The author — in a personal view — gives his opinion about the training of psychiatrists in the Netherlands. He states that there is some variety in the contents of the training in different centres. He also concludes that there is not a common agreement about the function of the psychiatrists. His principal question is: How do we prepare and train our psychiatrists for functionning in mental health tomorrow?
The author recognizes a psychiatry, founded on biological, psychological on sociological principles. The training must be based hereupon. He stresses the personality of the psychiatrist as the most important medium for treatment. The training must give much attention to this aspect. He prefers cooperation of centres for training.
He holds a plea for a period of training outside the hospital.
He puts some questions around the form of the training, (as there are further specialisations) social and economic position of the trainee, assessments of the results of the training. The author stipulates the broadness of the contents of the curriculum. He also puts the question of a year clinical neurology in the four-year training. In his opinion relevant neurology must be incorporated in and during the psychiatric training.
After some attention to subspecialities (i.e. child-psychiatry) he concludes that there are still unresolved questions around the training of dutch psychiatrists. The energy of many interested people must be given to this important subject!