1.  What experiences during medical school will prepare me to be a 
     psychiatrist?

Medical schools vary in their approach to teaching psychiatry during the clinical years.  Clinical rotations in psychiatry during the fourth year, such as a psychiatry sub-internship or elective rotation can be useful for delineating interests.  We encourage students to have diverse and fundamental rotations, including experience with general internal medicine and the medicine subspecialties, cardiology and endocrinology.  Students are encouraged to have the fundamental basics related to medicine, neurology, and emergency care, in addition to psychiatry, during the third and fourth years of medical school. 

2.  What qualities are you looking for in resident applicants?

We aim to identify candidates with a strong potential to become excellent psychiatrists.  Characteristics among prospective applicants, such as good interpersonal and communication skills; professional integrity; flexibility and open-mindedness in approach to solving problems; and clinical aptitude are viewed as fundamentally important.  Our curriculum is designed to build upon these and other pivotal skills inherent to the doctor-patient relationship.  We look for applicants with a broad array of interests and aiming to achieve balance in their personal and professional lives.   

3.  What is the accreditation status of the residency?

The residency program’s most recent site visit occurred in 2007.  At that time, we received reaccreditation for five years, with our next site visit anticipated to occur in 2012.  Of note, the program received commendation from the Residency Review Committee and no citations were issued.

4.  How does the OSU psychiatry program prepare residents for board
    examinations?

We are highly committed to preparing all of our residents to be successful in all professional endeavors, especially both components of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (ABPN) examinations.  Our educational curriculum is not only rigorous but also a priority and includes yearly emphasis on core texts and scholarly works, neurology review, PRITE examinations, psychotherapy courses, and evidence-based medicine.  In addition, the program conducts semi-annual clinical skills assessments using the format of oral boards and faculty with experience administering or successfully completing the ABPN examinations.  The program also assesses the interviewing skills of the residents in accordance with ABPN and RRC guidelines.     

5.  How do OSU psychiatry residents perform on ABPN examinations?

Our graduates have a long-standing history of performing very well on both the written (Part 1) and oral (Part 2) components of the ABPN examinations.  Our passage rate is substantially above the national average, with nearly all residents attempting and successfully completing these examinations at their first eligibility for administration.

6.  What is the on-call experience like at OSU?

During the interview season, you will have the opportunity to meet with several residents and hear directly from them about their experiences on call.  Despite the usual demands and busy pace of being on call, residents describe call as an invaluable learning experience.  They express that call is extremely helpful with developing their skills as diagnosticians and decision-makers and exposing them to a highly varied and diverse clinical population. 
In addition to the on-call resident, we have a second resident assigned to work weekdays from noon until 9:00 pm and mental health clinicians that work 24/7 to assist with ED social work/disposition/other issues.  Two faculty members, one from the general adult program and another from child/adolescent psychiatry, provide supervisory over site.  There is no call assigned to fourth year postgraduate (PGY4) residents, others take call at the following monthly frequency: 
 
             PGY 1    3-4 times;  PGY 2   2-3 times;  PGY 3 1-2 times.

7.  What opportunities do graduates of the program pursue after completion
     of their training?

Our graduates feel well-prepared and confident to embark upon any number of professional opportunities after completing residency.  Our graduates are highly competitive and have recently participated in fellowships throughout the nation in the areas of addiction, child & adolescent, and forensic psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine.  Others select clinical practice opportunities in academic, community, and public sites around the nation; those that choose to remain in the area often maintain their involvement as faculty in various departmental educational activities and programs.    

8.  What fellowship opportunities are offered at OSU to psychiatry residents?

There are four fellowship opportunities at OSU available to psychiatry residents.  The Department of Psychiatry offers fellowship training in child & adolescent psychiatry.  In addition, fellowship opportunities are offered in sleep medicine and in pain and palliative medicine through the OSU Department of Internal Medicine and in pain management through the Department of Anesthesiology. 

9.  Are there opportunities during residency to pursue research or special
    interests?

Research is not a requirement of the residency program; however, many residents elect to pursue research or other scholarly projects during residency.  Residents have had their research published and have presented at national and international meetings.  Additionally, some residents have elected to pursue other opportunities offered by the department, such as advanced training in cognitive-behavioral therapy.  Our residents also have received national honors, such as the APA/Shire Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship and APA/SAMSA Minority Fellowship for Substance Use, and participated in these programs’ related activities during residency.  Residents with DO degrees may choose to fulfill requirements of the American Osteopathic Association Rotating Internship.  All residents are encouraged to explore various aspects of psychiatry, by working with the program director to discuss career and professional interests and develop related experiences. 
 
10.  What changes with the residency are anticipated in the coming years?
    
It is the mission of the Department to educate residents to be fundamentally prepared to enter the profession of psychiatry and serve in any number of clinical, academic, research, or community settings.  We strive to continue to improve the quality of the residency by offering a supportive, responsive, and collegial environment and educationally fruitful experiences that keep pace with requirements of the RRC and ABPN.  No changes with the leadership of the residency are anticipated in the coming years.

11.  What are some of the advantages of OSU vs. other sites for psychiatry
      residency?
    
At OSU, we are firmly committed to both your personal and professional growth and well-being.  We recognize that the intensity and demands of learning with any residency can be quite challenging, but also rewarding. 
We strive to instill among our residents a sense of balance between their personal and professional roles by attending to duty hours, granting four weeks of vacation time plus additional educational leave, and responding compassionately to concerns brought forth by residents.  Many residents compliment the constructive and interactive stance of the residency in a variety of matters.