Categories of Membership

Medical Student Member (MS) - Individuals who are enrolled in a U.S. or Canadian school of medicine, including osteopathic medicine, and remain enrolled therein. Medical Student Members are dues exempt and are required to belong at the national level only (exempt from dual membership requirement).

Members-in-Training (MT) - Physicians who have been accepted into a psychiatric residency training program that is approved by the ACGME, RCPS(C), or AOA and remain enrolled therein. Residents enrolled in a one- year primary care training program to be followed by an approved psychiatric residency are eligible for Member-in-Training status.

General Members (GM) - Physicians who have completed an acceptable program of training in psychiatry, and hold either a valid license to practice medicine or hold an academic, research, or governmental position that does not require licensure.

International Member (IM) - Physicians who live outside the United States and Canada and who meet the criteria established for General Members. Applicants for this category must be licensed physicians who have completed an acceptable program of training in psychiatry; they must also have the support of one APA member (not including Medical Students and Members-in-Training.

Fellow (F) - Physicians who live outside the United States and Canada and who meet the criteria for Fellowship (i.e., having made significant and continued contributions to the field of psychiatry) and who have the support of one Fellow and/or International Fellow of APA.

What Organized Psychiatry Does For You That You Cannot Do Alone

• Maintains periodic contact with key government people to promote plans of benefit to patients in need of psychiatric care.
• Oppose legislation and judicial actions that adversely affect patients by inappropriately expanding the scope of practice of non-medical providers.
• Garners government and general support for Mental Illness Awareness Week to raise the public's awareness of the magnitude and importance of mental illness in our society.
• Informs the public of benefits derived from psychiatric care and psychiatric research.
• Provides stimulating educational meetings and materials for psychiatrists.
• Provides timely information to the public on psychiatric topics of interest.
• Provides leadership efforts to insure an adequate level of care for patients at state hospitals.
• Advocates for improvements in the Medi-Cal program.
• Continues vigorous promotion for more adequate insurance coverage for those suffering serious psychiatric illness and achievement of parity with insurance coverage for physical illness.
• Promotes awareness that psychiatric physicians have unique expertise for integrating biological, psychological and social factors in the diagnosis and treatment of emotionally disturbed patients.
• Maintains active liaison with the Alliance for the Mentally Ill and local affiliates, the mental health associations, and other patient groups.
• Presents community conferences to provide information and education on mental illness to the general public, legislature, members of the media, and mental health professionals.
• Supports members for service in national and state professional societies.
• Maintains active liaison with local medical societies, California Medical Association, California Society for Addiction Medicine, and the Regional Organization of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
• Develops and distributes educational literature for members and the general public.
• Fosters inter collegial communication through District Branch and California Psychiatric Association newsletters.
• Provides disaster response services.
• Maintains a committee structure to provide services to members and the community in such areas as public psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, hospital psychiatry, occupational psychiatry, professional ethics, and physician well-being.
• Provides information and education to members on managed care programs.
• Encourages ongoing mental health research and support for such research by the State of California.
• Supports an active network of chapters throughout Northern California.
• Maintains active liaison with and provides professional guidance to the Psychiatric Foundation of Northern California in support of its programs for the homeless mentally ill and National Depression Screening Days.

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