Proposal for new postgraduate educational rotation system in Japan
Sato, R.; Kawanishi, C.; Hirayasu, Y.
Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi 107(6): 593-598
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0033-2658 PMID: 16048108 Document Number: 592747
In Japan, a postgraduate educational rotation system was implemented in 2004. In this system, psychiatric training during 2-year residency is mandatory for every clinical trainee. Yokohama City University Hospital has employed a rotation system for more than 35 years, and many residents who would major in non-psychiatric practice have trained in our psychiatric department. To clarify the residents' needs in psychiatric training, we carried out a questionnaire survey on our present training program.The questionnaire was returned anonymously by mail. The subjects were 43 non-psychiatric physicians who had taken a psychiatric training course in a residency training program of Yokohama City University Hospital between 1989 and 2002. The questionnaire investigated the following items; 1) reasons for choosing psychiatric training course; 2) significance of psychiatric training; 3) psychiatric disorder and psychological symptoms encountered during and after psychiatric training; 4) criticisms of the program in our hospital. We received responses from 30 of the 43 physicians surveyed.More than 90% of participants considered their experience of psychiatric training positive, and indicated that every resident should receive psychiatric training. The participants suggested that the following items are necessary; communication skill, knowledge of psychiatric disorders, and how to initiate primary care for psychiatric symptoms. These results imply that receiving psychiatric training has positive effects on the acquisition of primary care skills. However, it is important to standardize the training program in order to make the new postgraduate educational rotation system more meaningful.