Waterford train goes through Carlow and Kilkenny. These towns/cities are well served by national buses.  As a region it can claim to have the mildest temperatures and also the lowest rainfall in the country which in turn lends itself to the excellent outdoor activities available – from Wexford’s sheltered beaches and coastline to the Waterford Greenway and Copper Coast; swimming, sailing, and surfing will keep any outdoor enthusiast happy. The cities and towns offer a wide variety of food and cultural and sporting outlets.

Kilkenny city is Ireland’s finest medieval city and the rich farmland of county Kilkenny is extremely pretty. County Carlow has a rich ancient history.

Waterford (Lismore) and Wexford town have annual opera festivals and there are arts festivals in Kilkenny, Carlow and Wexford and Waterford.

Waterford was voted the Irish Times “Best Place to Live” for 2021. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/best-place-to-live-in-ireland-2021-why-waterford-city-won-1.4680655

• www.visitkilkenny.ie
• www.visitwaterford.com
• www.visitwexford.ie
• www.carlowtourism.com

Practicalities

Mental health services are organised geographically, with each team serving a particular sector. Outpatient clinics may take place in a health centre, rather than a hospital e.g. the outpatient component of a post could be in Wexford town and inpatient and on call work in University Hospital Waterford. In Dublin, distances between training centres and community clinics are short e.g. the outpatient clinics and day hospitals associated with St. Vincent’s Hospital, Fairview are within walking distance of the hospital.

Doctors travelling to clinics may claim travel expenses (based on return travel from a training centre e.g. University Hospital Waterford to a clinic e.g. in Tramore, Co. Waterford).

Housing prices in the south east are very favourable in comparison to other urban centres.

Accommodation in Dublin is the most expensive in Ireland but prices on the north side are generally lower than those on the south side.

The Daft.ie Rental Price Report and the Daft.ie House Price Report are useful documents to compare property prices in Ireland. www.daft.ie , www.myhome.ie and www.rent.ie provide an overview of what properties are available.

A car is not necessary for any of the Dublin posts. Trainees who decide to base themselves in the south east for the duration of training are likely to need a car. A trainee working for six months in the southeast could manage without one.

Additional Information

Many of the consultants working in the services in the deanery completed basic specialist training in the the deanery, indicating their satisfaction with their experiences as trainees. The consultant trainers, tutors and vice dean are very committed to the development and career progression of trainees

The SVUH/UCD deanery includes St John of God Hospital, and offers speciality placements including National Forensic Service, Beaumont Hospital, and the National Drug Treatment service. Community psychiatry experience is offered in a variety of centres including St John of God Community Adult Services, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Wicklow Mental Health Services and Waterford and Wexford community services. Child and adolescent placements are available in a community setting and there are two inpatient posts available. Later life experience is available in both community and inpatient settings.

Key Features

• BST On-Call, Mental Health Tribunals,
• ECT,
• Psychotherapy including Dialectical Behaviour therapy.
• In-House Teaching,
• Case Conference,
• Journal Club,
• Balint Group
• Opportunities for formal teaching to undergraduate level
• Management & Clinical Audit Opportunities
• Research Opportunities

Clinical Exposure

• Acute In-Patient care with specialist programmes such as eating disorders, addiction and DBT.
• Extensive programme of psychological therapies with opportunities for supervision.
• Experience in community delivered care including Out-Patient Clinics, Day Hospital, Day Centre, Hostels, Domiciliary Visits, Crisis Intervention, and Nursing Home visits.
• Liaison psychiatry experience with an opportunity to work in the National Gender Service.
• Intellectual disability experience in residential and community settings.
• Opportunity to work closely with the specialist early intervention in psychosis team and the newly established ADHD service.

Location

Urban centres are located in Dublin.

Rural centres are located in Wicklow, Waterford and Wexford which are well served with the national public transport network.

A full driver’s licence is not essential.

Further Information

There is an extensive programme of research in both adult and child psychiatry.

Based in centres of excellence affiliated to Trinity College, the TCD Deaneries provide the widest possible Basic Specialist Training to doctors pursuing a career in psychiatry in Ireland.There are 2 TCD Deaneries (titled ‘R’ and ‘S’) which receive on average c.15 new trainees per year. All posts are approved for training by the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, and by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK) for MRCPsych examinations. Trainees are eligible for inclusion in the Trainee Specialist Register of the Medical Council of Ireland.

There are approx 75 posts in total in the TCD Deaneries approved for BST, providing a wide variety of experience and choice. All posts are available to trainees in both Deaneries.TCD-R and TCD-S Deaneries collaborate closely and share the same management structure, governance and operational policies. There is one administrator, Ms Prisca Coleman, for both Deaneries.The two Deans are also Vice-Deans of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland; both have been in their roles since 2014 and have a wealth of experience in training and in mentoring trainees.

The UCC Deanery incorporates five training centres across Cork and Kerry. There is huge diversity of training experience available to trainees across the Deanery including opportunities to train in urban, rural, generalist and specialist posts. The Deanery places a very high value on training and supporting trainees to reach their potential.

