A survey of child and adolescent psychiatry residents: perceptions of the ideal training program

A survey instrument was developed to examine several issues relevant to training in child and adolescent psychiatry. Forty percent of the residents representing 56% of the training programs in the United States completed the questionnaires. A descriptive profile of the typical training experiences of child and adolescent psychiatry residents is presented, as is a report of their satisfaction with each component of their program and their expectations of an ideal training program. In general, satisfaction with residency training experiences was found to be highly related to the amount of emphasis reportedly placed on the various training experiences. The implications of the findings for training directors are discussed.