Comparing Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Programs

[ArdorAyurveda]

I was hoping to get more information about the following forensic psychiatry programs. I'm interested in working with patients with severe psychosis and personality disorders in a correctional/maximum security setting.

1. University of Minnesota
2. University of Arizona - Tucson
3. Oregon Health and Sciences University
4. UTSW - Southwestern
5. University of Virgina
6. West Virginia University

In terms of geography, I'm pretty picky. I'd just like to go somewhere with mountains and decent weather. Not Colorado though because the male-to-female ratio is not to my liking. I'm a heterosexual male, so I'm not exactly trying to move to a city that's colloquially called "Menver" lol...

If anyone would have suggestions on networking with people at these institutions or if you would have suggestions for other institutions with forensic psych fellowships that I have not considered, please do let me know! I'm not crazy about going to the east coast or the south. Also not crazy about going somewhere with cold weather. So I feel like I may have narrowed my list quite a bit.

I'm partial to UTSW - Southwestern and U of MN because they're geographically close to the two civilian aerospace medicine fellowships that I'm also considering.

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[Kr#36]

You can do aerospace medicine from a psych residency? Seems like UTMB just poaches from their IM program

 

[Sushirolls]

It's one year. I've blinked and another year just went by. Pick the program that will give you the training you seek. Then after that, move to where ever you desire.

If this will actually be a big chunk of your future practice, don't skimp simply for the hypothetical of dating life. You will find people to connect with in any town.

 

[liquidshadow22]

I disagree. Nyc is best for a single male. One of the few places on earth where beautiful women are actually approachable

 

[Kr#36]

I disagree. Nyc is best for a single male. One of the few places on earth where beautiful women are actually approachable

Never been to the south huh?

 

[liquidshadow22]

Never been to the south huh?

Hahaha I haven't in that capacity. I have heard that as well tho. I stand corrected. What cities do you recommend?

 

[Kr#36]

Hahaha I haven't in that capacity. I have heard that as well tho. I stand corrected. What cities do you recommend?

I can only speak to where I've spent time but between Dallas, Houston, Austin, and Atlanta you'll hear no complaints from me

 

[penpenclown]

If you don't like cold weather you probably shouldn't come to Minnesota...

 

[splik]

If you want to do aerospace medicine, you should do this fellowship first, and then forensics. Then you can cultivate an expertise in forensic aspects of aerospace medicine (it will be more logical this way). Also you may be able to cultivate an expertise in doing aviation related IMEs and FFD evaluations without the forensic fellowship. Also working in a correctional setting does not require a forensic fellowship. Do the fellowship if you want to get training in getting training in forensic report preparation, expert testimony, a foundational knowledge of mental health law, evaluations of competency to stand trial, and then a smattering of other things (e.g. criminal responsibility, personal injury, disability, civil competencies, sex offender evaluations, malingering, violence risk assessment etc). No fellowship will teach you everything as it's only a yr, but you want to go train with the best people. Of your list UVA, UMN, and OHSU are okay. I'd pass on the others.

 

[ArdorAyurveda]

@splik Thanks for the advice. Although working in a correctional setting does not require completion of a forensics fellowship, I want to do the highest quality work when it comes to report preparation, expert testimony, violence risk assessment, sex offender evaluations, criminal responsibility, and at the very minimum having a foundational knowledge of mental health law. Those, to me, all sound fascinating and especially relevant to the types of patients that I'd like to work with (antisocial personality disorder, paraphilias, violent paranoid schizophrenics, etc.).

With my intention of completing that type of work in mind, are there any other fellowships which specialize in that type of training or patient population? Taking @Sushirolls advice to heart, I'd be willing to go to somewhere I don't enjoy if it's just for a short period of time.

It's just that I've heard that most fellowship programs pick applicants from their home program so I wanted to keep that in mind.

I also appreciate you giving me advice on the order in which I should approach the fellowships, never really took that into consideration.

 

[Sasaro]

@splik I want to do the highest quality work when it comes to report preparation, expert testimony, violence risk assessment, sex offender evaluations, criminal responsibility, and at the very minimum having a foundational knowledge of mental health law.

You may be aware of this already, but you wouldn't be doing any of this type of work in a correctional setting. If you're employed at a forensic psychiatric unit or at a prison, you'd be mostly acting as a regular clinician and evaluating/treating patients' ongoing symptoms like any other inpatient psychiatrist. I only mention this because in your opening post, you state specifically that you want to work in a correctional setting, and as others have mentioned, you don't need a fellowship to do that. You WOULD benefit from a fellowship to do all this other type of work you describe, but that doesn't take place in a correctional facility. Instead, you'd be spending most of your time in offices with attorneys, testifying in courts, writing up reports from home, etc. You would likely travel to jails to interview/evaluate defendants, but that would not occupy a majority of your time.

I'm also curious whether you have worked in a correctional setting before, and what draws you to it?

In terms of fellowships, you're very early in your training to be looking at specific institutions. Looking at your past posts, it sounds like you just started M2 (correct me if I'm wrong). Your desires about future practice settings will likely change several times during M3-M4, and then during residency as well. If your heart remains set on forensic psychiatry once you get to M4, apply to residencies that have good exposure to forensics via electives, and go from there.

 

[psyguru]

Thats interesting you want to do aerospace medicine. You should contact Dr. Bevens at NASA Houston. He is a forensic psychiatrist as well. I plan on doing the HIMS training. I am boarded in BIM (practice pathway) and this has helped getting tbi related criminal cases and PI TBI cases. I also plan on getting addiction boarded as well.

I do recommend OHSU. It may not be recognized as a top notch program with all the bells and whistles. It does let you do 40-50 cases independently with great supervision. You get once a week supervision with a former aapl president. Mostly competency to stand trial, one NGRI , one mitigation and several asylum/ trafficking evals. Portland is a great place to live. Pm me for more

 

[Merovinge]

Thats interesting you want to do aerospace medicine. You should contact Dr. Bevens at NASA Houston. He is a forensic psychiatrist as well. I plan on doing the HIMS training. I am boarded in BIM (practice pathway) and this has helped getting tbi related criminal cases and PI TBI cases. I also plan on getting addiction boarded as well.

I do recommend OHSU. It may not be recognized as a top notch program with all the bells and whistles. It does let you do 40-50 cases independently with great supervision. You get once a week supervision with a former aapl president. Mostly competency to stand trial, one NGRI , one mitigation and several asylum/ trafficking evals. Portland is a great place to live. Pm me for more

Forgive my ignorance, what is the connection between aerospace medicine and forensic psych?

 

[splik]

Forgive my ignorance, what is the connection between aerospace medicine and forensic psych?

fitness for duty evaluations

 

[psyguru]

The OP would like to do both Forensic psychiatry and aerospace medicine