“Rite of passage” is an etnographic concept developed by VanGennep that defines the vital transition of an individual between two different status. It is divided in three stages: separation, liminal/threshold and aggregation. Turner described the liminal phase, and the terms of “communitas” and “liminoid” (structure of a rite without religious/spiritual elements). One widely-known Rite of Passage is the initiation of the shamans.

Study the elements of a rite of passage present in Psychiatric Trainning.

• • Field study (observational, descriptive, non-experimental).

• • Preliminary Sample=10trainees (5man+5women); last year of Psychiatric Trainning.

• • “ad hoc” semi-structured interview (21items subdivided in open questions). 10interviews (average duration=75mins). Permanent register:digital recorder.

• • Summary and analysis of the answers. Review of the literature.

1. - Psychiatric Trainning shared the elements and tri-phasic structure of VanGennep's “rite of passage” concept

2. - Trainees saw themselves as more empathic(7/10) and humanistic(8/10) than other specialties colleagues. Stigma towards mental illness(8/10) and fear of suicide(9/10) were also considered as their distinctives.

3. - The collective behaved as a communitas(10/10)

4. - No spiritual elements(0/10): liminoid process

5. - Resemblances of the ancestral shamans' Initiation: Despite bloody practices were over, suffering was also present(7/10), but was seen as necessary(6/10) and well tolerated(7/10).

6. - Trainees felt that they grew spiritual and mentally(7/10) during the trainning years

Results suggest that Psychiatric Trainning has stable phenomena that:

• • are compatible with the Rite of Passage schema

• • Are considered exclusive of Psychiatry by trainees

• • Have not been systematically studied as a whole, which could help to improve the training.