Abstract
When, and for what reasons, do doctors decide to specialize in psychiatry? Having committed themselves, how adequate do they find their training? Is the general level of their training improving as a result of the efforts of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and of the Joint Committee on Higher Psychiatric Training (JCHPT)? These were the questions asked of consultants in general psychiatry newly appointed between 1 October 1978 and 30 September 1981.