Student Clerkship
Introduction to Psychiatry Clerkship
The LSUHSC 3rd year psychiatric clerkship is a required 6-week clerkship focusing on management of acute and chronic psychiatric conditions. We have sites in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette to accommodate students that are stationed in each of those areas for their clinical experiences. Exposure to specific areas of the psychiatric care continuum may vary slightly, depending on the facilities available in each city; however, our goal is to provide a foundational exposure to all aspects of psychiatric care and foster an understanding and interest in the field. Each element of the course has been refined to provide the best and most educational exposure possible, and we have adapted the schedule based, in part, by previous feedback. It is our goal during this rotation to educate and provide experiences caring for patients with mood disorders, psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, and personality disorders as well as provide education regarding other areas of behavioral health that will assist in caring for patients across all ages and socioeconomic circumstances regardless of what specialty that our learners decide to pursue. Students will be monitored for progress throughout the rotation, given formal and informal feedback by attendings, residents, and fellows and will have required activities to ensure progress in all applicable areas.
In order to make this a beneficial learning experience, this syllabus has been prepared outlining the clerkship learning objectives, course material, evaluations, required clerkship assignments, grading procedures, special duties and performance criteria.
NOTE: Email is the primary means of notification of changes in the schedule. Students
are responsible for checking email on a daily basis.
Psychiatry Clerkship Objectives & Competencies
Patient Care (PC)
- Students will be able to elicit and record a complete physical examination, psychiatric history, and mental status examination. (EPOs PC 1, PC 2, ICS 4)
- Students will be able to conduct patient interviews in a manner that facilitates information gathering of a therapeutic alliance, i.e. demonstrate respect, empathy, responsiveness, and concern regardless of the patient’s problems or personal characteristics and be able to use basic strategies for interviewing disorganized, hostile/resistant, mistrustful, circumstantial/hyperverbal, hypoverbal, and potentially assaultive patients. (EPOs PC 1, KP 3, KP 4, ICS 1, PB 3)
- Students will be able to assess the presence of general medical illness in psychiatric patients and determine the extent to which a medical/surgical illness contributes to a patient’s psychiatric problem. (EPOs PC 3, PC 4, PC 5, KP 1, KP 2)
- Students will be familiar with psychiatric terminology and be able to use the DSM-V in evaluating patients. (EPOs PC 4, PBLI 1, KP 2)
- Students will be able to use laboratory testing, imaging tests, psychological tests, and consultation appropriately to assist in diagnosing of the patient with neuropsychiatric symptoms. (EPOs PC 3, PC 4, PC 5, KP 1, KP 2)
- Students will be able to evaluate and begin management of psychiatric emergencies. (EPO PC 6)
- Students will be familiar with the hypotheses regarding etiology, the epidemiologic
features, the common signs and symptoms, the DSM-V criteria, the differential diagnosis
for the following groups of disorders and be able to formulate a biopsychosocial treatment
plan for each: (EPOs PC 4, PC 5, KP 5, KP 2, SBP 1, SBP 2)
- Psychotic Disorders
- Mood Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Personality Disorders
- Addictive Disorders
Knowledge for Practice (KP)
- Students will be familiar with basic psychopharmacology, i.e., be able to summarize
the indications, basic mechanisms of action, common side effects and drug interactions
of the following classes of psychotropic medications: (EPO KP 1, KP2)
- Anxiolytics
- Antidepressants (and Electroconvulsive Therapy)
- Antipsychotics
- Mood Stabilizing Agents
Systems - Based Practice (SBP)
- Student advocates for safe, high-quality care for patients considering cost, resource utilization, and risk-benefit analysis and identifying key components of the healthcare system (basic healthcare payment systems). (EPOs SBP 1, SBP 4)
- Student demonstrates and applies knowledge of social and structural drivers of health to reduce disparities in patient care and advance health equity. (EPO SBP 2)
- Students identify the causes and types of patient safety and quality issues that contribute to quality improvement processes. (EPO SBP 3)
Practice - Based Learning and Improvement (PBLI)
- Students will participate regularly in learning activities including locating and assimilating evidence necessary to maintain and advance competence and performance. (EPOs PBLI 1, PBLI 2)
- Students assess their learning needs, knowledge, emotional needs, and the limitation of their skills, to improve. (EPOs PBLI 2, PB 6)
