Early Introduction to Psychiatry
The field of Psychiatry is facing two challenges: a growing number of patients and fewer doctors to assist them. Medical Doctor and PhD student Pernille Gundtoft Uhrenholt is determined to change this and has made it the focus of her PhD. She wants to introduce medical students to psychiatry early in their studies and make it an attractive specialization.
In the video Lithium, medical resident Steffen Jonsson reflects on his clinical experiences using lithium to treat patients with depression. The video was integrated into the course Basic Pharmacology.
INTEGRATION IN EXISTING COURSES
In her first study, Pernille uses short videos to engage bachelor students, by integrating them in three of their mandatory courses - Basic Pharmacology, Psychology & Healthpsychology and Excitable Cells. The videos demonstrate how theory from the three courses is applied in practice by junior doctors in psychiatry. By spotlighting the junior doctors, Pernille hopes to create identification with the students, while displaying the many options her field offers medical students after their studies.
You can hear more about Pernille’s first study and her collaboration with COBL in this video:
Pernille Gundtoft Uhrenholt on the production process and collaboration with COBL.
FIRST ENCOUNTERS & CO-PRODUCTION
Pernille is currently conducting interviews with the bachelor students from the three courses to assess whether the videos have had the desired effect and to learn more about the students’ preferences when using video as a learning resource.
In the next studies, Pernille will focus on the students’ first encounters with psychiatry through their jobs alongside their studies and early clerkship. Ultimately, she wants to co-produce more videos in close collaboration with junior doctors, students and the course responsible.
OPEN ACCESS
The videos from Pernille’s first study are not limited to the students enrolled in the three courses. Currently the videos have been streamed more than 64.000 times across the youtube channel Tidligpsykiatri and on KU’s Open Educational Resource site. All 15 videos will be available to anyone interested.
You can find the videos here: 
Or you can visit the Open Educational Resources platform from University of Copenhagen: