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LIVING
IN PITTSBURGH
OUR RESIDENTS
SPEAK ABOUT LIFE AS A RESIDENT IN PITTSBURGH
PGY2 Class of 2006-2007 on retreat
LIFE AT WPIC
Supervision is one of
the most important elements of training. It occurs at many levels and at
all training sites. Residents are supervised by attendings, psychotherapy
supervisors and senior residents. Supervision is received individually and
in group settings. Residents have the opportunity to choose their
psychotherapy supervisors. There are many full time and voluntary faculty
available for supervision, including analysts associated with the
Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute. Supervision is done on an individual basis
for longitudinal psychotherapy cases. Group supervision is provided for
Interpersonal Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Group Therapy and Family
Therapy courses and serves as part of the didactic experience. Individual and
group supervision is provided in the outpatient clinics for both psychotherapy
and pharmacotherapy.
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During the first two
years at WPIC, there are two basic types of call that occur. One is known as DEC
(diagnostic emergency center) call, and the other is known as floor call. The
DEC call occurs in our free-standing psychiatric emergency facility. Overnight
and during weekends, first and second year residents see and evaluate patients
in the DEC during call. Second year residents take call in the DEC about every
two weeks. First year residents take call on a rotating night-float system
during their 3 month emergency psychiatry rotation (5 nights in a row, every few
weeks).
Inpatient psychiatric and medical
issues in the psychiatric hospital are covered overnight by the floor call
resident. Second year residents have floor call, on average, about every two
weeks. First year residents have floor call, on average, about every one week
during their psychiatry rotations outside the emergency psychiatry service.
During their Consult and Liaison
(C/L) Psychiatry rotation, second year residents rotate duties for C&L phone
call over the weekends. During the C&L rotation, they are excused from floor
and DEC call. During a rotation at the Magee Hospital (for OB/Gyn outpatient
psychiatry), third year residents rotate phone call for the Magee C&L
service on a weekly basis (available by phone about every 5-6 weeks). Other than
this, third year and fourth year residents are free from call.
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A formal mentorship
program has been developed in recent years to facilitate a smooth transition
into the residency program and into Pittsburgh. Incoming residents are assigned
Faculty Members to serve as mentors. Our Faculty are available and eager to serve as mentors. This program allows
residents and their mentors to meet informally to discuss both personal and
professional interests, with the goal of forming a mentorship relationship that
can last the duration of one’s residency training.
Read more about the mentorship program at
WPIC
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Residents
at WPIC have many opportunities to develop teaching skills. In addition to
informal teaching on the inpatient units, residents are encouraged to be
facilitators in the 2nd year medical student Psychopathology seminars as well as
instructors for the 3rd year medical student Psychiatric didactic curriculum.
Senior child residents teach core child psychiatry didactics to PGY-2 residents.
WPIC is actively involved in teaching new residents how to teach.
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WPIC
Housestaff Organization is an active organization with weekly lunchtime
meetings for residents to discuss residency training issues amongst themselves.
This time is also used for guest lectures and monthly meetings with the
department chairman and service chiefs. Housestaff officers and class
representatives meet with training directors monthly to discuss resident
concerns. The Housestaff Organization also holds an annual Resident Retreat
which generates suggestions for change which are rapidly incorporated into the
program.
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Residents at WPIC play an active and integral
role in all major academic and administrative committees. Some examples of
established organizations and committees on which the residents serve include:
Resident Housestaff
Organization (elected President and Vice-President)
Class representatives
from each year
Library Committee
Medical Records
Committee
Utilization Review
Committee
Pastoral Care
Committee
Child Abuse Committee
Clinical Training
Committee
Medical Emergencies
Committee
Medical Student
Education Committee
Psychotherapy
Committee
Curriculum
Committee
Journal Club
Committee
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Moonlighting
is permitted by the residency program and serves to augment the residents’ learning
experience as well as income . Many residents find positions at
community mental health clinics in and around the Pittsburgh area where they
serve as the primary psychiatrist. Other work within the WPIC system doing
child psychiatry assessments, geriatric in-home assessments, or as primary
psychiatrist at a WPIC community satellite program. Residents can begin
moonlighting in the second year of training.
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