Psychiatry Interest Forum
Information and events for medical students and doctors interested in psychiatry and mental health.
Specialise in the mind
Have an interest in mental health and psychiatry? Join the RANZCP’s Psychiatry Interest Forum (PIF) and stay in the loop with the College’s activities and opportunities.
As a member of the PIF you will receive a range of free benefits including:
- invitations to educational events, including lectures, workshops and conferences;
- career guidance in psychiatry and its subspecialties through seminars and networking with RANZCP Fellows and trainees;
- invitations to participate in RANZCP awards, prizes and grants around promotion, research or advocacy in mental health;
- access to RANZCP e-learning resources;
- e-newsletters to keep up to date with RANZCP activities.
Who can join?
To join the PIF, you must:
- be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate medical course approved by an Australian or Aotearoa New Zealand medical school accredited by the Australian Medical Council or Medical Council of New Zealand, or
- be registered as a medical practitioner with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency or the Medical Council of New Zealand.
- not be, or have previously been, a RANZCP Fellow, trainee, non-RANZCP psychiatrist or an international medical graduate on the pathway to RANZCP Fellowship.
Opportunities for PIF members
PIF members can apply for a range of opportunities to help them learn more about mental health and psychiatry.
. See a list of opportunities currently available to PIF members
PIF Essay Competition
Held annually, the PIF Essay Competition allows eligible PIF members to explore and discuss a specified topic within psychiatry and/or mental health through a written essay.
Entries for 2022 Essay Competitions (Australia and New Zealand) are closed
Learn more about this Essay Competition, where you could have the chance to win A$1,000 and have your essay published in Australasian Psychiatry.
. Read the winning essays
Learn about psychiatry
. How to become a psychiatrist in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand
. What a psychiatrist does
. The difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist
. Addressing Myths About Psychiatry webinar *College login required
Joining the RANZCP Fellowship Program
. Overview of the RANZCP Fellowship Program
. How to apply, selection criteria and prerequisites
. The RANZCP Fellowship Program pathway [PDF, 400 KB]
. Why Train in Psychiatry? – Psych Matters podcast episode
Psychiatry careers articles
. A Day in the Life of a Psychiatrist – PIF article series written by RANZCP Fellows and trainees
. Why it’s worthwhile training as a psychiatrist (Australasian Psychiatry, Jul 2020) *Journals access required
. Choosing a career in psychiatry - expect the unexpected (NZMSJ, Apr 2020) [PDF, 98 KB]
PIF video resources
. Making the Most of Your Psychiatry Rotation (Dec 2022) *College login required
. Introduction to Psychiatry short course (Oct 2022) *College login required
. HETI event: Choosing Psychiatry – Career Pathways and Opportunities (Dec 2021)
. Introduction to Psychiatry short course (Oct 2021) *College login required
. Introduction to Psychiatry short course (Sep 2021) *College login required
. Live Q&A on psychiatry training and careers (Apr 2021)
. Introduction to Psychiatry short course (Oct 2020) *College login required
. Keeping ourselves well: A wellbeing conversation for medical students and doctors (Oct 2020)
. Introduction to Psychiatry short course – Rural and regional psychiatry (Aug 2020) *College login required
. AMA Victoria Careers Expo recording (Apr 2020)
. Sydney Introduction to Psychiatry short course (Oct 2019) *College login required
PIF print resources
. Specialise in the mind infographic [PDF, 165 KB]
. Psychiatry subspecialties booklet [PDF, 212 KB]
. Eight ways to make the most of your psychiatry rotation [PDF, 198 KB]
Hard copies of written resources are available. Please contact us to find out more.
Psychiatry podcasts and texts
Below are a selection of RANZCP and university medical student society podcasts that may be of interest.
. Psych Matters – An informative and educational podcast by the RANZCP, providing regular interesting topics for psychiatrists, psychiatry trainees and others with an interest in psychiatry.
. The Thought Broadcast – A podcast linked to the RANZCP’s journal, Australasian Psychiatry, with a particular focus on the RANZCP Scholarly Project and trainee research.
. Psych(ic) Podcast – Developed by the Adelaide University Psychiatry Society at the University of Adelaide.
. PsyPOD – Developed by the Psychiatry Society of Monash at Monash University.
. The Freudian Slip – Developed by the Psychiatry Students' Interest Society at the University of Melbourne.
The RANZCP's list of recommended texts and resources for trainees may also be useful for learning more about psychiatry.
Contact
You can direct any questions about the PIF to pif@ranzcp.org or call us toll-free on 1800 337 448 (from Australia) or 0800 443 827 (from Aotearoa New Zealand).
Problems logging in?
Your RANZCP User ID is your PIF ID number. If you continue to have problems, please contact pif@ranzcp.org.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has received Australian Government funding under the Psychiatry Workforce Program to deliver this project.
