Master of Psychiatry

The new course was developed after consultation with the academic staff, students, and the RANZCP. Although significant changes have been made to the course, it continues to maintain the high quality teaching and standards that have been developed through the history of these important programs.

The Postgraduate Psychiatry Program is a 3-year part time course that continues to be jointly run by the Department of Psychological Medicine, Monash University and the Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne. Candidates who successfully complete the course will be awarded the degree, Master of Psychological Medicine or Master of Psychiatry, from the 2 universities respectively. There is no longer a thesis requirement in the new course. There is also the possibility of taking some or all of the course on a continuing education, rather than a degree base.

The course aims to develop the knowledge and skills of medical practitioners working with patients with mental illness. The course fosters attitudes of tolerance to the diversity within our community and our geographical region, equity to appropriate treatment for all individuals and encourage the practitioner to consider the sociocultural factors in their interactions with patients and their broader community. The course is designed to encourage the student to explore the theoretical concepts in psychiatry and their relationship to clinical practice. The seminar format of the course, led by a facilitator/lecturer, encourages student participation, self-directed learning, problem solving and the integration of theory with clinical practice. This will hopefully lead to a culture of lifelong learning that will be maintained throughout their professional career. Students will complete a number of core subjects as well as be offered selective subjects in the second and third years in order to reflect the ever-increasing current state of knowledge in psychiatry.

In the past this course has been specifically targeted to those medical practitioners engaged in specialist psychiatry training. With the awareness of the need to improve psychiatric care to a broader cross section of the community, this course will now be offered to other medical practitioners with an identified interest in working with patients with mental illness.

Doctors in Victoria now have the opportunity to gain an academic qualification in psychiatry through these programs. Psychiatric trainees will particularly appreciate the benefits of this program, as they complement the RANZCP Training Program.

Specific aims of the course include:

1. To encourage students to become critical thinkers and pursue lifelong learning and self-directed professional development
2. To provide education about the specific attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to effectively work in the area of mental health
3. To promote research and critical evaluation in clinical practice
4. To provide students with a broad understanding of the cultural, differences that exist in our community and their relationship to its individuals and mental illness
5. To facilitate the professional development of the student by providing the opportunity for students to engage in critical discussion of the scientific literature or clinical psychiatry with their collegues and lecturers who are experts in the field.

Students must complete six core subjects and four selective subjects.

Year I Core Subjects

Two core subjects.

Year II Core and Selective Subjects

Two core subjects. In addition, students must undertake one Selective I subject for Semester 1, and one Selective II subject for Semester 2.

* For Selective Subjects, see below.

* Second year course structure will change in 2014. See Links to further information for more details.

Year III Core and Selective Subjects

Two core subjects. In addition, students must undertake one Selective I subject for Semester 1, and one Selective II subject for Semester 2.

* For Selective Subjects, see below.

* Third year course structure will change in 2015. See Links to further information for more details.

Selective I Subjects:

Selective II Subjects:

1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant's ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria –
• an undergraduate degree in medicine and relevant previous studies in the field of psychiatry; and
• at least one year experience as a practising doctor and current registration.

2. All applicants must at the time of admission and during their candidature be engaged in psychiatric practice or clinical training in psychiatry, or be medical officers in a psychiatric service or be private medical practitioners with a significant proportion of their practice involved in working with patients with mental illness.

3. The Selection Committee may conduct interviews or call for referee reports and employer references to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

4. The English requirement is waived where the applicant has Medical Board of Australia registration as registration requires English language standards of IELTS academic minimum score of 7 in all four components OR completion with overall pass in OET with score of A or B in all four components OR successful completion of NZREX test OR successful completion of PLAB test.

Note: Quotas may be applied and preference may be given to applicants with evidence of appropriate preparation or potential to undertake research. Entry is subject to the capacity of a participating department to provide adequate supervision in a research project appropriate to the interests and preparation of the individual student and may be subject to the agreement of a member of academic staff to supervise the project module. Selection is not automatic and, in particular, is subject to competition.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Overview, Objectives and Generic Skills sections of this entry.
It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The course aims to develop the knowledge and skills of medical practitioners working with patients with mental illness.