Key Features

• BST On-Call- in house in four centres, on call is from home in one centre and also in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Weekly protected time for In-House Teaching including Case Conference, Journal Club and guest speakers. There are joint cross Deanery training session delivered also and can be accessed virtually and in person.
• Monthly Deanery Academic session which features teaching on subspecialty areas e.g. Perinatal, Eating Disorders, Liaison, Psychopharmacology, Early intervention in Psychosis,  Exam support sessions, Interview support sessions.
• Reflective Practice group
• Opportunities for formal teaching to undergrad level including the opportunity to apply to become an adjunct clinical lecturer with University College Cork
• Management & Clinical Audit Opportunities
• Research Opportunities
• Psychotherapy Opportunities
• Annual Deanery Day with opportunity for trainees to present posters and oral presentations

Clinical Exposure

Trainees have access to: Acute In-Patient, Out-Patient Clinics, Day Hospital, Day Centre, Rehabilitation Unit/Hostel, Domiciliary Visits, Nursing Home visits, School Visits

The Deanery has a number of subspecialty team posts including:

• Liaison Teams & a CAMHs Liaison team
• Home Based Crisis Teams
• Early Intervention in Psychosis Teams
• Perinatal Team
• Eating Disorders CAMHS and AMHS Hub Team
• Forensic Team
• Social and Rehabilitation Teams
• A Mental Health for Intellectual Disability Team

Location

Trainees would be advised to have a full drivers licence to work in the UCC Deanery. The geographical area covered by the UCC Deanery is large. In line with national mental health policy community mental health services across the Deanery are community based and a trainee would need their own transport to complete domiciliary visits, nursing home visits, hostel visits etc. Community clinics are in the main held in a variety of community team basis and not at an the acute hospital base.

There is a mix of urban and rural training centres. Trainees are all expected to complete at least one placement in a rural training centre- in line with College of Psychiatry recommendations.

The RCSI Deanery includes main general adult psychiatric units in North Dublin, Connolly Hospital and Drogheda. Each is linked to psychiatry of older life, rehabilitation and Child and Adolescent Mental Health In-patient and community (CAMS) services. Each centre has its own weekly academic training.

Services throughout the Deanery offer opportunities to experience psychiatry in urban and rural, and areas of deprivation and homelessness. Specialist training placements at multiple points throughout the region are available in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Later Life Psychiatry, Intellectual Disability, Social and Rehabilitation Psychiatry and Liaison Psychiatry. Additional training by specialist tutors in academic psychiatry is also available for trainees with 3 additional tutor roles available to trainees. Additionally posts substance use, forensics, rehabilitation and recovery, liaison psychiatry, and intensive home based treatment services are available.

The best way to understand the Deanery and the placements is to contact the vice-Dean and to be to speak with current and past trainees

Key Features

• The various posts provide high quality training arranged by training centre tutors, including weekly case conferences, journal clubs, Balint group training and protected individual supervision sessions.
• Additional training sessions are also provided for BST trainees which comprise research presentations by local and visiting speakers, OSCE and CFME exam preparation, specialty service seminars and interdisciplinary training in a range of psychiatric emergencies and grand rounds within the general hospital setting.
• All posts provide on call experience for BST. The full range of on call experience settings are covered and include inpatient psychiatry units, emergency departments, general hospitals, a child and adolescent inpatient unit, community residential units.
• Trainees are encouraged to participate in management and governance activities including engagement in service development, committee work, clinical audit and trainee representation.
• Trainees are supported in engaging in formal postgraduate training, audit and research activities.
• A Deanery Day is arranged which provides a platform for regional trainees to present their research projects in oral or poster format.
• Trainees are strongly supported in the research interests.
• Trainees involvement in the College’s training bodies and training committee is strongly supported.

Clinical Exposure

The full range of general adult and specialty service placements are available for trainees in the region throughout the 3 training centres, including inpatient units and outpatient clinics in a range of settings attached to inpatient units, standalone day services, primary care services. Most services also provide clinical exposure through day hospitals, day centres, community residential units, nursing home and domiciliary visits.

In addition later life services provide exposure to domiciliary and nursing home visits, and community nursing residential centres. Child and adolescent services provide clinical exposure through outpatient clinics, clinic-based group programmes and school visits.  ID services provide clinical exposure through residential service and supported employment settings.

Forensic psychiatry is available in the central mental hospital.

Addictions Psychiatry is available through national specialty posts.

Trainees are supported in personalising their training programmes.

Location

Training centres are located either in the Dublin area or Drogheda. Team bases for the various general adult services are located close to training centres.

While driving licenses are not obligatory, it is easier if the trainee can drive as some day hospital and centres are outside of walking distances.

Additional Information

Trainees commencing the scheme are generally offered two general adult psychiatry posts in one of the three training centres for their first 2 six month posts. After successful completion of foundation year, 6 further posts are allocated in consultation with the vice dean to comprise a mix of general adult psychiatry posts, regional specialty posts, national specialty posts across at least 2 training centres, individually tailored to the trainee’s training needs and interests.

The training scheme has a high success rate in trainees attaining their professional examinations and transitioning to higher specialist training and academic posts.

