Great Northern Psychiatry Summer School - a New Online 3 Day Conference

AIMS: Over the past two years, and continuing in 2023, we have developed a new three day online conference ‘Great Northern Psychiatry Summer School’ aimed at medical students and junior doctors interested in training in psychiatry in the North of England. This poster seeks to elaborate on our successes designing and providing a conference that contributes to the ongoing success of the RCPsych 'Choose Psychiatry' recruitment initiative and addresses regional disparities in core training fill rates. METHODS: Participants were recruited by advertising online (including social media), circulating information by medical schools and by integrating advertising into undergraduate educational provision. Innovative teaching methods including online workshops were used to introduce attendees to the breadth of roles available within psychiatry and the work-life balance available within the North. Experienced and charismatic psychiatrists within subspecialties were invited to present their area of work. Practical sessions including interactive discussion of video scenarios introducing attendees to the working lives of psychiatrists. RESULTS: In the poster we summarize feedback received from attendees including a potential positive influence on psychiatric recruitment. The conference was popular to the point of being oversubscribed and having to limit numbers. In 2022, 100% of attendees (n = 56) described the conference as either ‘very well’ or ‘reasonably well’ organized including a comment that it was ‘The most to-schedule online event I've attended’. 55% ofattendees suggested that the conference should remain virtual in the future. 90% of attendees indicated they were either ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to apply for psychiatry training. 70% of attendees responded that they were ‘very likely’ or ‘likely’ to apply for psychiatry training in the North as a result of attending the conference. CONCLUSION: We have designed and hosted a successful 3 day online conference aimed at recruiting high quality and motivated candidates to the North of England, an area traditionally but no longer considered hard to fill. We have used feedback to improve the conference year to year and are hosting a 2023 conference online given previous positive experiences with this mode of delivery.