ABSTRACT
AIMS AND METHOD: COVID-19 has forced many educational events to go 'virtual'. We report on the first online student-run National Psychiatry Summer School (NPSS). Evaluation of the online format and content was undertaken through survey feedback from almost 400 attendees. RESULTS: The NPSS positively affected attendees' perceptions of psychiatry as a career choice. The virtual format was positively received, with benefits including breaking down traditional barriers of geography and cost. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Post-COVID-19, a hybrid future of mixed virtual and face-to-face events is likely. Our work shows the viability of this and unique gains it might offer, and offers experiential learning on challenges encountered for others who wish to trial further virtual conferences.
Subject(s)
Congresses as Topic/organization & administration , Education, Distance/organization & administration , Education, Medical/organization & administration , Videoconferencing/organization & administration , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Education, Distance/methods , Education, Medical/methods , Humans , Infection Control/standardsABSTRACT
Medical recruitment and retention are national problems. Psychiatry has been more affected than many specialties, as a result of stigma from the public and other healthcare professionals. The Royal College of Psychiatrists has undertaken several initiatives to redress this, notably the 'Choose Psychiatry' campaign. In this editorial we argue that student-led university psychiatry societies are a wonderful but frequently untapped resource to help attract the brightest and best medical students to our profession. We describe the activities of three 'Psych Socs' across the UK and propose next steps to continue this work.
