The changing face of psychiatric training in the UK

With the introduction of many reforms and changes in medical training in the UK, postgraduate training has undergone significant transformation. The establishment of Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB), Modernizing Medical Careers (MMC), new recruitment processes and changes in the curriculum and examination structure are all having a major impact on the future training and teaching programs in psychiatry in the UK. Entry into psychiatry is becoming increasingly competitive and progression in career is now competency based in addition to the examination requirements subject to an annual review and regular appraisal. A structured portfolio is also vital in order to present evidence of competencies and ensure smooth progression through the training grades. This paper gives a general outline of these changes and describes the new training and examination requirements of the new system in place in the Psychiatric training in United Kingdom.