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  1. General psychiatry

    General psychiatrists manage and treat adults with mental health disorders. 

    Training usually starts with a five year first degree in medicine and two years of foundation training. You will then take three years of core training (CT1-3), followed by three years of specialist training (ST3-6). This period of training will include completing your royal college exams. Length of training can vary according to your circumstances.
    Working hours should not exceed 48 hours a week. The working hours may sometimes extend beyond the normal working day including early mornings, evenings, weekends and on call. The basic salary ranges from £29,384 to £34,012. Once you start your specialty training as a general 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 empathy, compassion, emotional resilience and initiative to work in highly pressurised and emotive situations.The ability to monitor developing situations and anticipate issues is important. You'll also need to be flexible with an analytical and scientific approach. Also important are excellent communication, leadership and problem solving skills with the ability to work well in a team. You'll also need a high level of motivation, good organisational skills and the ability to work well in a team. Good problem-solving skills using logical/lateral thinking are also important.
    There are approximately 2,724 general psychiatrists working in the NHS in England. In 2020, there were 174 applications for 155 specialty training places. You'll specialise in liaison psychiatry, rehabilitation psychiatry or substance misuse psychiatry.
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