Higher specialist trainees in psychiatry have 2 sessions per week to commit to special interests. This typically involves either specialist clinical experience, research, educational roles or leadership/management involvement.

The range of opportunities is considerable and can often be created according to trainee need within their local training programme.  Recent opportunities, to pick some examples, have included psychotherapy, substance misuse experience, specialist clinics (such as Adult ADHD, OCD or affective disorders), liaison services, developing teaching skills, quality improvement projects and much more

Rather than try to create and maintain a list of opportunities that would immediately be out of date, interested trainees should speak with the educational supervisors and/or the training programme director who will be able to suggest and arrange experiences:  training programme directors

You can also find information about the Clinical Research Network, which can help introduce you to research experience, on its page here: https://heeoe.hee.nhs.uk/psychiatry/research-and-special-interest/clinical-research-network-eastern

In general we would expect to find appropriate experiences in either research or special clinical interests for all our trainees, particularly given the wide range of services and research happening in this region.