Year 3 Core Clerkship (MS3)

Psychiatry Clerkship

During this six-week rotation, each student is actively involved in patient care on two inpatient units, an outpatient clinic, and the Psychiatric Emergency Service. Our faculty lead weekly interactive clinical case conferences, which cover the major psychiatric diagnoses. 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 three-week inpatient rotations allow students to care for patients in acute crises. Through this process, students learn about the clinical presentation and pharmacologic treatment of the major psychiatric disorders. Students are assigned to two of the following hospitals during the Clerkship: University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, The Lindner Center of Hope, and UC Health West Chester Hospital.

Outpatient

Outpatient clinics allow students to evaluate patients who are either sufficiently stabilized to be cared for in the community or have psychiatric disorders that are typically managed in an outpatient setting. Students are assigned to the clinics for a half day every week and are closely supervised by faculty and residents in the diagnosis, pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment of outpatients.

Addiction Psychiatry

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 through weekly case conferences at the Cincinnati Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  Students are also required to attend an Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous/Al-ANON meeting and submit an essay about their experience.

Psychiatric Emergency Service

Students explore the acute management of psychiatric disorders by evaluating patients in an emergency room setting. Approximately 7,000-10,000 patients per year are seen in our Psychiatric Emergency Service at Ridgeway at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.  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

Three 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 encourage students to actively participate in the learning process.