Didactics
R1/R2 Conferences and Didactics
Inpatient Morning Report
- Who: All residents
- Attendance: Required
- When: Tuesdays, 7:30am–8:00am
Description: Each week a different first or second year resident briefly presents a case to the group. Faculty members rotate with senior residents to serve as facilitators. When a faculty member facilitates, a junior resident is asked to present unique or challenging aspects of the case. Senior residents present either an interesting case or facilitate discussion on a topic of their choice. The purpose of this seminar is to allow residents a chance to share thoughts on diagnosis, treatment, and management.
Research Rounds
- Who: Residents and faculty
- Attendance: Optional
- When: Mondays, 12:45–2:00pm
Description: Distinguished visitors, clinical researchers, and Departmental faculty members present current research or topics that are of special interest. This seminar helps residents and faculty stay abreast of new findings, but also provides residents with an introduction to research methods.
Grand Rounds
- Who: Residents and faculty
- Attendance: Required
- When: Tuesdays, 11:00am–12:30pm
Description: Distinguished visitors or Departmental faculty members present interesting and challenging patients, or discuss topics of special interest. When a case is presented, the patient’s history is reviewed, which is followed by an interview. Relevant literature, including the natural history and current treatment of the disorder, is presented, reviewed, and discussed.
Chairman’s Rounds
- Who: All residents
- Attendance: Required
- When: Thursdays, 1:00–2:30 pm (protected time)
Description: Each week a resident presents a detailed case summary to the Department head, Dr. Robert Robinson. After the presentation, the patient is interviewed by Dr Robinson. Afterwards, Dr. Robinson leads a discussion in which each resident is asked to comment on some aspect of the case.
General Psychiatry Lectures
- Who: PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents on psychiatry rotations
- Attendance: Required
- When: Thursdays, 3:30–4:30pm (protected time)
What: Faculty members lecture on the psychopathology of major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorder, somatoform disorder, eating disorders, and personality disordets. The series also provides an introduction to the mental status examination, psychiatric emergencies, psychological testing, commitment procedures, and utilization review.
Psychotherapy
- Who: PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents on psychiatry rotations
- Attendance: Required
- When: Thursdays, 2:30–3:30 pm (protected time)
What: The history of psychotherapy, interview methods, and types of psychotherapy are discussed by faculty members. Topics include discussion on Freud, the Neofreudians, Mahler, Erikson, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherspy, supportive therapy, brief therapies, marital and family therapies, child and adolescent therapies, hypnosis, and group therapy. The purpose of this series is to provide junior residents with a solid basis with which to base their supervised psychotherapy experience in their third and fourth years.
Psychopharmacology
- Who: All residents
- Attendance: Required
- When: Fridays, 11:45am–1:00pm
What: Faculty members and clinical psychopharmacologists provide up-to-date information on psychotropic medications and their use. New drugs marketed within the last few years receive special attention. The lectures review the neurochemistry, efficacy, side effects, contraindications, and long term effects of drugs. Additional topics include acute and maintenance treatment of the major disorders, considerations for pediatric and geriatric populations, treatment of refractory cases, management of drug-induced illnesses and side effects, and treatment of drug overdose and withdrawal.
Summer Lecture Series
- Who: PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents on psychiatry rotations
- Attendance: Required
- When: Thursday afternoons (protected time)
What: During the summer months when regularly scheduled lectures and seminars are not held, special lecture series are held. These include a series called “perspectives in psychiatry” taught by Dr. Robinson, and series on ethics in psychiatry and learning to teach.
Journal Club
- Who: All residents
- Attendance: Recommended
- When: Wednesdays. 12:00–1:00pm
What: In this twice monthly seminar, a resident presents a current journal article for review and discussion. With a faculty member serving as facilitator, the methods and design of the study, as well as the results and conclusions are discussed. In addition to helping residents remain well-informed on current research topics, the seminar encourages critical thinking about current literature.
R3/R4 Lectures/Regular Academic Year (September to June):
Monday—Research Rounds 12:45–2:00—University of Iowa faculty or national known speakers discuss a current topic of research interest, presenting recent advances and indicating new directions for the field. Attendance for residents is optional but encouraged, and senior residents are excused from clinic so they may attend.
