Expanding horizons with EFPT Exchange Jelly Kuiters, M.D. on behalf of the EFPT Exchange Working Group

1. Expanding horizons with EFPT Exchange
Jelly Kuiters, M.D.
on behalf of the EFPT Exchange Working Group

2. Affiliation
Jelly Kuiters, M.D., psychiatrist
No conflicts of interest
• Training at University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands
• 2014 – 2016 board member of Dutch national trainee association
• 2014 – 2015 national coordinator and IT in the EFPT Exchange WG

3. History… since 2011
Founder local coordinators June 2011 – 2012
Dr Marisa Casanova Dias (U.K., former chair, senior adviser)
Dr Maria Orlova (Russia, former chair)
Dr Nikolina Jovanovic (Croatia)
Dr Alex Nawka (Czech Republic)
Dr Rene Sjaelland (Denmark)
Dr Marina Cojocaru (Estonia)
Dr Henna Haravuori (Finland)
Dr Elodie del Valle (France)
Dr Fran Baessler (Germany)
Dr Achilleas Economou (Greece)
Dr Rafail Psaras (Greece)
Dr Elizabeth Barrett (Ireland)
Dr Nikita Bezborodovs (Latvia)
Dr Mariana Pinto da Costa (Portugal)
Dr Marko Saje (Slovenia)
Dr Helen Trebbau (Spain)

4. The EFPT Exchange Programme
by trainees, for trainees

5. By trainees, for trainees
Chair: Amelie Kjellstenius (Sweden)
Co-Chair: Olivia Cools (Belgium)
Co-Chair: Ivana Kekin (Croatia)
IT: Andra Isac (Romania)
Social media: Vladimir Djuric (Serbia)
New Countries Coord.: Ellen Jongedijk (Netherlands)
NATIONAL & LOCAL COORDINATORS:
Croatia: Ivana KEKIN.
France: Ester AYMARD/Clément DONDÉ, Julia SIMMONDS,Wayne GUILLAUME.
Germany: Sarah Maria BIRKLE.
Hungary: Hajnalka NORANDT-PASZTOR.
Ireland: Emam EL-HIGAYA/ Cornelia CAREY, Dr Ana Varjačić, Ignazio GRAFFEO.
Italy: Daniele GARINO, Claudio VITUCCI.
Portugal:Cátia MOREIRA/Fábio SILVA, Marco MOTA, João DA CRUZ, Guilherme
BASTOS, Gonçalo SOBREIRA.
Romania: Andra ISAC/Mădălina ZLATE, Laura DEMIJAN, Eszter TUZSON, Ioana STANESCU,
Rosana MUNTEANU, Alexandru STANESCU, Ioana STANESCU, Ioana MOCANU, Adelina
DUBAS.
Slovenia: Andrej BABNIK.
Switzerland: Clara FETEANU.
The Netherlands: Ellen JONGEDIJK/ Michiel OVER.
Turkey: Uğur Çıkrıkçılı/Elif Çarpar, Hidayet ECE ARAT, Burak BAYTUNCA, Bari AY.
United Kingdom: Howard RYLAND/Hollie WALKER, Jennifer POWELL, Sebastião VIOLA,
Grégoire BILLON.

6. What do we do?
Unique and individualised short-term psychiatric trainee
observerships in a variety of European countries.
An opportunity to experience differences in psychiatric
healthcare or know what it’s like to be a trainee in
another European country.
Who: Trainee from EFPT member country
What: 2 to 6 weeks observership
When: Application period twice a year
Where: 13 European countries
Costs: It’s complicated

7. Goal
The overall aim is to provide trainees with opportunities to:
• Promote awareness of intercultural aspects of psychiatry
• Engage in clinical, and/or research, and/or teaching activities
• To become acquainted with different mental health systems
and a training programme
• To gain experience of different illness manifestations and
treatment options

9. How is it organised
Who: Trainee from EFPT member country
What: 2 to 6 weeks observership
When: Application period twice a year
Where: 13 European countries
Costs: It’s complicated

10. Organisation: who?
• The applicant can be a psychiatric training of any
year registered in training of a EFPT country.
• The applicant should be fluent in English. Some
knowledge of the local language is helpful but may
not be compulsory.

11. Organisation: what?
•The host countries provide various opportunities
within clinical work, research and teaching. The
programme may contain visits to geographically
different institutions.
•The programme can be tailored to individual wishes
and availability.
•EFPT also wishes to encourage a variety of social
and cultural activities in the host country.

13. Organisation: when?
• Choose 1-2 programmes on www.efpt.eu
• Two phases a year: January to July and August to
December. The application period (of one month)
will open two months before.
• A programme has a minimum of 2 weeks and a
maximum of 6 weeks.
•The applicant will have to negotiate the terms with
his/her own institution to go on leave.

14. Organisation: application
• CV detailing relevant experience for the programme
• Motivation letter
• Reference letter from your head of department
including your current level of training
• Language proficiency certificate is optional (but working
knowledge of the language is required and may be checked by Skype/phone).
• If there are more applicants per vacancy, selection
will be done by a local group without conflict of
interest. Criteria: motivation letter, CV, language
proficiency, seniority in training.

15. What is expected?
• A presentation to be performed upon arrival at the
host institution: on the participant’s country, the
education and institution and areas of best practise.
• After the exchange
1. Upload a final report on EFPT’s webpage
2. Feedback form  certificate
3. Strongly encouraged to give a presentation at
his/her home institution.
…sharing knowledge

16. Funding
• Unfortunately no funding or bursaries are available.
Expenses regarding transport, accommodation, food, visa,
insurance etc. must be covered entirely by the applicant.
• There might be local funds.
• Accommodation if possible in student or hospital premises
at as low costs as possible. Where possible, hosted by
trainees.

17. The EFPT Exchange Programme
…to encourage intercultural professional exchange and
cooperation among psychiatric trainees across Europe,
with a focus on individual experience.
“I will strongly recommend
EFPT Exchange Programme for
colleagues. As I returned to my
routines, I was so refreshed and
full of enthusiasm to share my
experience” – Trainee from
Ireland visited Croatia
“I had the chance to get
familiar with a different type
of management of psychiatric
services, to work with great
professionals and to visit a
new country” – Trainee from
UK visited Ireland

18. 2015 Porto Forum

19. 2016 Antwerp Forum

20. New developments
Funding
• Application for European funding very bureaucratic and not
always fruitful.
• Small bursary by EFPT granted to an accepted applicant from
lower income countries.
New exchange positions
• Belgium, Poland, Spain; Norway and Sweden again.
• In participating countries: new cities or programmes.
More data  publications

21. The EFPT Exchange Programme
Online application as of 1
November!
www.efpt.eu/exchange