- Title
- Towards a philosophy of psychiatry education
- Creator
- Safranko, Ivan
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2019
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Psychiatry is a medical specialty with a history of applicant shortage and stressful workplaces. Significant adverse events throw the challenges posed by this profession into high relief. This thesis has its origin in personal experience of stressful workplaces and the impact of adverse events on professional psychiatrists, reinforced by subsequent reports of such events directly involving such professionals. A substantial philosophy of education for psychiatrists may help ameliorate or modify the personal and professional damage caused by adverse events impacting psychiatry trainees on their journey in the psychiatric workplace. Suicide is perhaps the most significant of adverse events, and this thesis uses in part novice and expert reflection upon this event to assist in the development of a fruitful philosophy of psychiatry education. The study draws strongly on the work of William Frankena whose work on philosophy of education ‘writ large’ made a very significant contribution to thinking about this important activity. Frankena’s thinking readily lends itself to the analysis of particular fields of education and training and for its analysis of the various approaches used during the education and training of psychiatrists. This analysis is then challenged and extended by application and discussion of empirical data from a survey of trainee and consultant psychiatrists in a compact medical context in Eastern Australia. The empirical data was derived from participant responses to an enhanced version of the Attitudes Towards Suicide (ATTS) Questionnaire coupled with questions about demographics, workplaces and professional development. In addition, open-ended questions provided the opportunity for more detailed qualitative and narrative responses. The study confirms that adverse events are common during psychiatry training, and that these events have a variable impact on the individual psychiatry trainee. The negative impact of adverse events is likely to be cumulative, with suicide of a patient and exam failure - somewhat surprisingly - likely to cause equal levels of distress. It is acknowledged that service demands may contribute to adverse events, and this may impact learning, and professional development. Though tragic, adverse events such as patient suicide, may provide opportunities for teaching, learning and meaningful reflection. The application of the Frankena model highlights what training and educating psychiatrists in a regional training scheme might look like. Hunter New England Training (HNET) is a model that reflects not only local training conditions, but also broader socio-political factors, highlighting a macro-level perspective. Locally, the preparation of psychiatrists for practice relies heavily on clinical psychiatrists and inspirational role models. The Frankena model highlights the importance of character in the professional development of a psychiatrist, a factor that ultimately drives sound clinical decision-making. For psychiatry, who you are is just as important as what you do.
- Subject
- Frankena; professional development; clinical decision-making; philosophy
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1408211
- Identifier
- uon:35811
- Rights
- Copyright 2019 Ivan Safranko
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 14 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 243 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |