Consultation liaison training in Canadian psychiatric residency programs

Canadian Psychiatry Residency programs were surveyed through questionnaires to determine the status of Consultation Liaison Training (CLT) for the year 1979/80. Virtually all the programs offered CLT as lecture/seminars and clinical postings. The majority of residents who received CLT were in their first and second years, with the average trainee spending less than 6% of total clinical training time in Consultation Liaison work. About 9% of the total core teaching time was devoted to Consultation liaison Psychiatry (CLP) and related topics. Canadian medical students are exposed to CLP in various forms during their training. There is little interdisciplinary collaboration or post-residency fellowships in CLP at this time. The authors suggest that CLT be offered in the last two years of training when the trainee can be an effective consultant with a consolidated identity as physician and psychiatrist. They also recommend an increase in inter-departmental collaboration and further development of post-residency fellowships in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry.