Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme

Aims: Psychiatry placements can be challenging for medical students due to unpredictable settings, emotionally charged patient interactions, and potential risks. Limited hands-on experience, inadequate supervision, inconsistent teaching across the wards, and poor induction further amplify students’...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sanaa Moledina, Hetal Acharya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-06-01
Series:BJPsych Open
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425102937/type/journal_article
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850059374862532608
author Sanaa Moledina
Hetal Acharya
author_facet Sanaa Moledina
Hetal Acharya
author_sort Sanaa Moledina
collection DOAJ
description Aims: Psychiatry placements can be challenging for medical students due to unpredictable settings, emotionally charged patient interactions, and potential risks. Limited hands-on experience, inadequate supervision, inconsistent teaching across the wards, and poor induction further amplify students’ apprehensions, reduce engagement, and deter them from considering a career in psychiatry. To address these challenges, the University of Leicester Medical School (LMS) initiated the Undergraduate Teaching Liaison Associates (UTLA) scheme within Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to improve medical education in the mental health sector. This programme, grounded in the Near-Peer Teaching model, provides structured mentorship and personalized guidance to medical students. The quality improvement project focused on implementing and adapting the UTLA initiative specifically for psychiatry placements.
format Article
id doaj-art-2c9de068dc374dd2bedb6d662a5c535f
institution DOAJ
issn 2056-4724
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Cambridge University Press
record_format Article
series BJPsych Open
spelling doaj-art-2c9de068dc374dd2bedb6d662a5c535f2025-08-20T02:50:55ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242025-06-0111S98S9910.1192/bjo.2025.10293Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA SchemeSanaa Moledina0Hetal Acharya1Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton, United KingdomNorthamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton, United KingdomAims: Psychiatry placements can be challenging for medical students due to unpredictable settings, emotionally charged patient interactions, and potential risks. Limited hands-on experience, inadequate supervision, inconsistent teaching across the wards, and poor induction further amplify students’ apprehensions, reduce engagement, and deter them from considering a career in psychiatry. To address these challenges, the University of Leicester Medical School (LMS) initiated the Undergraduate Teaching Liaison Associates (UTLA) scheme within Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to improve medical education in the mental health sector. This programme, grounded in the Near-Peer Teaching model, provides structured mentorship and personalized guidance to medical students. The quality improvement project focused on implementing and adapting the UTLA initiative specifically for psychiatry placements.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425102937/type/journal_article
spellingShingle Sanaa Moledina
Hetal Acharya
Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme
BJPsych Open
title Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme
title_full Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme
title_fullStr Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme
title_full_unstemmed Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme
title_short Redefining Psychiatry Placements: Improving Medical Education Through the UTLA Scheme
title_sort redefining psychiatry placements improving medical education through the utla scheme
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472425102937/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT sanaamoledina redefiningpsychiatryplacementsimprovingmedicaleducationthroughtheutlascheme
AT hetalacharya redefiningpsychiatryplacementsimprovingmedicaleducationthroughtheutlascheme