The WPA-Sponsored Symposium 'Harmonizing Perspectives and Experiencesin Psychiatric Training'.
Authors: Levent Küey
Journal: World Psychiatry (2004)

A WPA-sponsored symposium entitled 'Harmonizing perspectives and experiences in psychiatric training' was held on October 15, 2003 in Antalya, Turkey, during the 39th National Psychiatry Congress of Turkey. The experiences of various international organizations and of Turkish psychiatrists and the perspectives of different experts in psychiatric training were discussed in three sessions. The idea of enhancing training and education in psychiatry across the world, while at the same time respecting the realities and differences that exist in the various regions and in different cultural contexts, was once more emphasized.

In his presentation, Juan E. Mezzich, President Elect of the WPA, outlined the objectives and main components of the WPA Institutional Program to Promote the Professional Development of Young Psychiatrists, which reflects WPA's commitment to the future of our field. This Institutional Program includes, among other activities, a Fellowship Program for WPA World and International Congresses, awards to promote scientific contributions from young colleagues, special networks for young psychiatrists, and the recently established WPA Young Psychiatrists Council.

Mario Maj, President of the European Psychiatric Association (AEP) and Secretary for Publications of the WPA, emphasizing the importance of continuing medical education (CME) in psychiatry, described a programme of itinerant courses launched by the AEP in collaboration with twenty-two national psychiatric societies in Europe. The programme includes 12 courses, dealing with the management of the most prevalent mental disorders and delivered by the most renowned experts in the relevant fields. The courses are taking place within the congresses of the national psychiatric societies.

Levent Kuey, WPA Zone Representative for Southern Europe, outlined the aims, development and main features of the WPA Core Training Curriculum for Psychiatry, which was published in 2002. The idea behind this programme is to share educational expertise while maintaining recognition of the realities that exist in different regions of the world. The main goal is to construct the core elements of a graduate training curriculum in psychiatry in order to ensure high quality of psychiatric services via the creation of competent psychiatrists in all areas of the world.

Anne Lindhardt, President of the Section of Psychiatry of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), described the recent recommendations for psychiatric training agreed upon by all member countries, with a special focus on training in psychotherapy.

Marianne Kastrup, WPA Zone Representative for Northern Europe, discussed the content of a culture sensitive psychiatric curriculum and the strategies to implement it. Taking the Northern European Region and Denmark as examples, new challenges related to the immigrant population were described.

Valery Krasnov, WPA Zone Representative for Eastern Europe, discussed the problems of psychiatric training in that region, where, like many other processes, the system of professional education is undergoing a transition period. Postgraduate professional education in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine is carried out in internships (one year program) and in clinical 'ordinature' (two years program). It goes without saying that over the course of two years it is difficult to properly prepare a specialist in psychiatry. Recent attempts to improve postgraduate education by special additional courses were described.

Petr Smolik, WPA Zone Representative for Central Europe, described the very new and sensitive situation created in that region by the affiliation of some countries to the European Union. The diversification of Central European countries according to the level of this process will induce very probably various specific problems, especially in such fragile social structures as health care and system of education. Very active and efficacious ways of prevention of these problems should be prepared.

The standpoint of psychiatric trai-nees was presented by Dominique Mathis, Past-President of the European Federation of Psychiatric Trai-nees (EFPT). This is the umbrella organization for national European psychiatric trainees' associations. Sixteen European countries are currently full members.

The CME accreditation and continuing professional development (CPD) activities of the Turkish Medical Association (TMA), which started in 1994, were described by Iskender Sayek, Chair of the Section on Training and CME of the TMA and Dean of Hacettepe Medical School. Rasit Tukel, Chair of the Section on Psychiatric Training of the Psychiatric Association of Turkey (PAT), outlined the development of the Psychiatric Board of Turkey. Hamdullah Aydin, President of the Commission for Psychiatric Training and Curriculum of Turkey, explained the principles and the process of preparation of the Training Curriculum for Psychiatry in Turkey. Defne Turhan, President Elect of EFPT, focused on psychiatric training in Turkey from the perspective of trainees. M. Orhan Ozturk, Past President of PAT, underlined the need to establish close collaboration and exchange of trainers and trainees between psychiatric centers.

The symposium was closed by the chairs, Savas Kultur, President of PAT, and Levent Kuey, who expressed their wish that improved psychiatric training helps psychiatrists all over the world to gain higher scientific, ethical and humanistic standards.