Since July I've done 2 months of inpatient psychiatry at KU Medical Center and 2 months of internal medicine at the Topeka VA (very benign).
1st year: 6 months inpatient psych, 2 months neuro, 4 months IM.
2nd year: CL Psych, Inpatient, psych ER, geriatric psych, outpatient clinic 1 day/week and some other rotations are possible
3rd and 4th year is all outpatient and electives
The program offers solid training. My 2 months at KU were great. Here are the positives:
-You see the most challenging cases like manic delirium requiring ECT
-Supportive faculty and excellent nursing staff
-Max 5-6 patients at any given time
-Home Call (this is a big plus) 4 or 5 per month
-On weeknights call is from 5PM to 7AM. Almost all of the issues can be handled over the phone.
-A resident in the psych ER from Noon to 10PM (it?s great to have the H&P already done for you).
-good medical students
-You get your own office
Negatives:
-Very little psychotherapy training early on, but I think they have lectures during 2nd year and electives later on.
-Call on either Saturday or Sunday can be hard, because you have to round on all the pts on the floor (max 20), write notes on them, round and staff with the attending, but home call after you?re done. You may have to come back for stat consults, transfers, restraint orders, commitments, or out-of-control pts on the unit.
-On call responsibilities also include issues on the child unit, but a child fellow is available for help.
Extras:
-Full medical, dental, and vision for you and your family (another big plus).
-Starting pay at 38K
-$500/yr education allowance
-Child and addiction fellowships
-No real psych library
-Contact with drug reps is very limited. We?re not even supposed to have pens with the names showing in patient areas. But we can accept educational materials.
-State income tax
-Live 20 min from campus in a nice, quiet suburb.
