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Training usually starts with a five year first degree in medicine and two years of foundation training. You'll then do three years of core training (CT1-CT3), followed by three years of specialist training (ST3-ST6). This period of training will include completing your royal college exams. Length of training can vary according to your circumstances.

Doctors may work up to 48 hours a week. The working hours may sometimes extend beyond the normal working day to include early mornings, evenings and weekends. You’ll first earn a salary when you start your foundation training after medical school. The basic salary ranges from £29,384 to £34,012. Once you start your specialty training as a intellectual disability psychiatrist employed by the NHS, you can expect to earn a salary of at least £40,257, which can increase to between £84,559 and £114,003 as a consultant.

You'll need compassion, empathy and the ability to understand and respect people with intellectual disability. Excellent listening skills, patience and the willingness to build relationship with patients and carers are essential. You'll also need emotional resilience and good problem solving and decision making skills. Excellent communication skills and good team working are also needed with the. ability to lead and manage others effectively.

In 2021, there were 254 consultants in psychiatry of intellectual disability working in the NHS in England. In 2020, there were 30 applications for 52 training places. You could specialise or conduct research, teach medical students or postgraduate students in training or get involved in research at universities, the NHS or private sector.