My name is Caitlin and I’m a first year medical student. I have a previous degree in Business Management from the University of Edinburgh and spent some time working in corporate PR before making the decision to switch to studying medicine to follow my true ambition of being a doctor. Having helped various friends and family members through their experiences with mental health conditions, and having experienced struggles with my own mental health, I’ve developed a keen interest in a possible career in psychiatry. I’m drawn to the variety of subspecialties that psychiatry offers, with each one presenting their own unique challenges. I’m keen to explore the various opportunities and routes a career in psychiatry can present.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, the unexplored effects of social media and technology, and the increasing economic and societal pressures that the population are facing, I believe the demand for psychiatric services and expertise will rise exponentially, and psychiatry will become a fundamental pillar within the world of medicine that patients will need and rely on. It’s a very exciting time to be interested in psychiatry and by being part of the Pysch Soc committee I would hope to share my enthusiasm and get other students interested in the specialty.

Psych Soc has organised some great events and I particularly enjoyed the ‘Get into Psychiatry’ event that I attended in October. It was extremely insightful and opened my eyes to the diverse career opportunities within psychiatry, which I believe more medical students should be made aware of. I’m keen to take on the role of advertising Psych Soc’s events and to work with the events officers to ensure they are successful and well-attended.

I hope to contribute as media officer by drawing on my past experiences from a career in PR in which I was involved in numerous media campaigns for clients. A huge part of my job was thinking about how best to engage with and reach a specific audience through social media, press coverage, articles or creating graphics and assets. Whilst at Edinburgh university I was the Director of Marketing for the Edinburgh University Women In Business society, so I have a good understanding of how best to use Instagram and Facebook to advertise, inform and engage with Psych Soc’s target audiences. I also worked as a Digital Content Assistant for the Edinburgh University Students’ Association where I would create the copy for social media posts, manage social media inboxes, create and schedule content. I have experience with the likes of Mail Chimp, Creator Studio and Facebook Analytics. I would love to bring new ideas to Psych Soc’s social media presence, for example creating a Spotify playlist centred around mindfulness or wellbeing which could be released during mental health week and used to drive engagement on social media platforms and increase the society’s following.

I would absolutely love to get involved with Psych Soc next year and would bring my all to the role!

Caitlin Tipping