The RANZCP is in the planning stages for the development of a new qualification, the Diploma of Psychiatry.

The Diploma will ensure a broader range of medical practitioners can access expert training and education in psychiatry and mental health.

• The Diploma will be a continuing professional development (CPD) opportunity for medical practitioners, including GPs, rural generalists and emergency medicine physicians.
• The development of the Diploma has been funded by the Australian Government through the Psychiatry Workforce Project (PWP).
• Conversations are underway in regard to recognition of prior learning from the Fellowship program.

The Diploma of Psychiatry Expert Advisory Group and the Diploma Curriculum Authorship Steering Group guide the development of the Diploma. Both groups include representation from RANZCP members, specialist medical colleges, community members, and other stakeholder organisations.

Diploma curriculum

The Diploma will differ from the current RANZCP Fellowship training program and is designed to upskill registered medical practitioners who are PGY 5 or above.

The curriculum of the Diploma emphasises training in core mental health assessment and therapeutic skills, which can be applied to all the age groups, population and diagnoses, that the Diploma participant may encounter in their clinical practice.

Flexibility in delivery of learning is key. Structured feedback based on observation of Diploma participants conducting consultations with patients, who present with mental health issues, will be the focus.

The core learning areas of the Diploma include:

• Assessing patients presenting with new mental health problems
• Assessing and managing risk in relation to patients who may harm themselves or others
• Delivering a brief, structured psychotherapy intervention to support patients with mental health problems
• Initiating pharmacotherapy for patients diagnosed with mental health disorders.

Consultation on the Diploma Graduate and Curriculum Learning Outcomes will open shortly. The College will also be calling for Expressions of Interest for involvement in the Diploma.

Please note the Diploma program being developed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is vocational training for graduate medical practitioners and is not a higher education award in accordance with the Australian Qualifications Framework.