RESIDENT MEDICAL OFFICERS' UNIT

Psychiatry / Mental Health

The Canterbury District Health Board Mental Health Service is the largest in the country and employs over 40 Consultant psychiatrists, 30 psychiatric registrars and has 8 house officer attachments. The Division offers a wide range of services including; Acute Inpatient Services (64 beds), Inpatient Rehabilitation Services (82 beds), Community Mental Health Teams including Family Service and a refugee service, Outpatient Rehabilitation Services (People with chronic severe conditions and Treatment of Early Psychosis), Regional Forensic Psychiatric Service (33 beds), Alcohol and Drug Services (including 6 beds), Psychiatric Services for Adults with Intellectual Disability including an Assessment, Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit (25 beds), a Psychiatric Consultation - Liaison Service, and Anxiety Disorder Service, a Mothers and Babies' Service (including 6 beds), Eating Disorders Service (including 7 beds), a Child Inpatient and Outpatients Services (9 beds) and Youth Inpatient and Outpatient Services (8 beds). There is also a Maori Mental Health Team, which works in conjunction with other services. Psychiatry Services for the Elderly are also large but are housed within the Older Persons Health Division.

The Mental Health Division has strong links with the University Department of Psychological Medicine; a range of joint clinical and educational meetings run regularly.

The psychiatric registrar training programme covers a minimum of five years, during which registrars rotate 6 monthly through the range of mental health services.

For information about the Psychiatric Registrar Training Programme, please contact the Director of the Training Programme - Dr Matthew Croucher - telephone 64 (03) 377-0258. Intakes into training occur in June and December each year.

The Division's house officer positions are attached to the Alcohol and Drug Service (1) to Child, Adolescent and Adult Speciality (Eating Disorders, Mothers and Babies') inpatient units (1), Acute Inpatient Services (4). They receive good reviews from RMOs attached to them and include good exposure to psychiatry and to supervision and support from seniors.