The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine offers more than 20 electives to the fourth-year medical students attending Pitt or other academic institutions. Registration is required at least two months prior to the start date for the course.
For more information about these experiences, please contact Kathy Molter.
Faculty: Crystal White, MD
Overview
Students may participate in a number of acting internships available in Psychiatry for either four or eight weeks. The student will be assigned to an inpatient unit at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital. This experience will enhance your skills in dealing with assessment and management of psychiatric patients. Inpatient units available for acting internships include: Geriatrics, Schizophrenia, Dual Diagnosis (drug and alcohol), General Adult, and Eating Disorders. The internship provides the opportunity for students to: 1) conduct comprehensive psychiatric interviews and mental status examinations; 2) gather clinical data, generate differential diagnoses, formulate working diagnosis, and manage treatment; 3) plan and implement biopsychosocial treatment plans for patients with psychiatric illnesses; and 4) utilize the resources and skills of related mental health professionals.
Objectives
- Conduct comprehensive psychiatric interviews and mental status examinations.
- Gather clinical data, generate differential diagnoses, formulate working diagnosis, and manage treatment.
- Plan and implement biopsychosocial treatment plans for patients with psychiatric illnesses.
- Utilize the resources and skills of related mental health professionals.
Faculty: Daniel Bender, DO
Overview
Students may participate in a four- or eight-week elective in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry available through UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital's Child and Adolescent Inpatient Service. The student will be a member of a multidisciplinary team consisting of an attending psychiatrist, a social worker, a nurse practitioner, a teacher, and nursing staff. The student will manage assigned patients directly under the guidance of the attending physician. Acting interns will interact with families and the patient's outpatient treatment team to gain collateral information, update case progress, and provide psychoeducation.
Objectives
- Conduct comprehensive psychiatric interview and mental status examinations.
- Gather clinical data relevant to psychiatric evaluation, arriving at correct diagnosis of psychiatrically ill patients, and generate differential diagnoses for patients with psychiatric illnesses.
- Plan and implement biopsychosocial treatment plans for patients with psychiatric illnesses.
- Utilize the resources and skills of related mental health professionals.
Faculty: Kristin Dalope, MD and others
Overview
The Triple Board (TB) Acting Internship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has been designed to provide the interested medical student with an exposure to the interface of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. This four-week internship will focus primarily on the Pediatric Behavioral Health Consult-Liaison Service at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) of UPMC. This Consult-Liaison Service provides inpatient consultation to a wide variety of general and subspecialty pediatric services within a large pediatric hospital. Acting interns will see patients and present them to one of a team of child psychiatrists who work in this setting. In addition to this primary focus, acting interns will also participate in clinical and educational activities specific to pediatrics and psychiatry. They will attend the Tuesday afternoon pediatric outpatient continuity clinic, Thursday morning Triple Board Clinic – a medication management clinic designated for Triple Board residents – and the Thursday afternoon Psychiatry Didactic sessions. Medical students will also participate in one day of rounding with the Pediatric Hospital Medicine service at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and one day of rounding with the inpatient Child & Adolescent Psychiatry unit at Western Psychiatric Hospital. We hope this broad exposure will pique one’s interest in Triple Board training at the University of Pittsburgh as an exciting and diverse training program.
Objectives
- Develop psychiatric assessment and interviewing skills applicable to