[Psychiatry in undergraduate training of physicians in Poland. Ideas and reality]

History of undergraduate training in psychiatry at medical schools in Poland was briefly reviewed showing a traditional independence of chairpersons of psychiatry in forming programmes and deciding about forms of education. Since 1990 this independence has been controlled by the faculties and, to some extent only, regulated by the national curriculum in medicine. Goals, contents and forms of undergraduate training in psychiatry were examined (following Bilikiewicz's study in 1994) with the author's own questionnaire. Professors of psychiatry, respondents to the questionnaire were of very similar opinions in regard to the goals of training. At the same time, meaningful differences were found in the methods used, position of the subject in the curriculum and even time designed for psychiatry training (at some schools below the national minimum). There were also significant differences in the contents of the programme. The most important problem seems to be absence of child and adolescent psychiatry at some schools. Integration of psychiatry with other pre-clinical and clinical subjects was assessed too. The information received suggests that Polish professors of psychiatry approved of the way their subject had been integrated with others. This seems to be overestimation, especially if compared with the Kraków experience presented in a more detailed way.