Psychiatry (Third Year Rotation): 1 block rotation (4 weeks):

During the students’ four (4) week rotation, they are expected to meet and exceed the requirements included in the curriculum, be professional, and challenge themselves daily in working to be proactive learners and ask questions. This clinical experience will provide third-year students with a solid foundation in the fundamentals of the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate referral of patients with mental health disorders.

During their rotation, students will be exposed to all major psychiatric diagnostic categories including: affective disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, alcohol, and substance abuse disorders, geriatrics disorders, children and adolescent disorders, somatization disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, autism, pervasive developmental disorder, and personality disorders. Most students will be in the outpatient setting and provided opportunities to both observe and to participate directly in patient care under the supervision of the clerkship faculty psychiatrist. Some students may follow hospitalized psychiatric patients which will allow them to gain an appreciation for the full range of psychiatric illnesses and the variety of treatment options that are available to those patients with severe illnesses.

The core psychiatry curriculum will be delivered through an Internet-based, self-study format. A schedule of required readings that address essential content will be provided. View the curriculum.

This curriculum should be used as a supplemental resource while on your clinical clerkships. It should not be used as the only educational resource for your boards and shelf exams. There is some purposeful educational overlap with the COMAT NBOME Psychiatry Objectives. The merging of this information should help with your shelf exam preparation and COMLEX step II exams.

Evaluation

  • 50% based on the preceptor rotation evaluation
  • 30% based on the shelf examination, which is taken on the last Friday of the rotation.
  • 20% based on the online curriculum. The 20% for the online portion is broken up into 3 components:
    • End of rotation quiz (50%) on True Learn
    • Instructions on where to find this quiz.
    • Completion of the weekly required questions (100) on True Learn, each week is worth 6.25% for a total of 25%
    • Keep a rolling average of >50% on the weekly True Learn questions, each week is worth 6.25% for a total of 25%
    • Completion of the Radiology Teaches Modules
    • Completion of the assigned EPA for review

Required Reading

Tips from Dr. Smith and Dr. Kabir: For this rotation, it is recommended you read through “First Aid for the Psyhiatry Clerkship” over the course of your rotation. You may supplement using the psychiatry portion of the Step 2 Zanki deck, which will mirror the content seen in the NBME shelf exam. For any subject that you want o rteview further, read through the apprioate Stat Pearls article as a reference text. Please see the Shelf Exam Strategies page for further explanations along with all supplemental materials in the Google Drive.

Do NOT pick too many resources or you will be spread too thin – primary resources such as Stat Pearls should be used to supplement any gaps of knowledge on the wards or from First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship.

Essential Resources:

  1. First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship (Review Book)
  2. Stat Pearl Articles for Psychiatry (Primary Reference Text)
  3. Question Bank (True Learn is provided free of charge)
  4. Zanki Step 2 Psychiatry Deck
  5. Memorable Psychiatry Videos

 

Extra Study Materials

DSM-V-TR criteria; information about various disorders: