Clinical Assignments
The residency training program at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) lasts four years and most residents enter in their first postgraduate year. All rotations are in Iowa City with supervision and teaching provided by the faculty.
First Year
Residents spend six months on inpatient psychiatry units at the UIHC and at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Iowa City. The remaining six months are comprised of the following rotations:
- Two months of Neurology: one month is on an inpatient neurology unit and the other is in an outpatient clinic.
- Two months on the Medicine-Psychiatry unit: this unit treats medically ill patients with complicating psychiatric disorders.
- Two months of outpatient primary care: residents have the option of spending these months in an internal medicine clinic, a family medicine clinic, or a general pediatrics clinic.
- The first year provides the resident with a foundation in basic medical care and an ability to diagnose common medical and neurological illnesses as well as the psychiatric manifestations of physical illnesses.
Second Year
Residents continue their training in inpatient psychiatry. In addition to inpatient psychiatry units at UI Hospitals and Clincis and at the VAMC that they were introduced to in their first year, residents will complete the following rotations:
- Geriatric Psychiatry Unit: residents will be responsible for the care of older psychiatric patients, many with disorders primarily seen later in life, such as a dementia.
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit: residents will spend two months learning about the intricacies of treating patients under the age of 18 years old.
- Consult-Liaison Service: residents will spend two months learning about and evaluating a wide variety of psychiatric disturbances that occur among the medically ill, while consulting and collaborating with their non-psychiatric peers.
- Electroconvulsive Therapy: residents will spend one month learning about and administering this treatment modality.
- Chemical Dependency Service: residents will spend one month working both in the clinic and as a consultant for patients with substance use disorders.
- Emergency Psychiatry: residents will spend one month as the “night float” covering the emergency room, the inpatient psychiatry units at the UIHC, and patient telephone calls over night.
- Eating Disorders Unit: residents will spend one month working with patients diagnosed with eating disorders and who require inpatient care. In addition to pharmacotherapy, residents are involved with the psychotherapy that these patients receive.
Third Year
Residents are assigned to outpatient services at UIHC, the VAMC, and one-half day per week for 6 months at the Community Mental Health Center in Iowa City. Residents follow patients with a broad range of psychiatric disorders. A variety of outpatient treatment modalities are used, including individual and group psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, intensive outpatient, and outpatient substance abuse treatment. Residents spend twelve months in the outpatient clinics and follow the same patient case load throughout the third year.
Fourth Year
This year is comprised of electives. Residents are encouraged to explore areas that will help them prepare for their career, including research electives, or additional inpatient and clinical experiences. Residents do maintain a continuity of care clinic one afternoon a week. The resident may choose to do this in the Woman’s Wellness Center. Residents may seek a Master’s degree in Public Health, and are eligible to apply for a two year fellowship in child psychiatry, clinical neurobiology and schizophrenia, or geriatric psychiatry.
Neuropsychiatry Research Track
Technology in basic science research is changing rapidly, and this track allows residents with expertise in these arenas to keep abreast of the advances that pertain to their areas of interest. A limited number of residents with prior research experience are admitted to the neuropsychiatry research track. This track is designed for residents who have developed laboratory or clinical research skills prior to entering their residency that are critical to maintain throughout the residency training period. The resident may seek additional laboratory training or continue ongoing experiments in order to complete the project. The resident may elect to spend up to three months each post graduate year in a basic science or clinical neuroscience laboratory to learn new techniques or to conduct ongoing research projects. The resident is expected to identify a mentor who can provide funding for the project and supervision, and can evaluate the resident's progress.