About the program
The Sydney West and Greater Southern (SWaGS) Psychiatry Training Network provides a supportive and well-resourced environment for psychiatry trainees. The program offers high-quality supervision, protected academic time, and a wide range of clinical experiences to help trainees meet the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) core competencies.
The SWaGS training program helps trainees develop the skills and knowledge needed for psychiatric practice. It offers:
- A broad range of clinical and non-clinical experiences to meet RANZCP core competencies.
- High-quality exam preparation activities.
- A clinically relevant general education program that includes case presentations, skills training, scenario management, and use of simulation labs (where available).
- Access to a wide range of subspecialty terms.
- Well-resourced inpatient units with excellent supervision for first-year trainees.
- Rotation planning based on trainee needs to support efficient progression through training.
- Supportive supervision by RANZCP-accredited supervisors and examiners, with a strong success rate in RANZCP examinations.
- Opportunities to complete scholarly projects in diverse specialty areas.
- Access to RANZCP Advanced Training Certificate programs (Stage 3) in:
- Addiction psychiatry
- Adult psychiatry
- Child and adolescent psychiatry
- Consultation-liaison psychiatry
- Forensic psychiatry
- Psychiatry of old age
- Psychotherapy.
SWaGS offers rotations in:
- Forensic psychiatry
- Adult acute psychiatry (inpatient and community)
- Old age psychiatry
- Consultation-liaison psychiatry
- Addiction psychiatry
- Rehabilitation psychiatry
- Child and adolescent psychiatry
- Early intervention
- Psychotherapy.
Trainees who successfully complete the RANZCP 2012 competency-based training program are eligible for Fellowship (FRANZCP). Fellowship allows independent practice as a consultant psychiatrist in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Westmead Psychotherapy Program includes four modalities within the Certificate of Advanced Training in the Psychotherapies.
Trainees complete formal teaching and case requirements in one of the following areas:
- Individual dynamic psychotherapies
- Structured and brief psychotherapies
- Group psychotherapies
- Family and couples therapy.
SWaGS supports a range of research opportunities, including:
- Psychotherapy and the Westmead Psychotherapy Program
- Biological psychiatry – electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and mood disorders
- Early intervention
- Chronic schizophrenia and ECT
- Recovery-oriented models of care
- Emotional Health Clinic.
| Stage 1 – 12 months adult psychiatry out of which at least 6 months in an acute inpatient unit |
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| Stage 2 – 24 months training at 1.0 FTE (12 months in mandatory and 12 months in variable) |
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| Stage 3 – 24 months training at 1.0 FTE | 6 months FTE in selected area of practice:
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| Westmead Hospital | Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals |
| Cumberland Hospital | The Children’s Hospital at Westmead |
| Nepean Hospital | St Joseph’s Hospital, Auburn |
| Albury Hospital | St John of God Hospital, Richmond |
| Katoomba and Blue Mountains Hospitals | Justice Health |
| Wagga Wagga Base Hospital | Goulburn Base Hospital |
| Northside West Private clinic | HeadSpace Parramatta and Mount Druitt |
Director of Training, Acting Professor Anoop Sankaranarayanan (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri)
Email: Anoop.Sankaranarayanan@health.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 9840 3660
Education Support Officer, Richa Gupta
Email: Richa.Gupta@health.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 9840 3769