Case study

Support your staff to learn new skills

The Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health are an indispensable resource for the mental health sector. They are definitely something employers should consider encouraging their trainees to do. The HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health deliver long-term benefits to the mental health sector, to the trainees that complete them and to their employers.

Dr Adrian Keller, Senior Staff Specialist, Development Assessment Service, South Eastern Sydney LHD
Chair, Fellowship Review Working Party.

As a former clinical director of mental health services, Dr Adrian Keller knows first-hand how recipients of the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health could apply the skills they learn in their everyday practice.

Formerly the NSW Institute of Psychiatry (NSWIOP) Fellowships, Dr Keller describes how the HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health provide a unique opportunity for psychiatry and mental health practitioners to contribute something meaningful to their specialty.

Dr Keller has directly supervised and mentored a number of recipients of the NSWIOP Fellowships, and he is eager to see the next wave of successful applicants embark through the HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health.

“The HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health offer trainees an opportunity to advance their research and clinical skills,” Dr Keller said.

“The level of funding and flexibility offered by the HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health is incredibly valuable for recipients, it gives the opportunity to undertake training or research they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.

“They are extremely competitive and sought after and recipients are given the platform to really launch their career in mental health,” Dr Keller said.

Having played a key role in the reshaping of the program, Dr Keller said the HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health are an indispensable resource to the mental health sector. The HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health provide unique training opportunities which help deliver better patient outcomes, building the capability of Local Health Districts and Specialty Health Networks across NSW.

“The HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health are definitely something employers should consider encouraging their trainees to do. They deliver long-term benefits to the mental health sector, to the trainees that complete them and to their employers,” Dr Keller said.

“From a workforce point of view, the salary on-costs for employers of the HETI Awards in Psychiatry and Mental Health recipients ensures employees are covered financially.

“An extra senior practitioner is also added within your workforce, giving employers the flexibility to provide mentorship, supervision and support for trainees,” Dr Keller said.