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Useful experience for psychiatrists includes:

• work in hospitals or other health-related work, such as in a clinic
• work involving psychology or counselling
• work in support and advice services such as Lifeline or Citizens Advice Bureau.

Psychiatrists may do some or all of the following:

• study patients' medical and psychiatric histories
• consult with patients and carry out tests to determine treatment
• provide personalised treatments such as psychological therapy
• prescribe and monitor medication
• help patients manage long-term mental health conditions
• work with patients and their families/whānau to understand patients' likely response to treatment
• work with other medical staff, such as nurses and psychologists, to co-ordinate and provide assessments, rehabilitation and recovery programmes
• admit patients to hospital if required
• mentor trainee psychiatrists
• prepare psychiatric reports and give evidence in court.

Shortage of psychiatrists

There are not enough psychiatrists to meet demand, due to:

• New Zealand's growing and ageing population, which means increasing demand for mental health treatment
• an ageing workforce – nearly a third of specialist doctors, including psychiatrists, are over 55 years old 
• some psychiatrists moving overseas for better pay and working conditions
• a worldwide shortage of specialist doctors, including psychiatrists.

As a result, the job of psychiatrist appears on Immigration New Zealand's long-term skill shortage list, which means the Government is actively encouraging skilled psychiatrists from overseas to work in New Zealand. 

According to the Census, 444 psychiatrists worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Extra payment for graduates working in hard-to-staff locations

Te Whatu Ora Health NZ runs a voluntary bonding scheme aimed at paying graduate doctors more to work in locations that are hard to staff, such as rural areas.

• Te Whatu Ora Health NZ website -  voluntary bonding scheme

Types of employers varied

Most psychiatrists work for district health boards and work in public hospitals and community mental health services.

They may also work in:

• private practice and private hospitals
• medical schools at the Universities of Auckland and Otago, doing academic work.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (NZ)

0800 443 827 - ranzcp@ranzcp.org - www.ranzcp.org

Te Rau Ora - Māori Health Workforce Development

 0800 628 2864 - communications@terauora.com - https://terauora.com/

Experienced psychiatrists may become clinical leaders, work as university lecturers, or focus on an area of psychiatry such as:

• child and adolescent psychiatry
• psychiatry of older people
• forensic psychiatry (helping those who have a criminal record and a mental illness)
• consultation-liaison psychiatry (helping patients with multiple medical conditions, usually working with doctors in general hospitals).

Psychiatrists need to be:

• compassionate
• good at observing, listening and communicating
• understanding of other cultures' attitudes to medical treatment
• able to communicate with people from various cultures
• able to manage their time and work well under pressure
• skilled at analysing and interpreting information
• good decision makers and problem solvers.