[Students' evaluation of education in psychiatry]

Students' written evaluations covering four years of education have been collected. According to the students' judgment, excursions, seminars involving presentation of patients, and teaching and problem solving in small groups were worthwhile. In general, the gain from lectures was regarded as low. The clinical rotation, predominantly based on hospital inpatient services, had been valuable for some, of limited value for about one half, and a waste of time for more than a quarter of the students. Hospital based teaching takes up most of the students' time and most of the institute's financial resources. According to the student's reports, however, it contributes only with 14% of the total gain from the course. Evaluations collected on several years of education provide information which cannot be obtained from a single assessment.