Postgraduate Psychiatric Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

To identify and map postgraduate psychiatric education changes implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, summarize their reported effects, and examine their implications for the future of psychiatric training.

We conducted a scoping review using Arksey and O'Malley's framework, reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Two searches were performed in May 2022 and May 2023 across MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the World Health Organization COVID-19 database. Eligible studies described postgraduate psychiatric educational developments-including teaching, assessment, and structured trainee well-being programs-introduced in response to COVID-19 and involving residents, fellows, or physicians. Data were charted on study characteristics, curriculum changes, and reported outcomes.

Of 775 identified records, 19 studies were included after deduplication, screening and full-text review. Most originated in the United States and used descriptive, survey-based, or qualitative designs. Common themes included transition to virtual and hybrid didactics, expansion of telepsychiatry training, innovations in assessment, trainee well-being interventions, reflective practice initiatives, and redeployment to medical services. Most changes were reactive, although several informed more enduring curricular models. Reported benefits included accessibility, and the feasibility of virtual teaching and assessment; challenges included variable trainee satisfaction, uneven institutional resources, limited preparedness for redeployment, and a lack of long-term outcomes data.

The pandemic acted as both a disruptor and a catalyst for innovation in postgraduate psychiatric education. Future training should build on these lessons while aligning curricula with evolving mental health needs, workforce realities, and preparedness for future health emergencies.