The University of Galway Deanery encompasses geographically the western counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Inpatient units for acute care are located in Galway University Hospital, Mayo University Hospital, Roscommon University Hospital and Merlin Park University Hospital, Galway (Child and Adolescent Mental Health In-patient Unit). Community based services are provided through a network of multidisciplinary adult community mental health teams and specialist services with a full range of community based outpatient, day hospital, day centre, outreach, home based and community residential services. General Adult Psychiatry training covers the full range of settings incorporating urban, rural, areas of deprivation and areas with high rates of ethnic minorities and homelessness. Specialist training placements at multiple points throughout the region are available in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Later Life Psychiatry, Intellectual Disability, Social and Rehabilitation Psychiatry and Liaison Psychiatry. Additional training by specialist tutors in academic psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and medical psychotherapy is also available for trainees. Additionally posts in general adult psychiatry in regional centres (Mayo, Roscommon/Ballinasloe) also provide exposure to specialty service provision in rehabilitation and recovery, liaison psychiatry, perinatal psychiatry, intensive home based treatment services.

Key Features

• The various posts provide high quality training arranged by training centre tutors, including weekly case conferences, journal clubs, Balint group training and protected individual supervision sessions.
• Additional training sessions are also provided for BST trainees which comprise research presentations by local and visiting speakers, OSCE and CFME exam preparation, specialty service seminars and interdisciplinary simulation training in a range of psychiatric emergencies.
• All posts provide on call experience for BST trainees which is frequently supervised by a HST trainee as well as a consultant. The full range of on call experience settings are covered and include inpatient psychiatry units, emergency departments, general hospitals, a child and adolescent inpatient unit, community residential units.
• Training and experience in delivering ECT is provided in ECTAS approved centres in Galway University Hospital and Mayo University Hospital.
• Trainees are encouraged to participate in management and governance activities including engagement in service development, committee work, clinical audit and trainee representation.
• The deanery benefits from close ties to the medical school of the University of Galway, which has several active education programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level and multiple interdisciplinary research activities of relevance to psychiatry. Several clinicians in the training scheme are research active in the fields of neuroscience and health services research, and regularly supervise trainees in the completion of research projects to the point of conference presentation and journal publication as well as clinical audit.
• Trainees are supported in engaging in formal postgraduate training, audit and research activities. Several previous trainees have successfully completed Higher Diplomas or Masters level courses in Clinical Teaching, Medical Science and Clinical Research as well as MD and PhD degrees on a range of research topics. Trainees are facilitated in accessing these opportunities and other resources available through the university including library, e-resources and research supports. A biennial Deanery Day is arranged which provides a platform for regional trainees to present their research projects in oral or poster format.
• The discipline of psychiatry at University of Galway provides active opportunities for trainees to engage in undergraduate teaching both in Galway and throughout other clinical services in the region, which include medical academies in Castlebar and Ballinasloe. There are close collaborative teaching and research links with other academic disciplines in the university including Psychology, Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology and Nursing.

Clinical Exposure

The full range of general adult and specialty service placements are available for trainees in the region throughout the 3 training centres, including inpatient units attached to Galway, Mayo and Roscommon hospitals, and outpatient clinics in a range of settings attached to inpatient units, standalone day services, primary care services. Most services also provide clinical exposure through day hospitals, day centres, community residential units, nursing home and domiciliary visits. In addition later life services provide exposure to domiciliary and nursing home visits, and community nursing residential centres. Child and adolescent services provide clinical exposure through outpatient clinics, clinic-based group programmes and school visits. Further opportunities are available through the CAMHS Day Hospital in Merlin Park Hospital and through a state of the art inpatient CAMHS unit also at Merlin Park Hospital which is an approved centre. ID services provide clinical exposure through residential service and supported employment settings. Several trainees also access specialty training in forensic psychiatry and addictions through rotating to these national specialty posts in Dublin as part of the BST training plan. Individual consultants also provide additional training in their subspecialties of interest to trainees in their specific posts and these include academic psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and risk assessment, medical psychotherapy for complex non-psychotic conditions and personality disorder, electroconvulsive therapy.

Location

Training centres are located either in the regional city (Galway) or large towns (Castlebar, Roscommon). Team bases for the various general adult services are located close to training centres or in commutable towns nearby (eg Ballinasloe, Tuam, Athenry, Ballina). Although the region is relatively compact, most trainees choose to move accommodation to be close to their training centre they are allocated to. Some posts are concentrated in urban settings, however several posts are in rural settings with limited public transport and having a full drivers licence is strongly advisable. These west of Ireland cities and towns are very culturally vibrant, surrounded by great natural beauty and have a strong student presence (University of Galway, GMIT). Accommodation cost is mid-range between the more expensive major cities and rural areas.

Additional Information

Trainees commencing the scheme are generally offered two general adult psychiatry posts in one of the three training centres for their first 2 six month posts. After successful completion of foundation year, 6 further posts are allocated in consultation with the vice dean to comprise a mix of general adult psychiatry posts, regional specialty posts, national specialty posts across at least 2 training centres, individually tailored to the trainee’s training needs and interests. The training scheme has a high success rate in trainees attaining their professional examinations and transitioning to higher specialist training and academic posts.