Training of forensic psychiatrists in Finland

Markku Eronen 28.8.2011Lidingö, Sweden

FP in Finland is a medical speciality

• Used to be subspeciality of psychiatry = it took 6+6+2 years in the university minimum to become a specialist in FP.

• Now 6+6 university years minimum• Average age to become a specialist 40y

Three universities have curriculums

• Helsinki ( prof. Matti Virkkunen retired)• Eastern Finland ( prof. Tiihonen moving partly

to Stockholm)• Turku ( in Vanha Vaasa – alive and kicking…)• Oulu: part of the education has to be done in

Vaasa or Kuopio• Tampere: no programm at the moment

• 61 Specialists in FP• 50 under 65 years• Officially 27 specializing, however many of

them not activ• In Kuopio up to eight, in Vaasa five, Helsinki

unclear.• 2-3 graduate/year/during last five years

• In some cases it is still possible to specialize to forensic psychiatry using the same common trunk with other psychiatric specialities = minimum of two extra years of studying.

• Universities are autonomous

A written exam after the studies

• Two prof responsible for the exams (Virkkunen, Tiihonen) & Eronen

• Six questions • Three times a year• If one fails three times, one loses two next

tries• Examples: Explain what you know about the

psychologicals tests used in Forensic psychiatry