Psychiatry Residency Program

MediSys

Our Program

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center serves as the anchor for the Medisys System, one of the major academic medical systems in New York . Incorporating the medical institutions of Jamaica , Flushing, and Brookdale Hospitals and the Advanced Center for Psychotherapy, the MediSys Health Network is an exciting place in which to master the study of Psychiatry.

Begun in 1995, the Department of Psychiatry is among the leading departments in each of the MediSys institutions, and continues to expand. A variety of inpatient and outpatient treatment settings is designed to give each resident the range need to learn the practice of psychiatry. The four-year residency program is fully accredited by the ACGME. Cultural diversity is emphasized in our institutions, given their unique locations in Queens and Brooklyn .

The psychiatry residencies at Jamaica and Brookdale Hospitals work closely together. Although each program is unique, resources and training settings are shared by the two programs. Both programs are structured to provide in-depth, comprehensive training, focusing on the understanding of human behavior. Skills are developed through a carefully planned sequence of training experiences and didactic coursework in our hospitals and community clinics. Elective time is allotted so each trainee can tailor the program to her/his own interests.

Our excellent psychiatric care and dedication to teaching is reflected in the thanks and praise from our patients as well as from the community. We will be happy to talk with you about our educational opportunities and about joining our expanding and exciting department.

Sincerely,

Diane Sacks, MD

Director, Psychiatry Residency Training

Adam Chester, DO

Assistant Director, Psychiatry Residency Training

Seeth Vivek , MD

Chairman, Department of Psychiatry

Program Goals and Objectives

The psychiatry residency is a four-tear training program. Residents are accepted after graduation from medical school for the full four-year program. Candidates who have completed a full year of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or the first year at another accredited psychiatry program may apply for entrance at the PGY II level. Successful applicants must demonstrate a respect for the cultural, ethnic, and spiritual needs of patients.

The residency training program is currently accredited for sixteen residents divided over the four-year program.

PGY I

The goals of the first year are to provide a firm foundation in the evaluation and treatment of adult patients with medical, neurologic, and psychiatric illnesses. First year residents will develop their identities as competent, caring, and empathic physicians.

During the PGYI year, residents will rotate four months on the family practice service - three months inpatient and one month outpatient, and two months on the neurology service, all at Jamaica Hospital . Residents will spend four months on the inpatient psychiatry service and two months on the Chemical Dependency Unit at Flushing Hospital .

PGY II

The second year is based entirely at Jamaica Hospital . During this year, residents will learn to view patients as possessing both strengths and vulnerabilities as they progress along a developmental continuum. Residents will spend six months on the inpatient psychiatric service, rotating through the two inpatient units. Here they will move to a more advanced level of evaluating and treating patients requiring inpatient psychiatric care.

Forensic psychiatry is taught during the inpatient rotation. Residents work with forensic psychiatrists by participating in mental health court proceedings when legal issues pertain to their patients.

Two months will be spent in the Psychiatric Emergency Department. Residents will develop the ability to assess, begin treatment, and make disposition decisions of patients in crisis.

Residents will learn specific diagnostic and treatment tools for geriatric patients on a one-month rotation at the Trump Pavilion for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

The final two months will be used to learn the principles and treatment techniques of consultation-liaison psychiatry, as residents rotate through this service at Jamaica Hospital . They will come to see their role as educators through liaison work as part of a family practice team.

Residents begin to learn outpatient treatment during the second half of the PGYII year. Long-term patients are seen for psychotherapy with psychopharmacology in the Continuing Care Clinic at Jamaica Hospital .

PGY III

The third year focuses on outpatient treatment. The goals are to see psychiatrist as physicians with broad outpatient responsibilities. Residents will develop skills across a spectrum of diagnostic categories and services. They will improve their understanding of psychodynamic principles and applications in psychotherapy, as well as develop skills necessary to provide other psychotherapies.

Clinical work is done at the Wexford Terrace Campus of the Advanced Center for Psychotherapy. Individual supervision by senior clinicians is provided for long-term psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, as well as family, group, and short-term psychotherapies.

Residents will learn child and adolescent psychopathology and normal child and adolescent development, as well as develop interviewing skills necessary to work with children and adolescents. This is done at Brookdale Hospital , where residents work with child and adolescent psychiatry fellows and Attendings in the outpatient setting.

PGY IV

During the fourth year, residents will further develop and consolidate their identity as a psychiatrist through continued care of patients. Residents will refine their skills and develop ability to function autonomously. Integration of new skills will be through participation in a variety of selective and elective programs. Residents will gain experience doing research to further the profession.

Community psychiatry is provided through the Assertive Community Treatment program at Brookdale Hospital . Residents will also refine their skills in cognitive-behavioral therapy by working with patients with anxiety disorders.

Forty percent of the time is devoted to clinical, educational, or research electives. Vast opportunities are available within the MediSys Health Network to meet an individual's interests. Electives may be taken outside the network as well.

THE FOUR YEAR CURRICULUM (Click Here)

FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (Click Here)

Clinical Facilities

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Located in the heart of the Jamaica section of Queens , New York , Jamaica Hospital serves as the main campus for the Psychiatry Residency. This newly renovated, state of the art facility offers residents the finest settings to continue their psychiatric training.

Clinical Divisions:

General Inpatient Psychiatry Division

Psychiatric Emergency Room

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service

The Psychiatry Continuing Care Clinic

Trump Pavilion for Nursing and Rehabilitation

The Medisys Ambulatory Community Care Centers

The Women's Health Service

The Morton Safran Family Practice Center

Flushing Hospital Medical Center

Located in the Flushing section of Queens , New York this 293-bed community medical center provides medical services to the surrounding population. A unique mix of patients from around the world seek care at the medical center.

Clinical Divisions:

Psychiatry Inpatient Unit

Chemical Dependency Unit

Consultation-Liaison Services

Mental Health Clinic, The Asian Mental Health

Clinic & The Indian Mental Health Clinic

Reflections Chemical Dependence Clinic

The Advanced Center for Psychotherapy

Outpatient psychiatric services are provided on two campuses located a short distance from the Jamaica Hospital Medical Center .

The Advanced Institute for Analytic Psychotherapy

The Institute offers a core curriculum in the clinical application of the psychodynamic psychotherapies and aims to provide an understanding of the significant modern developments in analytically oriented psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.

Additional Features of the Psychiatry Residency

1. Comprehensive Didactic Curriculum, tailored for each year

2. Teaching Call

3. Psychiatry Resource Center

4. Psychiatry and Neurology Review Courses

5. Supervision

6. Research

7. Residency Training Meeting

8. Teaching experience

9. Department Clinical Case Conference

lO. Grand Rounds

11. Administrative Experience