By the Numbers

• 2 positions are approved for our program
• 2 faculty members are board certified in geriatric psychiatry
• Second highest percentage of residents who are over the age of 85 in the country (2010 census data)
• Fourth highest percentage of residents who are over the age of 65 in the country (2010 census data)

Benefits

• Competitive stipends
• Comprehensive medical, dental, hospitalization, and pharmacy coverage
• 21 days of annual paid time off

Program Accreditation

The Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. For more information specific to program requirements for a geriatric psychiatry training program, please read the ACGME Program Requirements for Graduate Medical Education in Geriatric Psychiatry.

Board Certification Requirements

Our one-year training program leads to board certification eligibility in geriatric psychiatry. Visit the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology for specifics on board certification requirements.

Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit

Duration: Four to six blocks 

One geriatric psychiatrist and two medical psychiatrist staff our 14-bed Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit. The unit is dedicated to caring for older adults, individuals with early onset dementing illness, and adults with complex medical comorbidity not acute enough to admit to our medical psychiatry unit. Fellows are directly responsible for a maximum of two patients and for directing the work of other trainees on the unit. Daily rounds are followed by individual patient encounters and emphasize diagnosis and somatic therapies of late-life geriatric illness, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Discharge planning with family and community resources are also emphasized.

Geriatric Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic

Duration: 10 blocks (usually 10% time - four half days per month)

Fellows in the Geriatric Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic perform diagnostic evaluations on all new geriatric patients. Findings are reviewed and treatment plans are developed by fellows and board certified geriatric psychiatry faculty. Fellows will see one new geriatric patient and have two to four follow-up visits during an average week. Common diagnoses include mood disorders, dementia, and psychotic disorders. Treatment plans often include medication management and individual therapy. Fellows may also see patients after discharge from the inpatient unit, assist with community referrals, and provide second-opinions for the state-wide catchment area.

Iowa Veterans Home

Duration: One block

Fellows will experience a different system of care during their rotation at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, Iowa, which provides care to more than 670 individuals. Duties will include performing evaluations and designing treatment plans with a multidisciplinary team. Diagnoses include anxiety disorders, dementias, mood disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, and substance use disorders. Some patients will have been recently admitted while others are longstanding members of the community who recently developed mental illness. The facility has three CCDI (secured dementia) units with a total of 55 beds, two electronically monitored dementia units with a total of 66 beds, and a domiciliary (residential care facility) with 111 beds. Fellows see approximately ten new patients and 60 to 80 follow-up patients during an average month. Housing is provided on-site and fellows are excused from UI Hospitals & Clinics activities during this time.

Palliative Care Service and Iowa City Hospice

Duration: One block 

The Palliative Care Service at UI Hospitals & Clinics is made up of experts in palliative care and hospice, family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, surgery, anesthesiology, cardiology, pastoral care, social work, and music therapy. The service provides team consultations to all adult units in the hospital, usually about 85 new patients each month. Iowa City Hospice has an average daily census of 90 to 100. The majority of patients are over the age of 65 and enrolled for diagnoses that include cancer, dementia, or general decline.

Neurology Outpatient Clinic

Duration: One block

The Neurology Outpatient Clinic is staffed by 20 neurologists and four neuropsychologists, and works closely with occupational and physical therapy. In addition to general neurology, fellows gain experience in various subspecialties, including memory disorders, movement disorders, and stroke. Fellows see approximately four patients on an average day. Every patient is also seen by a supervising faculty physician who reviews findings and treatment plans. In addition to the one block rotation, fellows will participate in a neurology continuity of care clinic throughout the year with specific focus on Parkinson's disease.

Geriatric Medicine Clinic

Duration: One block 

Three to four faculty members from Family Medicine and Internal Medicine staff the Geriatric Medicine Clinic at UI Hospitals & Clinics, which sees 130 patients per month. A wide range of acute and chronic medical problems are seen in this clinic where all of the patients are over the age of 60 and 75 percent are over the age of 75. Fellows see approximately ten patients daily, half of which require diagnostic evaluations. A strong emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary team management, iatrogenic illness, occupational and physical therapy, and community service referral.

General Hospital Medicine

Duration: One block

Three psychiatrists who are certified in either psychosomatic medicine or internal medicine-psychiatry staff the consultation-liaison service at UI Hospitals & Clinics. The service sees up to 100 patients per month, 10 percent of which are geriatric. The most frequent diagnoses include delirium, dementia, mood disorders, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, and other organic mental disorders. Fellows see up to four new patients weekly and have 3 to four follow-up patients daily. During this rotation, fellows are required to attend Clinical Problems in Consult Psychiatry, a weekly conference.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Duration: One block

The physical medicine and rehabilitation service at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, case managers, psychologists, neuropsychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and recreational therapists. Fellows will observe and participate in all phases of inpatient and outpatient care. General rehabilitation as well as specialized rehabilitation for impairments that include stoke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple major trauma, neurological disorders, and orthopedic disorders is emphasized. Fellows see five to six patients on the inpatient unit on an average day and 10 patients in the outpatient clinic on an average week.

Regularly scheduled educational opportunities for geriatric psychiatry fellows are provided by the Department of Psychiatry and several other disciplines such as family medicine, internal medicine, and pharmacology. In addition to these activities, occasional "field trips" are organized to see older citizens enjoying active lives in the community or to see how policy and regulation of services for older adults are organized and delivered.

Journal Club

• Attendance: Required
• Occurrence: Monthly

Journal Club is a monthly conference that reviews current articles in geriatric medicine, pharmacology, epidemiology, and systems care. Every other month is devoted to articles on dementia. Attendees include fellows from geriatric medicine; faculty from family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, nursing, public health, and pharmacology; staff from social services and spiritual services; and the occasional resident.

Didactic Series

• Attendance: Required
• Occurrence: Twice per month

Didactic Series is a combination of online seminars and live lectures presented by faculty from family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, and pharmacology that have expertise in geriatric care. Included within this series in the Geriatric Interest Group, which focuses on educating the general psychiatry residents on geriatric issues. The fellow is responsible for leading two of these groups per year.

Grand Rounds

• Attendance: Recommended
• Occurrence: Weekly (during academic year only)

Ground Rounds is a clinical departmental conference covering all areas of psychiatry with an emphasis on clinical presentation and management. Attendees include psychiatry faculty, psychiatry residents, medical students, and staff from nursing, psychology, and social services.

Psychopharmacology Seminar

• Attendance: Recommended
• Occurrence: Weekly (during academic year only)

Psychopharmacology Seminar provides an overview of psychopharmacology with an emphasis on critical reading of current research. Attendees include psychiatry residents, medical students, pharmacologists, and staff from nursing.

Clinical Problems in Consult Psychiatry

• Attendance: Required while on rotation
• Occurrence: Weekly

Clinical Problems in Consult Psychiatry provides a critical review of commonly encountered problems in the field and an evaluation of current research that seeks to improve practice. Attendees include psychiatry faculty, psychiatry residents, medical students, and psychiatric nurse consultants.