During this six-week rotation, each student is actively involved in patient care on two inpatient units, an outpatient clinic, and the Psychiatric Emergency Room. Our faculty lead weekly interactive clinical case conferences, which cover the major psychiatric diagnoses and chemical dependency issues where students are assigned the role of expert consultant to help facilitate the discussion. Students also attend one AA meeting during the month. At the conclusion of the Clerkship, students are able to elicit a psychiatric history, mental status examination and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates the biologic, psychotherapeutic, and social needs of their patients.

Inpatient
Two consecutive 3-week rotations working on an inpatient psychiatric unit allow the students to care for patients in acute crises as a part of a multidisciplinary treatment team. Through this process, students learn about the clinical presentation and biopsychosocial treatment of the major psychiatric disorders. Students are assigned to two of the following hospitals during the Clerkship: University Hospital, Veterans Medical Center, Children’s Hospital, and Summit Behavioral Healthcare.

Outpatient
Outpatient clinics allow students to evaluate patients who have psychiatric disorders that are typically managed in an outpatient setting. Students are assigned to one outpatient site for the entire clerkship where they spend one half day every week. They are closely supervised by faculty and residents in the diagnosis, pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment of outpatients.

Substance Abuse
Students learn about the various drug intoxication and withdrawal states, the components of drug rehabilitation, and the frequent comorbid psychiatric conditions seen in patients with substance dependence. During the rotation, faculty present six clinical case conferences on chemical dependency issues where students are assigned the role of expert consultant to help facilitate the discussion. Students also interview a patient from the residential rehabilitation program at the Veterans Medical Center and write-up a comprehensive diagnostic history and treatment plan which is reviewed by faculty specifically trained in chemical dependency. Students also attend one AA meeting as a part of their substance abuse experience.

Psychiatric Emergency Service
Students explore the acute management of psychiatric disorders by evaluating patients in an emergency room setting. Through this acute assessment process, students gain a better understanding of the complexity of urgently coordinating the medical and psychosocial needs of patients with major psychiatric illnesses.

Clinical Case Conferences
Two clinical case conferences are held weekly to provide students with information regarding the diagnosis, etiology, epidemiology, psychopharmacology, and psychotherapeutic modalities utilized to treat the major psychiatric disorders. The interactive conferences are led by psychiatric faculty and individual students are assigned the role of expert consultant to help guide discussion on the specified topic.

Aurora Bennett, MD, Vice Chair of Education, Director of Medical Student Education
bennetaj@ucmail.uc.edu
Tel: (513) 475-8710

Brian Evans, DO, Clerkship Director
brian.evans@uc.edu
Tel: (513) 861-3100 ext 4865

Mary Ann Schmidt, Program Director
maryann.schmidt@uc.edu
Tel: (513) 558-4866