This blog is aimed primarily at junior doctors who are training to become Psychiatrists. However, it will also hopefully be of interest and use to Consultant Psychiatrists, Tutors and healthcare professionals working in Mental Health Nursing, Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Social Work and related professions.
I will post a weekly piece over the next seven weeks aimed at helping junior doctors to review where they are at in their psychiatric training with tips on how to optimize their training plans and progress in their career.
The seven areas to be covered are as follows:
Week 1: General introduction
Week 2: Your CV
Week 3: Clinical experience
Week 4: Research
Week 5: Teaching
Week 6: Management and leadership
Week 7: Extra qualifications
Using the comments section, I am hoping that readers will ask questions and interact if possible and I would also appreciate any feedback.
About me
My name is Henry O'Connell and I work as a Consultant General Adult Psychiatrist with Laois-Offaly Mental Health Service (based in Portlaoise) and as an Adjunct Associate Clinical Professor with the University of Limerick Graduate Entry Medical School.
A graduate of Trinity
College Dublin (1997), I completed basic training in Psychiatry with the
Dublin University Rotational Training Scheme before going on to do a Research
Fellowship with Mercer’s Institute for Research on Ageing from 2002 - 2005. I then completed Higher Training in Psychiatry in the Midwest before taking up my first Consultant post, in Old Age Psychiatry with Laois-Offaly Mental
Health Service from 2008 - 2013. Changing to General Adult Psychiatry in 2013, I have been employed as a Consultant in that specialty since then.
Along the way, I have completed a Masters
in Health Sciences (Clinical Teaching) with the National University of Ireland Galway and a Doctorate in Medicine
on delirium detection with the University of Limerick.
I have an established track record in a wide
range of clinical specialties, service development initiatives, clinical research and undergraduate
and postgraduate medical education.
