'I missed out on psychiatry as a medical student because I was on my honeymoon. It wasn't compulsory and I wasn't examined on it. I began to realise what I had missed when I started my general practice training, and after 3 years as a GP I decided to apply for psychiatry training with a view to returning to general practice later. My first consultant told me that I had the common sense that was needed in psychiatry. To be honest, I hadn't expected to enjoy it quite so much!

A career in psychiatry allows you to get to know your patients and their families and to feel that you can really make a difference to their lives as a member of their healthcare team. The settings in which we practice are varied, and perhaps because my roots were in general practice, I feel especially at home in the community.

Some people think psychiatry is an easy option. It isn't. I think it is one of the most challenging careers in medicine. It is also intellectually stimulating and personally satisfying. Many people choose a career in psychiatry because they have experience of mental illness themselves, or in their own family, or perhaps a family member has a learning disability, and that's fine; personal experience increases one's empathy for others, and this is an essential attribute for all psychiatrists. My son has a learning disability and that's why I specialised in psychiatry of learning disability having initially trained in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy.

If psychiatry appeals to you, give it a try. Ask some psychiatrists to talk to you about their careers. Doctors who choose psychiatry for the right reasons rarely regret it.

So come and join us. Help us with your intelligence to continue the advances in psychiatric knowledge. Help us with your eloquence to combat the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Help us with your innovative flair to make use of the government's growing interest in mental health services. And help us with your humanity to make relationships with those in need.'

Professor Shelia Hollins
President (2005-2008) Royal College of Psychiatrists

If you are interested, why not compete for a prize for medical students. On this page you will find information on eight prizes, ranging from £ 100 to £ 500, in all psychiatric subspecialties. These competitions typically involve you writing an essay and the page will outline the specific requirements for each prize.

You can find further information on the Cambridge University Psychiatry Society via email or information on Psychiatry Societies for medical students in general on the College website. 

Hugo de Waal
Head of School