In the last year of your residency, you will complete any outstanding requirements and select electives to complement or enhance your training.
| Name of Rotation | Length of Rotation |
|---|---|
| Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | 3 months |
| Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) | 1 month |
| Neurology | 1 month |
| Electives | 6-8 months |
| Forensic Psychiatry | 1 month |
| Advanced Clinical Experience | 1 month |
You may complete core rotations in your fourth year, including those in child and adolescent psychiatry and electroconvulsive therapy. You will also have six to eight months of elective time during which you can select from a variety of specialized clinical options, complete your research or a scholarly project or take on a new educational project.
The three-month rotation in child and adolescent psychiatry includes both inpatient and outpatient components. You will work on an acute inpatient adolescent unit at Erie County Medical Center, treating patients with psychotic and mood disorders, personality disorders and behavioral problems. Under supervision, you will interview and assess patients, run family meetings and participate in group therapy. The rotation’s outpatient component offers you opportunities to work with children in diverse treatment settings, including an outpatient clinic at Millard Fillmore Hospital, Renaissance House (a facility for teens with substance use disorders) and a local detention center.
In the one-month electroconvulsive therapy rotation, you will assess patients for and administer ECT. You will evaluate and treat both inpatients and outpatients, and you will be able to follow patients from initial assessment to recovery phases.
You will continue to see psychotherapy patients, many of whom are in long-term psychotherapy. To support your training, you will meet weekly with two psychotherapy supervisors and one on-site supervisor. You may also set up additional supervision if you wish.
One half day per week, during time protected from clinical responsibilities, you will continue to take didactic seminars. The didactic curriculum for PGY-3 and 4 residents is combined and rotates on a two-year cycle. Seminar topics include child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, making the transition to practice, public psychiatry and the history of psychiatry.
You will interact with and teach third- and fourth-year medical students throughout this rotation and serve as a preceptor for small group learning. You may also teach in the didactic curriculum for third-year clerks.