Learning from psychiatry summer schools for school leavers

Abstract

Background: In the context of the ongoing recruitment crisis in psychiatry, we evaluated what aspects of a school leavers’ psychiatry summer school was beneficial, and what aspects could be improved. We also considered if the summer school influenced interest in a career in psychiatry. Method: Over a three-year period, we collected and analysed Likert-scale and free-text data from a questionnaire given to school leavers at the end of the summer school. Results: School leavers found listening to a patient’s journey to recovery, interaction with doctors at different stages of training, and help with application to medical school most valuable. Feedback about the summer school was generally very positive and of the 38 school leavers involved, 61% stated they would consider a career in psychiatry following attendance. Discussion: Providing a psychiatry summer school for school leavers is a worthwhile opportunity to expose aspiring doctors to psychiatry, potentially enhancing future recruitment. We offer guidance from our learning to those considering running a similar summer school in the future.