Department of Psychiatry

Core Psychiatry Rotation and Senior Elective Clerkships
Contact: Leticia Rasillo, Psychiatry Residency Program Coordinator
Telephone: (480) 344-2028
Fax: (480) 344-2157
E-mail: Leticia_rasillo@medprodoctors.com

Third Year Medical Student Core Psychiatry Rotation
Second Year Physician Assistant Psychiatry Rotation:

Thank you for our interest in the clinical clerkships available for medical students in the Department of Psychiatry at Maricopa Medical Center and Desert Vista Behavioral Health. The rotation duration is a minimum of 4 weeks and a maximum of 8 weeks (two rotations) per academic year.

The major strengths of the Psychiatry rotations at Maricopa Medical Center include the tremendous patient diversity and pathology, the strong didactic program and the active, accessible teaching staff. Additionally, students have the unique opportunity to participate in hands-on patient care. Specifically, students function as an integral member of the healthcare team, assuming responsibilities commensurate with their level of training and under the direct supervision of full-time faculty.

There are weekly conferences covering a variety of topics in Psychiatry. Students join the Psychiatry interns for conferences all day Wednesdays at the Desert Vista campus. There is also a lecture given to students by the Psychiatry Residents from 2:00 - 3:00 pm on Thursdays also at the Desert Vista Campus.

The working environment is informal and concentrates on practical aspects of patient management with strong emphasis on solving problems by proper interpretation of clinical data and the sound application of general medical principles.

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Clinical rotations involve primary responsibility for direct patient care and are an excellent preparation for the internship year. The student functions as a "sub-intern," becoming an integral and active member of a team under direct faculty supervision. The student will work-up and follow patients, participate in daily attending rounds, perform procedures and learn the basic mechanics of managing a psychiatric hospital service.

Core Psychiatry Rotations - As a 3rd year medical student, only Inpatient General Psychiatry is available to you.

Senior Electives – As a 4th year medical student, electives available are:

  • General Inpatient Psychiatry with choice of focus on General Adult or Geriatric Psychiatry
  • Consultation / Liaison Psychiatry

Inpatient Services

Director, Medical Student Education: Daniel Merrill, MD

Psychiatric Annex Faculty: Esad Boskailo, MD; Traci Wherry, MD; Samuel Hand, MD; Tonja Johnson, MD; Marta Bunuel, MD

Desert Vista Behavioral Health Faculty: Michael Brennan, MD; Thomas Cyriac, MD; Andrew Parker, DO; Michael Hughes, MD; Dheerendranath Raikhelkar, MD, Domiciano Santos, MD; Lydia Torio, MD

Length of Time: Min 4 weeks – Max 8 weeks
Offered: Year-round
Maximum enrollment: 8
Patient Care: Yes
Core Requirement / Elective

Description: Psychiatric Center inpatient services include eight locked inpatient units which provide psychiatric services to a wide range of patients. Five of the adult general psychiatric units are located at the Desert Vista campus. Two additional general psychiatric units and a combined special needs/general medicine unit are located at the Annex campus. Also available is a voluntary inpatient unit in Desert Vista. The majority of patients on all of the units are involuntarily hospitalized, and treatment is generally intensive and brief. The average length of stay on the adult units is 10 - 14 days. The units average over 2,300 admissions per year. Each unit is well-staffed with two to three staff psychiatrists and psychiatric residents. The medical student on these services would work from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Goals: Working under the supervision of a staff psychiatrist, the medical student would:

  • Learn to interview psychiatric inpatients
  • Learn to do a thorough psychiatric history and mental status examination
  • Learn to diagnose according to DSM-IV-TR
  • Learn to formulate an appropriate treatment plan utilizing a bio-psycho-social format
  • Learn about the use of anti-psychotic, anti-anxiety, mood stabilizing and antidepressant drugs
  • Learn about the interface between psychiatry and primary care medicine.
  • Gain an understanding of the management of acutely ill and potentially dangerous patients.
  • Observe and understand the legal process necessary when assignment of a court order for psychiatric treatment is warranted.

Call Schedule:

  • Students are not required to stay overnight for call

Format: The medical student will receive regular supervision on the unit to which he/she is assigned and will function as an integral part of a multi-disciplinary treatment team.

The student will interact with residents and faculty during therapeutic rounds on a daily basis. The student will participate in assessment and treating planning activities.

Didactic instruction geared specifically for students is provided for a variety of topics.

Evaluation Methods: Students will be evaluated by direct observation of the involved faculty and will be assessed on knowledge, clinical skills and application of information learned during the rotation.

Psychiatric Consultation Service

Faculty: Maria-Jesus Bailon, M.D.
Length of time: Min 4 weeks – Max 8 weeks
Offered: Year round
Maximum Enrollment: 1
Patient Care: Yes
Elective

Description: The Psychiatric Consultation Service provides over 800 consults per year to the Maricopa Medical Center. Consultations are requested by all services and allow the student to evaluate hospitalized patients for psychiatric illnesses, competency, parenting capability and issues of suicidality and/or lethality. The student would function as a member of the Consultation team comprised of the attending and two to three psychiatric and/or family medicine residents. Particular emphasis is placed on psychosomatic issues and the interface between physical and mental illnesses. The medical student would work Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Goals: The student will gain an understanding of the role of consultation-liaison psychiatry; how to do a psychiatric assessment in a general hospital setting; how to develop a meaningful differential diagnosis; and how to develop a treatment plan that can be incorporated into the care of a hospitalized medical patient.

Format: The student will participate as part of a busy consultation team with regular supervision by both attending and resident. The student will have adequate time to complete independent assessments of inpatients and to develop a formulation and treatment plan under supervision. Directed readings, individualized supervision and teaching rounds are utilized for educational proposes.

Evaluation Methods: Students will be evaluated regularly by direct observation of the faculty and will be assessed on knowledge, clinical skills and the application of information learned during rotation

Additional Information:

  • All of our rotations begin on any Monday and end on Friday, four to eight weeks later.
  • We allow up to three days of excused absences per rotation. If you know in advance that you will require more than three days away from the service, please let us know.
  • Three free meals a day in employee cafeteria with ID
  • Free parking.
  • Educational materials provided.
  • Students are welcome to attend morning report and resident conferences
  • Student lectures are provided 2 times per week.
  • 24 hour access to hospital library
  • Opportunity to observe an intake for one day at the Child & Adolescent Outpatient Clinic.
  • Opportunity to observe an ECT (Electro Consulsive Therapy) procedure.

If you would like any additional information or have any questions about individual rotations and availability, please do not hesitate to contact Leticia Rasillo, Residency Coordinator, at (480) 344-2028 or by e-mail to Leticia_rasillo@medprodoctors.com.

Medical Student Comments

Coming soon.

Last updated on July 8, 2008