For the first half of the EFPT year, MENTA has been working hard to fulfill the goals set in Istanbul, in accordance with our new statement:
“EFPT strongly believes that the coordination of trainees’ interests and efforts is key to promoting high quality psychiatric training. It is therefore essential that all psychiatric trainees are represented by national trainee organisations in their countries. These associations are the core of the Federation, keeping it international, strong and continuously active in the improvement of psychiatric training around Europe and the world. EFPT should serve as a model, guide and framework to maintaining the existing national trainees associations and establishing new ones in Europe and beyond, serving for the best interests of trainees from all over the globe”.
To that end we have been maintaining regular online communication amongst the members of our WG, which includes 10 trainees from 8 countries.
Our first and most important objective is to help trainees from all the National Training Associations (NTAs) to maintain strong and active associations within their countries. We are in close contact with the EFPT Board and the General Manager of NTAs in order to give the necessary assistance, mainly to those countries which find it difficult to actively maintain their associations and fully participate in the Federation. We invite any trainee who may be having difficulties in the development of their NTA to contact us.
Secondly, our most visible work is to promote the establishment of new NTAs and their full integration with EFPT. We hope that Kosovo and Moldova will join us as full members in Bristol 2018, following their fruitful participation in the previous annual fora. We have also contacted two motivated trainees from Bulgaria (Kaloyan Martin and Kristina Semdakova) thanks to their participation in the Young Psychiatrist’s Network, and are providing guidance to establish an association and begin their active participating in EFPT. We are also reaching out to colleagues from Iceland.
This year MENTA has made the significant step of expanding the EFPT model beyond Europe. Our Iranian colleagues, leaded by Elham Shandiz, have recently established their NTA, and sent us a picture of its Board (pictured); they are eager to collaborate with EFPT and promote new national associations in Asia. On the other hand, Samadhi Salguedo, from Bolivia, is struggling hard to establish their national association. Starting from that country, and with colleagues from Argentina, Guatemala and Panama, we think that a big movement of trainees may rapidly spread in Latin America. Our hope is that in the near future, trainees from around the globe will be more and more united: perhaps a World Federation of Psychiatric Trainees?
We are happy to keep working for the federation, and are quite open to more trainees who wish to participate in our group. Do not hesitate to contact us!