Consultation Psychiatry
Course Director: Michael R. Privitera, MD
Contact: Jeffrey M. Lyness, MD, Box Psych, Jeffrey_Lyness@urmc.rochester.edu
Course Location: SMH
Block Length: 4 weeks, or other length by individual arrangement
Course Offered: As arranged with Drs. Privitera and Lyness
Number of Students: 1 per block
Prerequisites: Psychiatry (Mind/Brain/Behavior) Clerkship
Goal: To gain skills in diagnosing and treating various psychiatric disorders that occurs in the general hospital; to develop skills functioning as a psychiatric consultant in this setting.
Learning Objectives: By the end of the rotation the student should be able to: Become comfortable with the evaluation and management of depression in the medically ill, the interactions between medical illness and psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychiatric disorders such as delirium and dementia, somatoform disorders, suicidal behavior, anxiety or agitation with medically ill patients, the use of psychopharmacologic agents in the elderly or medically ill, and the assessment of capacity in such patients.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES: Evaluation of new patients and follow-up of existing patients in outpatient clinics and in the hospital with attending and team rounds daily. There is a thorough review of all new consults and live interview of the patients by the attending.
DIDACTIC ACTIVITIES: Weekly consultation service conference held on Thursdays, 12:00-1:00 p.m.; daily case-based and bedside teaching.
REQUIRED READING: Handouts given upon orientation. Further reading materials distributed throughout. DSM IV, Synopsis of Psychiatry (Kaplan and Sadock); additional recommended readings available on Service.
STUDENT EVALUATIONS: Mid-rotation feedback by student's preceptor. End of rotation review. Daily assessment of the student's ability to collect data, present it coherently, discuss clinical reasoning and decision-making with each case. A written evaluation with grade will be rendered by the preceptor at the end of the elective.