The Second Year
A few words from . . .
Nery Diaz, DO
PGY 3 Resident (2011-2012)
Although most of our residents in the second year have spent a year in the program as interns, two new residents join the program to bring the class size to ten.
Residents who have spent the initial year in our program will find rotating through three unique inpatient psychiatry experiences quite different from their training in the previous year at the VA. These inpatient units at the University of New Mexico represent acute treatment programs and serve as the referral endpoint for much of the state of New Mexico. Two of the units treat adults in the context of a locked inpatient unit, and one is a specialized unit for geriatric psychiatry and patients with comorbid medical illnesses.
The inpatient years are complemented by...
- two months on the psychiatry consultation liaison service, either at the VAMC or at UNM where residents work with a specialized psychiatric service consulting to the medical services in the hospital.
- two months in the psychiatric emergency service at the University Psychiatric Center learning critical skills in crisis stabilization, acute interventions, and determination of the appropriate levels of psychiatric care.
Residents also begin training in...
- child psychiatry -- spending one month on the inpatient child psychiatry units where they work with child fellows and faculty managing children in the acute residential setting.
- psychotherapy -- working with at least one patient whom they see over the course of the year or longer.
The didactic coursework of the second year focuses on the major psychiatric diagnoses with an emphasis on such areas as epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Residents also participate in a year-long introductory course in psychodynamic psychotherapy and a process group to support their ongoing development as psychiatrists.
Rotations
- Inpatient Psychiatry (UNM/MHC) 7 months
- Inpatient Child Psychiatry 1 month
- Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry 2 months
- Psychiatric Emergency Services 2 months
- Long-term Psychotherapy Clinic 12 months (concurrent)