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Psychiatry Residency Education in Canada: Past, Present and Future

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Abstract

Objective

This article provides a brief overview of the history of psychiatry residency training in Canada, and outlines the rationale for the current training requirements, changes to the final certification examination, and factors influencing future trends in psychiatry education and training.

Methods

The author compiled findings and reports on residency education in Canada from current and historical sources.

Results

Residency training in psychiatry in Canada has undergone significant change in the past 5 years, moving from an “apprenticeship” model to a competency-based curriculum with explicit expectations for the acquisition of key, defined competencies.

Conclusions

Continuous evaluation of teaching methodologies, increasing use of innovative and creative medical education techniques, flexible curricula, and increasingly rigorous standards of accreditation are some of the factors likely to continue to shape the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychiatry, McMaster University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Karen Saperson MBChB

Authors
  1. Karen Saperson MBChB
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Correspondence to Karen Saperson MBChB.

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Saperson, K. Psychiatry Residency Education in Canada: Past, Present and Future. Acad Psychiatry 37, 238–242 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.12060108

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ap.12060108

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