Subinternship in Inpatient Psychiatry

Catalog description

VISITING: Closed to visitors. TYPE OF CLERKSHIP: Selective 2. DESCRIPTION: The Inpatient Psychiatry Sub-Internship at the VA Palo Alto offers an immersive, intern-level clinical experience within a modern, thoughtfully designed inpatient setting. Sub-interns are integrated members of the treatment team, managing a panel of 3-6 Veterans with diverse psychiatric conditions, including serious mental illness, trauma-related disorders, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorders. Sub-interns work closely with psychiatry residents and attending psychiatrists, pairing with residents for day-to-day patient care, mentorship, and clinical learning, and gradually assume increasing responsibility over the four-week rotation in alignment with the RIME framework. The rotation emphasizes diagnostic formulation, clinical reasoning, and psychopharmacologic decision-making within a collaborative, interdisciplinary model that includes psychology faculty and trainees, psychiatric pharmacists, nursing, social work, occupational, physical, and rehabilitation therapies, and peer support specialists. Core therapeutic approaches, such as behavioral activation, CBT-informed strategies, motivational interviewing, and supportive therapy, are integrated into daily clinical practice. The learning environment reflects Stanford and VA Palo Alto's shared commitment to excellence, innovation, and education, supported by advanced clinical technology and streamlined communication systems that enable coordinated, patient-centered care within a collegial, community-oriented team culture. By the end of the rotation, sub-interns are well prepared for internship-level inpatient psychiatry and leave with a strong foundation in the ACGME core competencies, clinical confidence, and experience caring for Veterans within an academic VA setting. PREREQUISITES: Psychiatry 300A. PERIODS AVAILABLE: 1-12,…