Revised Mmed Psychiatry/Msc
Clinical curricula
Wangari Kuria MBChB, Mmed, PhD
Psych.
Chairman Department of
Psychiatry(UoN)
Department Objectives
• To equip the trainee with knowledge, skills and attitude
required to manage and prevent mental disorders
• To develop the trainees research and teaching capacity
• To instil in the trainee the personal responsibility for
learning and keeping abreast of the latest
developments in the field of psychiatry/psychology
• To develop managerial and leadership skills and
encourage collaboration with other related
professionals
Goal
• contribution to development – improve health
of citizens by prevention of and managing
those with mental health problems
Highlights of Revised Mmed
Psychiatry program
logbook
• Every student will be expected to keep a log of
supervised clinical, research and academic
engagements
-This will enhance student –lecturer interaction
and mentorship
- It is also aimed at improving trainee skills in
order to address emerging mental health
challenges
Elective term
The student will be expected to engage in an
elective term in 1 of 3 option areas outside
the teaching hospital:
• health leadership/ managerial position.
He/she will mirror health leader/manager ( e.g
medical superintendent) and perform their
responsibilities
-this is intended to minimize mismanagement
of health institutions and resources
Ctd
• Supervised clinical rotation at a private
institution or clinic
-this will provide the trainee with an experience
of what is involved in private practice
Elective term ctd
• Supervised elective term at a research
institution/ project
- Trainees interested in research as a career will
be introduced to the practice of conducting
research and applying for grants
- It will also expose the student to the skill of
establishing research collaboration and links
Leadership and management unit
• Why the need?
-there is an urgent need to have mental health
managers/ leaders to man the various mental
health institutions/programs
- Similarly we need health leaders who can
steer mental health to new heights
- The revised curriculum will equip the trainee
with leadership and managerial skills
purpose
• The impacted knowledge/ skills will:
- Enable the trainee to manage health
resources and institutions
• lead/oversee policy formulation and its
implementation
Dissertation
• Research method unit will be taught just
before the students begin writing their
proposals
• All students will defend their dissertation
• The dissertation will be examined and a mark
allocated to it
Purpose
• To improve research skills in the trainee to
enable them address health issues through
evidence based practices
• Improve quality of research
Revised Msc. Clinical Psychology
curriculum
Clinical psychologist
• Clinical Psychologists are an important
component of a mental health team
• They can make an important contribution to
the delivery of mental health services at the
Community level.
Introduction
• There is an increasing demand for clinical
psychological services in the delivery of other
forms of health services like:
- Child and Maternal health
- HIV/AIDS care and support
- education, correctional and rehabilitation
services disaster and relief services etc
- disaster and relief services etc.
Highlights of revised curriculum
• Addition of health psychology unit
- This will enable the clinical psychologist to
efficiently operate in primary health care
settings
- The clinical psychologist will have a wide field
of practice rather than been confined to a
narrow field of practice
Neuro psychology
• The course HPS 902 has been expanded to
include neuropsychology
• The equipping of the trainee with an
understanding in neuropsychology will enable
the graduate to understand and participate
better in the management of patients
Research
• Research methods unit will be taught to the
students just before they engage in proposal
writing
• All students will be expected to defend their
dissertation
Leadership and management
course
• The trainee will receive leadership and
management course similar to the one given
to the Mmed Psychiatry students and for
similar reasons
Conclusion
• The revised curricula is expected to produce a
holistic mental health expert capable of
making the world a better and mentally
healthy place
• The revised curricula should however be
accompanied by a “ revised mind set”- for
both the trainee and trainer
• Are the teachers and trainees ready for
required mind set?