GOALS

• Further development and consolidation of an identity as a psychiatrist through administrative assignments as chief resident or senior resident in a variety of clinical settings.
• Integration of clinical skills through participation in a variety of selective and elective rotations.
• Further development of intellectual curiosity through participation in ongoing research or development of new projects.

In the fourth year it is expected that residents will refine their basic skills as well as acquire new knowledge in particular areas of interest of psychiatry. All residents are expected to continue outpatient psychotherapy and management of a number of patients but have options for the management of the rest of their time. Residents may elect to have an administrative experience on one of the inpatient units or clinics, provide community consultation, or conduct research.

About 50 percent of a fourth-year resident’s time is devoted to selective clinical experiences, such as serving as a junior attending on an inpatient unit or junior attending in one of the specialty clinics. The remaining time is devoted to elective activities which include clinical, teaching, and/or research options.

Alternatively, fourth-year residents may elect to enter one of the fellowships offered by the Department of Psychiatry at the PGY-4 level: Child and Adolescent, Women's Mental Health, or PRIME Residency (where the resident is trained to consult with primary care teams in general medicine and to teach recognition of psychiatric disorders, addiction problems, and the management of minor psychiatric conditions). These fellowships have specific clinical research programs and allow the resident to develop an area of expertise before beginning a private, public, or academic career.

Elective rotations in the fourth year vary with resident preference and may include an in-depth clinical experience in one of the department’s programs - Neurobehavioral, Psychotic Disorders, Women's Mental Health Services, Mood & Anxiety Disorders, or Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.