Special Projects

Postgraduate Overseas Specialists Training (POST) Program

 

The POST Program is run by the International Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, St. Vincent’s Mental Health.  It offers tailored clinical training fellowships in mental health for individual psychiatrists, nurses and allied health professionals from the Asia-Pacific region. Various subspecialty options are available.

 

Dr Apisamai

       The POST Program aims to:

  • develop advanced knowledge and skills in a subspeciality of clinical psychiatry that can be applied to the local psychiatric practice in the trainee’s country
  • develop individual and institutional capacity for further education and training.
                                                                                          


2013 Update on the POST Program


Over the first half of 2013, the POST Program has been busy hosting 11 Fellows from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Clinical attachment fields have included psychogeriatric care, neuropsychiatry, accreditation and quality and post-traumatic stress disorder. Hosting a larger group of POST Fellows simultaneously had a large impact, and an afternoon tea was held to welcome the Fellows to Australia.  The purpose of their visit was to learn about a variety of mental health services in Victoria, and to adapt those lessons into their home countries. 

When asked how he would apply his learning’s from his attachment in psychogeriatric care, Malaysian Psychiatrist, Dr Ka Hin Lau noted that he would like to develop a new service utilising a non-pharmacological approach to manage the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia in nursing homes. 

Other encouraging intentions from the Fellows included the establishment of peer support plans for mental health nursing staff and preparation for the future development of multi-disciplinary, mobile, community assessment teams. The POST Program team is preparing to welcome more Fellows from the South East Asia Region in the coming months.   

Listen to POST Program participants talk about their experiences


 


 

 

Further interviews of POST program participants are available at the following locations.

Hong Kong nurses
Hong Kong occupational therapists

For further information, please see the POST Website.