Prelim Year and Psychiatry

[Dpayne]

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I'm a DO student planning on going into psychiatry. I am trying to get some feedback from people regarding how much credit I could get for doing an osteopathic internship prior to starting my residency. Would most programs take me as a PGY-2, or will I just be adding a year to my post-grad training.

 

[hurt]

I'm a DO student planning on going into psychiatry. I am trying to get some feedback from people regarding how much credit I could get for doing an osteopathic internship prior to starting my residency. Would most programs take me as a PGY-2, or will I just be adding a year to my post-grad training.

Unless the program is jointly accredited like Michigan State University, then you are doing an extra year. If you go allopathic, it is possible to get your first year approved by the AOA. I know someone at the Loma Linda psych program in CA that recently got his first year approved as an AOA internship year. The AOA website provides info in how to do this.

 

[Dpayne]

Thanks, I'll look into that.

 

[Anasazi23]

I know at least 4 residents that did AOA internships that received full credit as PGY-1 years.

 

[Histrionic]

I know at least 4 residents that did AOA internships that received full credit as PGY-1 years.

Which programs are you referring to?

 

[jay dub]

Histrionic,

It will probably largely depend on how you set up the rotating internship year. The intern year of MD programs is 6 months of IM/family/peds (4 mos) and neuro (2 mos) and then 6 months of psych. I imagine it will be relatively easy to get the 6 months of medicine-type stuff in the rotating intern year, but I don't know how you'll get 6 months of psych. I'm graduating from a DO school and I'm going straight into an allopathic program as a PGY1. I'm just hoping to get my intern year approved... 😳 Obviously, this will also be program specific so if you think you know where you might consider going, ask around!

 

[Anasazi23]

Which programs are you referring to?

Two residents at North Shore-Manhassett, and two others in NYC. Jay Dub is correct. It is program-dependant. Since many psychiatry residencies have PGY-2 spots available, they simply require that you have completed at least 4 months of medicine, and 2 months of neurology....which is required of a PGY-1 psychiatry resident by the end of their first year.

My advice is to call the programs that you are interested in attending, and simply ask them if they accept the DO internship year (be sure to mention the medicine and tell them you can do two months of neuro elective) as a PGY-1 year.

It was for this reason (in part) that I didn't become a neurologist. They absolutely DO NOT accept a DO internship year as their prelim year of medicine. And since I was thinking of practicing in Florida, I would have had to do 2 PGY-1 years...an allopathic year (for neuro licensing), and an AOA internship (to practice in Florida). But that's another story.

Good luck to you.