How many residents do you accept?
Typically we accept six adult psychiatry residents, two medicine/psychiatry residents, and two family practice/psychiatry residents. These numbers may change depending on the particular year.
What is your department's resident fill rate?
The University of Iowa has filled all available adult psychiatry spots since the 2000-2001 application year.
How many residents do you interview each year?
We usually interview between 35 to 40 residents each year.
How many hours per week do most residents work?
Residents usually work 50 to 60 hours per week, depending upon their rotation. With our night float (overnight call) system, we are never in danger of violating the 80-hour work week rule.
What rotations will I do during my intern year?
As an intern, you will be "on service" (doing psychiatry rotations) for five to six months, and you will be "off service" (doing other rotations in neurology, internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics) for the remaining months. Please see our "Residency Program Synopsis and Overview" for details about each year. (See Psychiatry Residency Program Information)
Can you explain the call schedule?
Junior residents (R1 and R2) take primary call - that is, they are the primary resident responsible for on-call duties. Call is done either through UI Hospitals and Clinics or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Midwest Health Care System, depending on the rotation the resident is on that month. When residents are "off service" (working in neurology, internal medicine, family practice, or pediatrics) or on the inpatient VA psychiatry ward, they typically take primary VA call. When residents are "on service" at UI Hospitals and Clinics (working on one of our four inpatient psychiatry units), they typically take primary UI Hospitals and Clinics call. Usually a resident will have four to five call shifts per month.
VA call is covered from home. VA call is from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following morning, Monday through Thursday. On weekends, call is from 5 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Monday. Phone calls are managed from home, but residents are expected to go to the VA to evaluate patients as needed, either in the Urgent Care Center, on other wards for consults, or on the inpatient psychiatric ward.
UI Hospitals and Clinics call is done in-house (at UI Hospitals and Clinics). UI Hospitals and Clinics call is from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. On the weekend, call is divided into multiple longer shifts - 10 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday, and then 12-hour shifts the rest of the weekend until the night float resident takes over at 8 p.m. Sunday. UI Hospitals and Clinics call resident covers phone calls, the four inpatient psychiatric wards, the emergency room, consults on other wards, and "code greens" (psychiatric or behavioral codes).
Night float refers to the overnight call shift at UI Hospitals and Clinics. One resident per month is designated to do night float. This person does in-house UI Hospitals and Clinics call from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday nights and 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Monday through Thursday nights. The night float resident is not assigned to any other clinical duties during that month. This system ensures that residents are not working too many hours and aren't assigned too many call shifts per month. It also provides valuable emergency psychiatry experience for the night float resident. Residents typically are assigned to do night float one or two times during their first two years of residency.
Although the R1 and R2 residents take primary call, there is always a back-up senior resident (R3 or R4) available to assist the junior resident as needed. These senior residents take back-up call from home, but are required to be readily available to the junior residents if they need help. There are always staff physicians on call from home as well and they can be particularly helpful in unusual or complex situations.
What are your requirements for foreign medical graduates?
You must have 80 or above on your first attempt at Step 1 and Step 2 of your USMLE. You must have graduated from medical school within the last five years. We accept applications only through ERAS. Our deadline for applications is December 1st.
I hear that The University of Iowa program is very biologically oriented. Is that true?
It is true that The University of Iowa has a very strong foundation in biological psychiatry. There is considerable emphasis on neuroscience and psychopharmacology in our program. However, we also recognize the value and importance of psychotherapy. Our goal is to train physicians to become exemplary psychiatrists, which requires a balanced program of study.
What is the psychotherapy training like?
R1 and R2 residents participate in a psychotherapy curriculum consisting of introductory lectures on the history of psychotherapy, what role it plays in the treatment of our patients, what the various theories espouse, and how various modes of psychotherapy can be used to best effect with different patient populations. During R3 year, residents are responsible for using this knowledge as they work with their own psychotherapy patients. Weekly meetings with a psychotherapy supervisor help residents stay focused and mindful of their psychotherapeutic goals. R3 and R4 residents also continue to have lectures on psychotherapy, specifically dealing with patients and the challenging aspects of psychotherapy which are encountered during therapy sessions. Additional opportunities include observing and facilitating group therapy experiences.
Is moonlighting allowed?
Residents may moonlight after their second year and after completing Step 3 of the USMLE. Residents must get approval from our department, as well as from the hospital's Graduate Medical Education office. Residents also must obtain their own malpractice insurance if their employer doesn't offer it.
Moonlighting may not conflict with residency requirements and duties, so it must occur after regular work hours; additionally, it may not conflict with on call duties. There are many moonlighting opportunities available around Iowa for both weeknight and weekend work.
What are the healthcare benefits for residents and their family members?
Here at The University of Iowa, residents are highly valued members of the healthcare team and hospital community. This is reflected in the generous healthcare benefits given to residents and their family members, including free medical and dental appointments, as well as free prescriptions. Please see the Statement on Stipends, Benefits for more details on our remarkable healthcare benefits.
Is money provided for books and other educational materials?
Each psychiatry resident gets $400 per year to help pay for books or other educational materials. "Other educational materials" may include PDA software, computer software, conference fees, boards fees, license fees, etc. Each resident is also provided with a Pocket PC PDA by the department.
How much vacation do residents get?
Residents get three weeks of paid vacation per year. During R1 and R2 years, there are specific rotations from which you may/may not take vacation.
Where will I park?
Most residents park in the Finkbine parking lot and take a shuttle bus to the hospital or VA. Some people choose to walk from Finkbine (it's roughly a 12-minute walk to either location). During peak times (early morning around 8 a.m. and early evening around 5 p.m.), the shuttle buses run every five minutes. At non-peak times they run every 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of the day. When on call during evenings and weekends, residents may park for free in the parking garages adjacent to the hospital.
Is there anything to do in this relatively small city?
We're glad you asked! While Iowa City is relatively small, it has the cultural diversity and benefits associated with having a large university within its city limits. One great thing about our residency program is that residents have free time to explore Iowa City, Coralville, and surrounding areas. Cultural activities, sporting events, shopping, and fine dining are all available right here in the Iowa City area. Note our Top 10 Things to do in Iowa City link below, this list was compiled by our own residents! If you want to experience larger metropolitan areas, Iowa City is within easy driving distance to several bigger cities including Des Moines, Chicago, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Saint Louis, Kansas City, and Omaha. There are also two airports close to Iowa City with numerous available flight times and destinations for wherever you'd like to visit.
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