Chile has approximately 600 psychiatrists for its 15 million people. Although in the capital city, Santiago, the provision (per capita) is twice as high as in the rest of the territory, it is possible to see over the past decade a progressive increase in the number of these specialists in the other main cities. There are no more than 50 child psychiatrists and several cities have no local resource in this subspecialty.

Training

Ten schools of medicine offer medical undergraduate education. The 7-year curriculum includes courses on medical psychology, psychopathology and general psychiatry.

Physicians may become specialists in psychiatry through a 3-year postgraduate programme of studies, provided by seven universities. All these residence programmes have similar coverage of neurology, in-patient wards and out-patient facilities and community mental health, as well as some adult and child psychiatry, the amount of which depends on the final specialty. Examinations vary across the residence programme: sometimes there are full examinations but, more frequently, there is formal approval after each one of the 6- or 12-month rotations.

Another way to obtain a specialty certificate is by undertaking formal clinical work, in a psychiatric clinical facility, that lasts at least 5 years; accreditation requires attendance at postgraduate courses and passing a formal examination, one week long, in a university centre.

Finally, a national independent organisation, CONACEM, is the authority for specialist certification of physicians; the certificate is necessary for professional work and insurance purposes.

Professional bodies and research

Three main societies provide for scientific exchange among Chilean psychiatrists: