Didactic Curriculum
In order to train future leaders, we have developed a didactic curriculum that simultaneously exposes residents to foundational knowledge and the leading edges of inquiry. The didactic curriculum is organized into five, longitudinal modules:
- Theories of the Mind & Psychotherapy
- Neuroscience
- Psychopathology, Diagnosis and Pharmacotherapy
- Professionalism, Leadership and Systems
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Human Development
The majority of didactics occur on Wednesday afternoons – a time protected for all residents to engage in didactic learning. Each resident class, PGY-1 through PGY-4 has its own series of didactic sessions held every Wednesday. In addition, several times throughout the year, combined educational events are held with all four classes of trainees together to facilitate cross-class learning and teaching.
Courses and seminars occur within each of the five modules across the different years of the program. The modules are organized to cover topics at increasing levels of sophistication and depth to match the development of the residents. Some example seminar titles include:
- PGY-1 Seminars: Psychiatric interviewing; Basic Psychopharm for Mood, Anxiety, Thought, and Substance Use Disorders; Definition of “mind” and “mental illness”; Supportive Psychotherapy; Functional Neuroanatomy and the Neurobiology of Love & Consciousness; Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine; Teaching to Teach; Psychiatric Aspects of Medicine; Race and Ethnicity in Psychiatry.
- PGY-2 Seminars: Psychopathology, Diagnosis, & Pharmacotherapy for each of the major disorders; Cognitive and Psychodynamic Psychotherapies; Formulation & Psychotherapy of Personality Disorders; Family and Couples Psychotherapy; Substance Abuse; Evidence-Based Medicine; Cultural formulation.
- PGY-3 Seminars: Advanced Outpatient Psychopharmacology; Sexual Orientation and Identity; Child Development and Psychopathology; Women’s Mental Health; Neurobiology of Mental Illness; Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioral, Interpersonal & Group Psychotherapies.
- PGY-4 Seminars: Leadership in Psychiatry; Advanced Group Theory; Transcultural Psychiatry; Jungian Psychotherapy; Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; Medical Education.
Residents as Educators
Psychiatry residents are involved in medical student teaching throughout the program, and seminars on “Teaching to Teach” are part of the core didactic program described above. In the PGY-1 and PGY-2 years, residents work with students on the inpatient and consultation-liaison services teaching them about acute psychiatric evaluation and treatment. During the PGY-3 and PGY-4 years, residents work with students in outpatient settings primarily, and trainees also have the option to work with students as part of their senior resident elective options including teaching on acute and ambulatory services. PGY-4 residents are all expected to participate in the Brain, Mind and Behavior course for medical students where they co-lead a small group session with a faculty member.
In addition, advanced residents are involved in teaching more junior residents in the program. Trainees work with PGY-1 residents on tandem call at San Francisco General Hospital, teaching acute inpatient care as well as principles of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. PGY-3s and PGY-4s are on outpatient teams together and meet weekly to discuss cases, and PGY-4 residents can co-lead small group supervision for PGY-3s with a faculty member where they teach Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT). Multiple additional opportunities exist to teach across many different venues during the PGY-4 year.
The Department also offers a fourth year elective for those residents who want to learn about and do educational innovation and scholarship. This elective is especially helpful to trainees who want to pursue a career in medical education.