- Students should demonstrate appropriate help seeking behavior including accepting constructive feedback when it is necessary for their own well-being or the well-being of their patients. (EPOs PBLI 3, PB 6)
Interpersonal Communication Skills (ICS)
- Students will understand the principles and techniques of psychosocial therapies sufficiently to explain to a patient and make a referral when indicated. (EPOs ICS 1, ICS 2, ICS 3)
- Students will clearly communicate in an organized and respectful manner to all team members using either written and/or verbal communication. (EPOs ICS 4, ICS 5)
- Students will demonstrate collaboration with other members of interprofessional teams to provide care that is safe, effective, and efficient. (EPOs ICS 7, ICS 8)
Professional Behavior (PB)
- Display honesty, integrity, and accountability in all assessments and written assignments. (EPO PB1)
- Adhere to attendance and other professional requirements and complete assignments and tasks in a timely manner, in both classroom and clinical settings. (EPO PB 2)
- Demonstrate sensitivity and respect for patients, families, peers, teachers, administrative staff, and healthcare team members across diverse populations in all situations. (EPO PB 3)
- Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality. (EPO PB 4)
- Consistently advocate in the best interest of one’s patients, including fair access to care. (EPO PB 5)
- Recognize and address personal well-being needs that may impact professional performance. (EPO PB 6)
* Medicine EPOS linked to clerkship specific objectives
Primary Site Assignments
New Orleans
University Medical Center (UMC) - Behavioral Health Adult Inpatient Units
Manning Family Children's Hospital/Calhoun Campus (CHNOLA) - Child Inpatient Units & Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
Behavioral Health Emergency Room at UMC(BHER)
Consultation Liaison Psychiatry at UMC
Baton Rouge
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
Lafayette
Genesis Behavioral Health Hospital
Acadiana Area Human Services District
Time-Off Requests & Absences
Time off requests must be submitted by email to the clerkship office PRIOR TO THE START OF THE CLERKSHIP. Non-emergency time off requests after the clerkship has started, may not be granted.
An excused absence is defined as presenting an acceptable reason, in advance of the adsence, only by the involved student, to the office of the Clerkship Director.
An unexcused absence is defined as not being at your assigned location, i.e. hospitals, lectures, TBL's, grand rounds, secondary sites, etc., without prior approval.
(For more details on the absence from clinical rotation policy, please refer to the Psychiatry Clerkship Syllabus)
Final Grade
For all Psychiatry Clerkship students, including those who complete their Psychiatry Clerkship in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Lousiiana, the final grade will consist of:
Shelf: 40%
TBL's: 40% (Individual Quiz - 20%, Group Quiz - 20%)
Clinical Skills Evaluation: 10%
Attendance/Professionalism: 10%
Final Grade Scale
Honors 90 and up
High Pass 80-89
Pass 69-79
Fail 68 <
NOTE: You must pass the shelf exam in order to pass the course.
4th Year Students
The Psychiatry Department also offers 4th year medical student rotations.
In the Secondary Acting INternship at the UMC Adult Inpatient Units, the student is expected to function as an intern with direct supervision by house officers and attending physicians. This rotation is reserved for students with an interest in psychiatry during senior blocks 1-6, and is open to other students during blocks 7-11.
4th year medical students can also pursue psychiatry elective rotations in varius psychiatric subspecialties (Emergency Psychiatry, Consult-Liaison Psychiatry, Addictions Psychiatry, Child/Adolescent Psychiatry, and Forensic Psychiatry)
The complete list of 4th year medical student course offerings can be found in the senior handbook located at the LSU School of Medicine Office of Student Affairs Website
See full descriptions of current Senior Psychiatry Courses.
Preclinical Psychiatry Course 200
This course is taken in the 2nd year of medical school. It is designed to provide a basic knowledge of psychiatry and how general medical conditions impact and result from psychopathology. The course concentrates on the neurobiological causes of psychiatric disorders along with psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic treatment.
Michael Dicharry, M.D.
Director, Medical Student Education Program
LSUHSC - Medical School/Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation
2021 Perdido St. Room 6226
Office 504-568-2539
(Email: mdicha@lsuhsc.edu)
Marcy Punch
Coordinator, Medical Student Education Program
LSUHSC - Medical School/Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation
2021 Perdido St, Room 6239
Office 504-568-6009
(Email: mpunc1@lsuhsc.edu)