Psychiatric Residents: A Survey of Training Needs, Satisfactions, and Social Attitudes

An intensive survey of the residents at one psychiatric training center revealed their views on a variety of personal and professional issues not previously studied in the literature. The authors investigated the residents' achievement levels, training needs, satisfaction with training, difficulty in formulating professional goals, attitudes toward their house staff organization (HSO), and opinions on various social issues. These data were correlated with their level of participation in the program's HSO, year of residency, and whether they were graduates of an American or a foreign medical school. The results of the study are reviewed in the context of the crises of role transition and the residents' professional development.