Psychiatry Clerkship. 6 Credit Hours

Catalog description

The psychiatric clinical clerkship is designed to familiarize the student with the personality traits, illnesses, and emotional disturbances that affect health and productivity. It is an opportunity for the student to develop and strengthen clinical skills in interviewing patients, formulating treatment plans, and carrying out treatment with patients who have psychiatric illness. The clerkship is arranged so the student may select the assignment area on the basis of particular interest, i.e., an inpatient/outpatient setting. The student's role in the clerkship is arranged to allow for considerable experience in the working relationship between patient and "physician" in the treatment process. Seminars have been developed to allow the student an in-depth appreciation of the various psychiatric states and emotional problems that affect the general practice of medicine. The student-staff ratio allows for small groups of students to meet with faculty, thereby enhancing learning. The clerkship is an opportunity for the students to look at their personal feelings and values and understand how they influence patient care, to learn how to deal with psychiatric disease, and to become more comfortable in dealing with the personalities of patients with organic disease. Prerequisites: Successful completion of all required preclinical courses is prerequisite to enrollment in any of the clinical clerkships.