background The (medical) educational literature does not contain an unequivocal answer to the question ‘what is a good quality post-graduate education in psychiatry?'.
aim To describe the meaning of ‘quality’ and the role of psychiatrists in training (residents or trainees) in achieving and monitoring high-quality post-graduate psychiatry education in the Netherlands.
method Critical consideration of the current system of post-graduate education in psychiatry.
results A qualitatively good post-graduate training system offers residents an optimal learning climate in which the individual development plan is central and there is opportunity to acquire a good basis for all competency domains. Possibilities for improvement concern the quality of supervisors, flexibility in internships and curricular education, and extra attention for management and policy skills.
conclusion Suggestions are made for further development of post-graduate psychiatry training in the Netherlands.