General Psychiatry Residency Program Overview: Second Year
Second Year – How to function as a psychiatrist
Second year (PGY2) is both challenging and rewarding – when residents truly start feeling like psychiatrists.
Residents spend three months in consult-liaison psychiatry across hospital settings, managing symptoms in medically ill patients. Two months focus on advanced inpatient training at University Hospital psychiatric unit, including 2-3 weeks of night float where they function independently with attending support. They get one month at BAMC for emergency psychiatry, triaging ER mental health patients and deciding on admissions (plus 2 weeks BAMC night float). One month covers addiction psychiatry at Villa Serena for veterans. Residents also train in interventional psychiatry, conducting interviews, administering ketamine/TMS/ECT, and understanding treatment resistance across the lifespan.
PGY2s launch their weekly psychotherapy clinic (continuing through residency) and a unique 3-month longitudinal outpatient block through child/adolescent and geriatric clinics.
Elective Time
A highlight of second year is two and a half months of elective time, providing residents the opportunity to explore their own interests in psychiatry. The program provides extensive and diverse options for clinical and research electives, including over 40 options. Residents are also able to develop their own electives.
PGY-2 Rotation Timeline Overview
- Consult-Liaison Psychiatry (12 weeks) at University Hospital, ALM VA Hospital, and/or Brooke Army Medical Center
- Advanced inpatient Psychiatry (8 weeks) at University Hospital
- Interventional Psychiatry (4 weeks) at ALM VA (additional sites available by elective)
- Addiction Psychiatry (4 weeks) at Villa Serena (run by ALM VA Hospital)
- Specials (12 weeks)
- Outpatient geriatric psychiatry (1.5 days per week)
- Child and adolescent psychiatry (1.5 days per week)
- Elective (1 day weekly)
- Elective Block (8 weeks)