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Psychiatry of intellectual disability (PID)

Psychiatrists working in Intellectual Disability (ID) or Learning Disability (LD) are specialist psychiatrists who offer psychiatric assessment and treatment for persons with intellectual/learning disabilities. They also include assessment and management of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy.

Training and qualifications required

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.

Expected working hours and salary range

Working hours should not exceed 48 hours a week. The working hours may sometimes extend beyond the normal working day to include early mornings, evenings and weekend. On call possible. Pay scales (2017): Consultants earn between £76,761 and £103,490.

Desirable skills and values

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.

Prospects

There are 259 consultants in psychiatry of learning disability in England in 2016. Opportunities exist for research and teaching.

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