A survey of the teaching and assessment of undergraduate psychiatry in the medical schools of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Background: Individual medical schools currently decide on the content and delivery of their undergraduate psychiatry curriculum, so there is probably significant variation in the students' experience of the speciality during the medical course and in the extent to which they develop the appropriate skills and knowledge base.

Aim: To ascertain how the teaching of undergraduate psychiatry differs across UK and Irish medical schools.

Methods: The educational lead for psychiatry at each medical school in the United Kingdom and Ireland completed a questionnaire providing factual information on the teaching structure, contents and assessment methods in their current psychiatry curriculum.

Results: Some aspects of the curriculum were consistent across the medical schools with other areas showing great variability. The course content was broadly similar but the assessment, length of experience and course structure differed.

Conclusion: There are significant differences in how psychiatry is taught to undergraduate students in the United Kingdom and Ireland and although all the curricula are evaluated by the General Medical Council, further study is required to see if this has any effect on the levels of competency achieved.