Tuesday—Morning Report 7:30–8:00—Case presentation by residents on “difficult” or interesting patients. A faculty member or senior resident directs the discussion. Cases have included difficulties with diagnosis, determining potential for violence to others, discharge planning, capacity for decision making, determining treatment with limited information while on-call, and handling problematic family dynamics.
R3/R4 Lecture—8:00–9:00—Comprehensive didactic series covering general topics on psychiatry presented by University of Iowa faculty. This includes lectures on Psychosomatics (including transplant, HIV, Hepatitis C, Psychiatric Oncology, and Psychiatric manifestations of Cerebrovascular disease), Geriatric Psychiatry, Theories of Personality Development, Forensic Psychiatry, Eating Disorders, Gender Differences in Psychiatry, Neuropsychology, Substance Abuse, Sexual Disorders, Career options, and many other topics. Attendance is mandatory; therefore, residents are excused from clinical responsibilities to attend.
R3/R4 Psychotherapy Lecture—9:00–10:30—Seminar presenting both the theoretical basis, as well as the practical aspects of various psychotherapy schools, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Supportive Therapy, Marriage and Family therapy, and Psychodynamic therapy. Practical applications may include the therapist-patient alliance, transference, countertransference, resistance, strategies for change, and termination. This is required for R3 residents who are excused from clinic, although all residents are welcome.
Grand Rounds—11:00–12:30—University of Iowa faculty or national known speakers present clinical updates on various topics, with University of Iowa faculty presenting a particular patient who is interviewed during the round. Topics have included: genetics of substance abuse, issues in forensic psychiatry, psychiatric effects of brain stimulation, and optimal management of schizophrenia. Attendance is mandatory; therefore, residents are excused from clinical responsibilities to attend.
Wednesday—Journal Club 12:00–1:00— Every other week, senior residents present a current research article with an assigned faculty member for review and discussion. The focus is on how to utilize research findings to guide clinical practice, analyzing research methodology, the difference between statistical and clinical significance, and keeping up-to-date after residency. Attendance is optional.
Thursday—Psychopharmacology 12:00–1:00—During this weekly seminar, expert psychopharmacologists provide up-to-date information about currently available and soon-to-be-available medications, emphasizing general principles of pharmacologic management. Drugs that have been marketed within the last year are given special attention. The lectures review the neurochemistry, efficacy, side effects, contraindications, and long term effects of various classes of drugs. Additional topics include acute and maintenance treatment of psychiatric disorders, considerations for pediatric and geriatric populations, treatment of refractory psychiatric disorders, management of drug-induced illnesses and side effects, and treatments of drug overdose and withdrawal. R1-R3 residents are excused from clinical responsibilities to attend this required lecture. The department also provides pizza.
Chairman Rounds—1:00–2:30—Weekly seminar where each resident presents a patient once a year to Dr. Robinson, our Department head (or a senior faculty member) who then interviews the patient and uses the Socratic method to discuss the mental status findings, differential diagnosis, potential treatments and overall case formulation. All residents are required to attend and excused from clinical duties.
Other Didactics
Summer Series:
Psychiatric Ethics—3–year rotating course covering ethical problems in the care of mentally ill patients and the psychiatrist’s role within diverse communities, including assigned readings with questions and case discussion. Topics covered include: boundary issues, decision-making capacity, paternalism, “cosmetic” psychopharmacology, respect for religious beliefs, involuntary treatment, informed consent, labeling through diagnosis, genetic determinism, suicide, confidentiality, impaired physicians, and economic/access to care issues. Attendance is mandatory; therefore, residents are excused from clinical responsibilities to attend.
Neuropsychiatry—Yearly series, coordinated by Dr. Robinson, which examines the philosophical limitations in understanding psychiatry utilizing four perspectives from which one can view psychiatry: the disease perspective, the behavioral perspective, the dimensional perspective and the life-story perspective. The implicit assumptions and functional utility of each approach is examined. Attendance is mandatory; therefore, residents are excused from clinical responsibilities to attend.
Individual—Mock Oral Boards—R1–R4 residents have annual mock oral board exams with an assigned faculty member. This involves interviewing a patient nknown to the resident and then presenting the case to the faculty member, including all relevant history, discussing case formulation and differential diagnosis and treatment plans.
Psychotherapy Supervision—R3 and R4 residents are required to meet regularly with their assigned psychotherapist (1 hour per week) to discuss ongoing therapy patients and their treatment.