title: Evaluation of an innovative recruitment initiative on the attitudes of medical students.
abstract: Some medical specialties struggle to recruit sufficient trainees to their postgraduate programmes. In many countries including Ireland, psychiatry is one of these specialties. A psychiatric summer school was developed by the trainee committee of the College of Psychiatry of Ireland as a recruitment initiative. All applicants were invited to complete a questionnaire prior, on the day of and three months after the summer school assessing their attitudes to a career in psychiatry. The mean score on the modified Nielson questionnaire in the pre-summer school group was 26.7 (SD +/- 3.8) and this rose significantly 28.3 (SD +/- 3.2) after completion of the summer school. 64% (n = 31) of applicants to the Summer school expressed an interest in a career in psychiatry. This rose to 88% (n = 32) of those who attended. The findings of this study have national and international interest for all specialties who are struggling to recruit to their field.
authors.affiliation: Cavan Mental Health Services, Cavan General Hospital, Cavan. karenoconnor2@hotmail.com
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thekiso
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Swanwick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires