Hi all, I am an intern at Mt. Sinai (main program). I am really enjoying my time here, and would definitely recommend the program! Here's my (long-overdue) review.
Mt. Sinai's program has about 40 residents; 10 people are in each first year class, and they are joined on psych in the second year by the triple boarders and sometimes an incoming PGY-2. I'm always impressed by the intelligence of my colleagues, and I really like my class--we get along well, and some of us hang out outside the hospital as well. The attendings have been great overall and interested in teaching to residents. Some of them are extremely enthuastic and clearly enjoy discussing cases with residents and helping to improve their interviewing and diagnostic/treatment skills. They all have different perspectives on how to approach clinical situations, and it's fascinating to compare and contrast. Formal supervision-wise, there is plenty. In first year during psychiatry, you're supposed to have 2 hrs of supervision per week with your unit attending(s) plus one hour per week with an off unit supervisor. Later in training, you get supervision in each major psychotherapeutic modality as well as in psychopharm. I've also found the administration and chiefs to be very responsive, with some being especially personable and approachable. I like the fact we have an annual resident retreat--to not only bond with fellow residents of all classes, but to voice our suggestions for continually improving the program.
As for the hospital itself, Mt. Sinai has 7 inpatient units (2 general, 1 child, 1 adolescent, 1 geriatrics, 1 MICA, and 1 'amenities'), comprising over 100 psych beds. It has an outpatient psych clinic and multiple group programs. There is a separate psychiatric ER which is great--there is a designated, equipped area for evaluation of (and learning from) acute psych patients, and there is always an attending and senior resident present in the ER when you are on call for the floors (psych ER is an actual rotation, not in first year). The patient diversity is absolutely incredible--both ethnically and socioeconomically--owing to Mt. Sinai's location in New York (which is a great city to train in in general), its location on the border of the Upper East Side and Spanish Harlem, and the variety of psychiatric services available. You rotate in all the inpatient units 1st year except child/adolescent and amenities, which you do in your 2nd year. The other places Mt. Sinai residents train in during their training are the Bronx VA (inpatient, as well as outpt for some), Elmhurst Hospital (inpt women's prison unit), and Mt. Sinai outpatient dept (2nd, 3rd, 4th).
Psych call in first year is q6-7days (very manageable), plus there is nightfloat for 2 weeks. Call is during the hours M-F 5pm-10pm, Sat 9am-Sun 9am, Sun 9am-10pm, and night float is Sun-Fri 10pm-8am. The work day on psych can be long at times, but often one can leave between 5-6pm, which leaves time for all that NYC has to offer! I definitely have a life outside residency.
The first year is divided between psych and medicine/neuro, so psych classes for 1st years are ~3hrs per week during psych months. There's also a year-long process group for 1st years that is for everyone regardless of what service they're on (Mt. Sinai is the only program I know of that has this in 1st yr). I hear the 2nd year classes are amazing and I can't wait for them. They comprise almost a full day per week and focus on both psychopharm and psychotherapy. One the reasons I like this program is its balanced focus on biological and psychotherapeutic techniques. In addition to classes, there are also many rounds during the week. There are grand rounds; guest attending rounds and Finkel rounds (a resident presents one of their patients to the attending and the attending does a focused interview with the pt in front of the group); and Dunn rounds (a resident presents a pt and Dr. Dunn, a psychoanalyst/therapist does an in-depth interview of the pt; this class lasts 2 hrs and is my favorite.) There's also a weekly resident lunch on Mondays with Prite review/articles/catching up with fellow residents, and a weekly ER journal club. As for if we have time to avail ourselves of all these educational opportunities--well, not every one every week. Sometimes work prevents this, but I've found classes to be well-protected (eg, people go practically 100% of the time) and rounds to be highly encouraged by attendings. It is infrequent I find myself disappointed because I couldn't go to something. Also along the lines of learning, personal therapy is encouraged/available but not required. It's done anonymously (the administration has nothing to do with this) and tailored to your particular interests and needs. Myself and many other residents have taken advantage of this opportunity. For those who are interested in research, there are many opportunities for this as well and it is highly supported and encouraged. However, you are not required to do it.
Housing: There are subsidized apartments owned by Mt. Sinai; housing is guaranteed but sometimes the wait extends beyond the start of residency (ex: some of us moved in late June or July). They are trying to work on this for next year. The prices vary, and some are a bit pricey, but they are below market value for similar arrangements in the area. I got a great apartment within walking distance to the hospital, and am quite happy.
So I think I touched on a bit of everything. Hope this was helpful, and good luck to everyone who is interviewing! The Match works out--really 🙂
