Curriculum

The psychiatry residency curriculum offers residents the full array of both clinical and didactic experiences in the field. Below you will find an overview of the clinical rotations for each year of training.

* Can be a combination of internal medicine, pediatrics, family medicine, and/or emergency medicine to fulfill medicine requirement.  Note: at least one block of inpatient internal medicine required.

* Half day of adult or child and adolescent outpatient clinic for second half of the year.

Conferences

A variety of regular teaching conferences contribute to the development of the residents’ clinical knowledge, skills and judgment in the field of psychiatry.

Grand Rounds

A monthly conference featuring various topics from research presentations to case presentations and discussion.

Journal Club

A monthly conference covering new literature, articles presented focus discussion on critical review of methodology and interpretation of results with implication for clinical practice.

Case Conference

Case presentations by residents and faculty with a discussion of the diagnosis, formulations and treatment options from a variety of theoretical backgrounds. In year 4, continuous case conference takes the form of a weekly seminar that follows a resident case from evaluation to termination via a group supervision format.

Psychopharmacology

• In year 1, residents will have an introduction to psychopharmacology course for eleven weeks presenting basic psychopharmacology, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety agents and mood stabilizers.
• In year 3, the advanced psychopharmacology seminar is a weekly conference for 14 weeks that provides a survey of psychopharmacology including review of receptors, neurotransmitters, pharmacokinetics and advanced treatment techniques including augmentation strategies for treatment-resistant patients. Residents will also present cases for consultation during this seminar.

Psychotherapy

• In year 2, the introduction to psychotherapy conference is a weekly conference for 36 weeks that covers basic psychotherapy concepts including establishing rapport, use of empathy, transference and counter-transference and basic concepts of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Seminar is facilitated by books, patient cases, and videos. Additionally, there is an introduction to family therapy.
• The year 3 psychotherapy seminar is a weekly seminar for 36 weeks, presenting advanced concepts for cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy, and basic concepts for interpersonal therapy, dialectical-behavioral therapy, family therapy and group therapy. PGY 3 residents also co-lead a dialectical behavior therapy group for 8 weeks during the year. Other approaches such as positive psychology, REBT, and existentialism is also highlighted. 
• In year 4, the weekly advanced psychotherapy seminar presents sequentially advanced topics in cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, family and group therapies. Highlights also include PCIT and trauma-focused CBT. Directed readings and case presentations/discussion from both residents and faculty will be used as part of the learning process.

Other Year-1 Didactic Seminars

• Clinical Interviewing – Weekly for 11 weeks, didactic and experiential seminar covering the basics of psychiatric interviewing. The course begins with a survey of the literature on interviewing techniques, followed by 7 weeks of faculty-observed resident interviews of patients and then collaborative feedback discussion with peers. 
• Crash Course in Inpatient and Emergency Psychiatry – Weekly for 6 weeks, orientation to psychiatric emergencies, civil commitment laws, safety issues, treating violent or aggressive patients and managing catatonia or dystonic reactions. 
• Psychopathology Seminar – Weekly for 22 weeks, survey of the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of all primary psychiatric disorders
• Neurology for Psychiatrists – Longitudinal seminar taught by our neurology department
• Sentinel Articles Seminar – Emphasizing the historical crucial literature that is the foundation of psychiatric practice
• Resident Wellness Seminar – Weekly for 3 weeks to learn skills for resident wellness and managing vicarious trauma
• Research Seminar – Weekly for 4 weeks to target basic statistics and skills to dissect studies and perform a literature search

Other Year-2 Didactic Seminars

• Development Seminar – Weekly for 7 weeks, survey of the various theories of development, including basic central nervous system development, psychoanalytic theories, attachment theory and stages of development
• Addiction Psychiatry Seminar – Weekly for 13 weeks, epidemiology, risk and protective factors, dual diagnosis, and assessment and treatment of substance use disorders. Seminar includes training on motivational enhancement techniques and models of treatment
• Psychosomatic Medicine/Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry – Weekly for 16 weeks, facilitated by the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry curriculum and provides a review of the psychosomatic medicine literature and management of core illnesses managed on consult service
• Emergency Psychiatry Seminar – Weekly for four weeks to review emergency treatment of aggressive or psychotic patients, violence and risk assessment and civil commitment
• Child Psychiatry Seminar – Weekly for 11 weeks to underscore common childhood psychopathology and treatments
• Women’s Mental Health Seminar – Weekly for 6 weeks to appreciate perinatal disorders as well as common psychopathology encountered in women throughout the life-cycle
• Introduction to Neuromodulation – Lectures introducing neuromodulation vs neurostimulation and the modalities we have for treatment-resistant disease

Other Year-3 Didactic Seminars

• Introduction to Outpatient Psychiatry – Weekly for 4 weeks to transition residents into outpatient clinic care covering common topics such as psychopathology, clinic safety procedures, billing and more
• Outpatient Child Psychiatry Management – Weekly for six weeks underscoring common topics and reviewing psychopathology/treatment in the outpatient setting
• Specialist Care and Other Outpatient Topic Seminar: Weekly for 9 weeks investigating specialty topics in psychiatry such as HIV/AIDS, psycho-oncology, insomnia, and dementia
• Forensic Psychiatry – Weekly for 6 weeks where topics such as civil commitment, competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, waiver issues to adult court for youth, and psychiatric disorders in incarcerated patients take place. Includes discussion of landmark cases in forensic psychiatry
• Outpatient Addiction – Weekly for 3 weeks providing management skills for substance use disorder in the outpatient setting
• Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Seminar – Two weeks of introduction to integrated and collaborative care models
• TBI/Neuropsychology Testing Seminar – With our nationally recognized TBI intensive outpatient programming, highlights multidisciplinary approaches for TBI care

Other Year-4 Didactic Seminars

• How to Supervise Others – Introducing topics on how to supervise advanced practitioners as well as residents
• Professional Success and Personal Development Seminar – Topics focusing on future practice and life-long learning to assist transition into independent practice
• Advanced Outpatient Seminar – Highlighting secondary topics of outpatient care and gaining insights into new treatments as well as switching/augmentation strategies for medication management
• Psychiatric Policy Seminar – Gaining knowledge on how psychiatry intersects with public policy as well as understanding mental health efforts and issues on a national and global level
• Advanced Addiction Seminar – Building upon previous addiction didactics with focus on advanced topics such as medical marijuana as well as gambling and sex addiction management
• Advanced Neuromodulation – Focus on the interventional psychiatry model as well as future treatments and on-going research
• Leadership Seminar – Fortifying leadership skills to enhance future professional success as well as learn more about one’s leadership style
• Medical Malpractice Series – Introducing malpractice topics, facilitated by case discussions as well as visit to Florida Board of Medicine
• Residents as Teachers – As a part of electives and to demonstrate their mastery of advanced topics of psychiatry practice, 4^th year residents prepare and give lectures to their peers on their topic of choice