How Do Psychiatry Residents View Their Training in Spain? A Mixed-Method Survey

Efforts to improve psychiatry training must incorporate residents' assessment of their training. This study sought to collect the opinion of residents about the program that has been in force in Spain since 2008, until the current transition to a new plan.

The authors conducted an online survey of psychiatry residents in Spain, asking about their formative and working conditions. Based on previous research and the national training programme, it was distributed electronically to resident representatives of the National Board of Psychiatry. This descriptive, cross-sectional study used a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach, following standard procedures for data analysis.

A total of 109 residents from 67 training units responded to the survey. The average score for satisfaction with their training was 6.84 (standard deviation (SE) = 2.4; the maximum possible score was 10). Psychotherapy was considered the area with the greatest need for improvement, while the rotations that participants would most like to be extended were child psychiatry and addictions. It was reported that rotation durations established by the national programme were not fulfilled in 38.5% of cases, while the required direct supervision for first-year residents was not fulfilled in 77.1% of cases. Regarding working conditions, 47.7% of the residents reported that they exceeded the maximum working time established by European law.

Psychiatry residents in Spain perceive certain areas of their training as deficient, especially those related to psychotherapy and clinical supervision, and they consider that their working time is excessive. The approval of the new training programme opens up an interesting opportunity for improvement.