Do medical students feel career ready after their psychiatry clinical rotation?

BACKGROUND: In the South African healthcare system, mentally ill patients first come into contact with primary care physicians who then refer these patients for specialised care if needed. Medical students therefore need to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence to treat mentally ill patients. AIM: To evaluate the perceptions of medical students regarding their career readiness as doctors after their clinical rotation in psychiatry. SETTING: The University of Pretoria, South Africa. METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from questionnaires completed by final year medical students from 2011 to 2015. These data were analysed overall and by year using Chi-square tests and regression analyses (N = 770). RESULTS: Overall, 93.10% of medical students felt adequately prepared for their role as medical practitioners after their clinical rotation in psychiatry. The proportion of medical students exposed to post-traumatic stress disorder (p = 0.012), obsessive-compulsive disorder (p = 0.006) and alcohol-use disorder (p = 0.046) was found to vary significantly by year. Exposure to any one psychiatric condition did not influence perceptions of career preparedness. Students perceived themselves to be career ready if they had sufficient exposure to mentally ill patients, knowledge about prescribing appropriate psychiatric medication and especially psychiatric interviewing skills. CONCLUSION: Students who completed practical and clinical training in psychiatry perceived themselves to be career ready.