Medical Trainees Demand Funding and Recognition for Psychotherapy Training in Psychiatry

In a significant call to action, medical trainees specializing in psychiatry are advocating for comprehensive funding and official recognition of psychotherapy training as part of their professional development. The leaders of the Trainee Doctors' Section of the Vienna Medical Chamber have highlighted the pressing need to make psychiatric training both attractive and financially viable.

Currently, trainees in psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine are required to cover substantial costs associated with their mandatory psychotherapy training out of their own pockets. This financial burden is deemed excessive and is discouraging many young medical professionals from pursuing such a crucial specialty, as emphasized by Bernhard Schönthoner, the chair of the Trainee Doctors' Section.

Moreover, the training often occurs outside regular working hours, frequently on weekends or during personal time. Advocates argue that it is unreasonable for such essential education to be unpaid and not recognized as working hours. They stress that to achieve high-quality psychiatric care, fair training conditions must be established.

The Trainee Doctors' Section is calling for not only full coverage of training expenses but also the formal acknowledgment of psychotherapy training as working hours within the framework of their specialist education. This recognition is seen as vital for ensuring long-term psychiatric care quality and securing adequate training for future professionals in this demanding field.

Eduardo Maldonado-González, chair of the employed doctors' section of the Vienna Medical Chamber, has expressed his support for these initiatives. He noted that the psychotherapy training is a valuable component of psychiatric education and has been a mandatory part of the curriculum for many years. It equips future psychiatrists with the necessary skills to integrate therapeutic conversations into their medical practice effectively.

In light of the ongoing shortage of professionals in the fields of psychiatry and psychotherapeutic medicine, there is an urgent need to improve the conditions for those currently in training. Failure to act quickly could jeopardize the quality of patient care in Vienna, as the demand for psychiatric services continues to grow.