Outcomes for patients seen by medical student therapists. Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Medical student therapists: a qualitative study examining outcomes for patients seen in the context of the Bristol University Medical Student Psychotherapy Scheme
IRAS ID
167984
Contact name
Ruth Harrison
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
A Medical Student Psychotherapy Scheme (MSPS) has been running at University College Hospital in London since 1958 and the Bristol University scheme has been running since 1998. Additionally, there are ongoing attempts by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and medical schools across the country to establish Medical Student Psychotherapy Schemes.
The schemes are open to students in their first or second clinical year. Students who wish to take part in a scheme will usually do so as part of a Special Study Component part of their course. Entry is competitive and students are selected by interview.
Students participate in the scheme for an academic year. During this time they embark on a course of intensive weekly training, including seminars, small group work and role playing, to develop a better understanding of the doctor patient relationship and of psychodynamic psychotherapy. They then go on to see a patient for weekly psychodynamic psychotherapy for six months. The students’ work is closely supervised at weekly supervision groups run by a senior psychotherapist.
Previous research has focused on the medical student experience and has shown participation in the scheme to be a positive experience for them, primarily in terms of increasingly their understanding of the doctor patient relationship. It has also been shown that participation is linked with students choosing psychiatry as their future career. To date there has been no research addressing the patient experience of the scheme and this research aims to redress this balance.
Participants will be interviewed (up to three, two hour meetings) about their experience by a researcher who is trained as a psychiatrist and in psychodynamic psychotherapy. The interview content will be analysed by using narrative analysis with a view to developing an understanding of patient experiences and outcomes.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/SC/0448
Date of REC Opinion
5 Oct 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion