During their lifetime almost half of all Australians will experience an episode of mental illness, with one in five Australians affected at any one time. Psychiatrists are encouraged to look at all aspects of a patient, and spend time talking to them as part of a holistic health approach.
Working as a psychiatrist is both a challenging and rewarding career. We discuss some of the reasons you should consider Australia as a place to transform in your career and experience one of the most beautiful locations in the world. Here are just some of the reasons you should choose Australia:
- There is often the opportunity to build relationships with people and provide continuity of care. Working as a psychiatrist in Australia, you will be given the opportunity to meet interesting and often disadvantaged people who have experienced great adversity.
- Through your work as a psychiatrist you may be closely exposed to the culture of Indigenous people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. This could involve working with the community and traditional healers.
- Psychiatry is a broad field encompassing the areas of adult, child and adolescent, forensic, perinatal, and old age psychiatry. Psychiatrists in Australia often combine work in a public facility with private practice and many specialise in a particular area, such as addiction. They work in a variety of settings including hospitals and clinics in metropolitan or regional settings.
- Public psychiatrist services specialise in providing mental health care to patients in community settings, while hospitals provide both inpatient and outpatient services. Non-government organisations also provide community-based care through support services and residential clinics.
- Your work as a psychiatrist will typically involve working in a team with other medical specialists and allied health professionals including GPs and social workers.
- Working in Australia offers work-life balance with flexible training arrangements and working hours that align to normal business hours and less frequency of being on-call.
- Those already working as a psychiatrist in Australia report working 39 hours a week on average, which includes both clinical and non-clinical hours.
- When considering working as a psychiatrist in Australia it is important to note that psychiatry is one of the most financially rewarding careers, consistently placing in the top ten of highest paid occupations. In addition, psychiatrists are usually highly respected by their peers.
- Working as a psychiatrist can be draining but wherever you work there will be opportunity to explore Australia’s diverse landscape to recharge in nature and visit the country’s many landmarks.
- To work as a psychiatrist in Australia, you must be admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP). International medical graduates should apply for specialist recognition of overseas training and experience.
If you are a psychiatrist currently looking to secure a position in Australia, please feel free to review our selection of opportunities.