A Day in the Life of Psychiatry Resident

Dr. Shivani Dudha

Psychiatrists are doctors who specialise in the field of Psychiatry, which is a branch of Medicine that encompasses assessment and management of mental disorders. 

 After qualifying as a doctor and later a Psychiatrist, I chose to do my higher training in “General Adult” Psychiatry. Some of the other sub-specialties include Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Older Adults Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Intellectual Disability Psychiatry, Medical Psychotherapy, etc. My training program is 3 years long and will require me to work every 6 months at a different settings, both within hospitals as well as the community based mental health facilities. 

 For my current rotation, I work at a hospital with other colleagues including 1 Consultant Psychiatrist, 2 other doctors training to be a psychiatrist, lots of specialist mental health Nurses, a Pharmacist, Psychologist, Occupation Therapist, Physiotherapist and a Speech and Language Therapist. Here’s what a typical day of the week 9am – 5pm looks like: 

 09:00: Arrive on my ward and pick up my special “Ascom” phone. I then take the handover from night team and check my email for any new patient updates. All doctors have a brief huddle to discuss the list of tasks for the day. 

09:30: Multi-disciplinary professionals meeting with the ward manager where we discuss response to treatment, safety related issues and discharge preparation plans for all the patients on the ward every single day. 

10:30: Assessment of all new admissions including extensive review of notes, interviews, physical health examinations and investigations, and initiation of treatment. Sometimes there are new Mental Health Act assessments or scheduled Mental Health Tribunal hearings that I need to prepare detailed reports for and/or attend the hearing to provide medical evidence to the Tribunal Judge. 

 12:30: Lunch Break 

 13:00: Ward round meeting for 30 minutes per patient which is also attended by their family and friends, independent mental health advocate and the patient’s community mental health team. We also invite other healthcare professionals if they are involved in the patient’s care, example cardiac specialists, neurologists, oncologists, etc, to ensure we are all working in collaboration.

15:00: I continue seeing patients outside of the ward round to review their medication plans and also make referrals for psychological therapy. I meet with friends and family of patients to answer their questions and address their concerns. I also attend departmental meetings, reflective practice sessions, teaching and training sessions, journal club meetings and other clinical governance related meetings in the afternoons once a week.

16:00: Discharge preparation includes handover to community mental health teams for continuity of care, completing discharge summaries and discussion about relapse prevention strategies and crises support plans with patients. 

 17:00: Check the to-do list and handover any urgent tasks to the on-call doctor covering the hospital for the evening and later at night. Check-in with colleagues at the end of the day. 

 Throughout the day, I often get called for physical health or acute behavioural disturbance emergencies, which are prioritised over everything else. 

 Once a week, I don’t work on the ward and instead focus on my training related curriculum needs. This includes working in another Psychiatry sub-specialty to widen my work experience and also participate in clinical audits, quality improvement projects, exploring leadership roles in the hospital and be involved with the on-going clinical research in the Trust. 

 My job is incredibly rewarding and filled with lots of new challenges every day. It is a privilege to be working in a role where I am able to make a positive difference in the lives of our patients and their loved ones. Whilst it’s a learning curve for me, I’m equally excited to work closely with and deliver teaching to many medical students and psychiatrist trainee doctors who will be the future Psychiatry Consultants of tomorrow!