Curriculum, Supervision, and Evaluation

Curriculum

Our program devotes two half days per week to protected time for didactics. Our teachers are experts in the field and come from within our own system as well as from major academic centers in the area. We favor learning in small interactive groups and often use a round table tutorial or case discussion format. Our curriculum emphasizes public psychiatry and work with historically oppressed communities while also incorporating new advances in field. PGY 1 and PGY 2 residents engage together in foundational courses taught by core faculty. PGY 2s also co-learn with PGY 3 residents in a two-year sequence of classes focused on subspecialty and advanced psychiatric topics, in addition to seminars and conferences organized within the various clinical rotations. PGY 4s have designated advanced classes, including a summer leadership course. In addition, we have a culture club, to explore either our own cultural experiences, or the arts and humanities, from a psychiatric lens. The residents have process group twice per month with a psychologist who has cultivated an environment which allows for residents to safely share their experiences.

Residents have ample opportunity for participation in curriculum development. Our program embraces an adult learning model, encouraging active engagement in our didactic series. Residents give feedback regarding didactic classes on an ongoing basis and make more formal suggestions at a quarterly meeting with the Program Director. In addition, we believe strongly in opportunities for self-directed and experiential learning and provide flexibility for independent projects according to resident interest. Residents are actively involved in teaching each other on a variety of topics: PGY2s and 4s have opportunities to teach PGY1s on several topics a year, PGY3s supervise and teach during the supervisory rotation on the inpatient psychiatry unit, and PGY3s and 4s teach the whole residency in the advanced psychopharmacology course.

Scholarly Activity in San Mateo County. In addition to participating in the full breadth of didactic offerings, we expect every resident to complete scholarly projects throughout their training and we particularly encourage scholarship with a public psychiatry lens. PGY1 residents present a clinical case conference from the inpatient unit during the Psychiatry Block. PGY2-3 residents complete a scholarly project, often with a focus on QI. PGY 2-4 residents are expected to present at least 2 case conferences during the academic year, and PGY4 residents each deliver a a final presentation . Many residents have taken active roles in development of projects that aim to reduce health care disparities and residents are encouraged to submit papers to major journals, as well as to present posters and workshops at regional and national conferences based on their work.
The following is a list of typical topics covered during the four years of training (subject to change):

PGY1 and PGY2

• Cultural Humility
• Introduction to Public Psychiatry
• Principles of Hospital Psychiatry
• ECT
• Introduction to Psychopharmacology
• Psychopathology Modules
• Internal Medicine topics
• Neurology, Neuroradiology and neuropathology

PGY2 and PGY3

• Residents-As-Teachers
• C/L psychiatry
• Addiction Psychiatry
• Child/Adult/Geriatric Psychiatry
• Forensic psychiatry
• Women’s Mental Health
• Neuropsychiatry/Neuropsychological testing
• Advanced Psychopharmacology
• Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
• TEAM CBT
• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
• Culture and spirituality
• Ethics
• Mind-Body Psychiatry
• Leadership, management and teaching in psychiatry
• Quality Improvement

PGY4

• Advanced Psychotherapy
• Advanced Psychopharmacology
• Leadership
• Clinical Research
• All PGYs
• Safety and risk assessment
• Evidence-based medicine
• Practice-based learning and improvement
• Integrated Medicine
• Group Process
• Systems-based practice/Quality Improvement

Supervision and Evaluation

Supervision is an essential component of residency training in our program. We believe that providing our residents with broad clinical experience in combination with ample supervision from our outstanding faculty allows them to develop into top-notch psychiatrists. Our faculty have deep experience in public psychiatry and specialty psychiatry as well as in health policy. Many serve as leaders in organized psychiatry and some also hold appointments at major academic centers in the area. Our residents have protected time for one-on-one supervision with one of our faculty members on every clinical rotation. During PGY 1 year, our residents have direct clinical supervision from their assigned unit Attendings. PGY 2- 4 residents have an hour of supervision with their assigned continuity clinic supervisor, one-two hours of designated psychotherapy supervision, in addition to other supervision for specific rotations or electives. Continuity clinic supervisors and psychotherapy supervisors rotate yearly to maximize longitudinal continuous supervision experiences while also exposing residents to several of our faculty members during their training. In addition, we make every attempt to connect our residents with faculty mentors in fields of particular interest, including specialty psychiatry, research, policy, leadership and education.

We believe it’s important for feedback and evaluation to flow in both directions. Residents regularly evaluate courses, clinical rotations, and individual teachers/supervisors/preceptors. They participate in a comprehensive program review and discussion with residency leadership several times a year during all-day resident retreats. In addition, the residency directors are accessible for impromptu discussions at anytime.