How can the profession of psychiatry become attractive again?

AI Summary

Workforce renewal is rooted in professional identity formation and healthcare organisational logic, not solely a human resource problem.
Clinical learning environment, role models, structured reflection, gradual responsibility, psychological safety and authentic specialty practice shape professional identity.
In Hungary systemic pressures blur boundaries, distort training, risk patient safety and erode professional identity; educational and organisational reforms are needed.

AI Summary

International medical education literature describes professional identity formation as a gradual process of socialization in which the novice physician progresses from performing professional tasks to internalizing the vocation itself.

A specific challenge in Hungarian psychiatry is that the process of becoming a psychiatrist is often constrained by systemic pressures that lead to blurred professional boundaries, distortion of training, increased risks to patient safety, and erosion of professional self-identity.

The article is based on a synthesis of the international literature on professional identity formation, Hungarian research on psychiatric professional identity, and a qualitative case-based analysis.

Basic summary

Orv Hetil. 2026 Jul 19;167(29):1142-1151. doi: 10.1556/650.2026.33618. Print 2026 Jul 19.

ABSTRACT

The issue of psychiatric workforce renewal is no longer merely a human resource problem; it lies at the intersection of professional identity, training structure, and the organizational logic of the healthcare system. International medical education literature describes professional identity formation as a gradual process of socialization in which the novice physician progresses from performing professional tasks to internalizing the vocation itself. This process is strongly influenced by the clinical learning environment, the presence of role models, structured reflection, the gradual transfer of responsibility, psychological safety, and whether the resident is truly able to practice the chosen specialty. A specific challenge in Hungarian psychiatry is that the process of becoming a psychiatrist is often constrained by systemic pressures that lead to blurred professional boundaries, distortion of training, increased risks to patient safety, and erosion of professional self-identity. The aim of this paper is to examine the educational and organizational conditions necessary for psychiatry to become an attractive and sustainable career choice again. The article is based on a synthesis of the international literature on professional identity formation, Hungarian research on psychiatric professional identity, and a qualitative case-based analysis. Orv Hetil. 2026; 167(29): 1142-1151.

PMID:42472438 | DOI:10.1556/650.2026.33618

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