With interest the article 'Evaluation of a Psychiatric Training Scheme' by Khan and Oycbode (Psychiatric Bulletin, March 1993, 17, 158-159). We have kept similar records for the Mersey Region Training Scheme - formerly the Liverpool Training Scheme, and have published data from them in the Bulletin (Birchall & Higgins, 1991). Our records now cover seven years from August 1985to July 1992and it is interesting to compare the two schemes. The Mersey Region Training Scheme now covers all psychiatric units in the Mersey region and includes 37 registrar posts and 49 senior house officer posts, although 12-16 SHO posts are usually filled by general practice trainees. Most psychiatric trainees join the Mersey Scheme at SHO level, often straight from house officer posts. This results in a fairly high dropout rate at the SHO level. From 112 to 434 leaving the scheme in the seven years, 50 of them left without completing four years of training in psychiatry, and of these 16 went into ...