Along with numerous clinical experiences, residents in our combined training program attend an equally broad array of educational conferences. These conferences are attended based on a resident's current clinical assignment, so residents rotating in internal medicine attend internal medicine conferences and residents rotating in psychiatry attend psychiatry conferences. In addition to the categorical conferences, combined residents attend a monthly Journal Club that is specific to combined training.

Internal Medicine-Psychiatry Journal Club

Internal medicine-psychiatry residents engage in a monthly Journal Club in which they select and present an article of interest. Journal Club is coordinated by the internal medicine-psychiatry chief residents and is held during a noon conference once a month. Residents and faculty from other programs may attend as well.

In addition to the article review, Journal Club is also used as an opportunity to socialize and discuss various program topics between residents and faculty. First year residents have found it particularly helpful when transitioning into resident life as the other residents understand the excitement and learning curve. 

Didactics for All Psychiatry Residents

Psychiatry Journal Club

All combined training and categorical Psychiatry residents attend Journal Club on the first and third Wednesday of each month. One resident, with the advice of a faculty mentor presents and discusses a journal article.

Grand Rounds

• Who: Residents and faculty
• Attendance: Required
• When: Tuesdays, 11 am to 12:30 pm

Description: Distinguished visitors or Departmental faculty members present interesting and challenging patients, or discuss topics of special interest. When a case is presented, the patient's history is reviewed, which is followed by an interview. Relevant literature, including the natural history and current treatment of the disorder, is presented, reviewed, and discussed.

Psychopharmacology

• Who: Residents
• Attendance: Required
• When: Thursdays, noon to 1 pm

Description: Faculty members and clinical psychopharmacologists provide up-to-date information on psychotropic medications and their use. The lectures review the neurochemistry, efficacy, side effects, contraindications, drug interactions, and long term effects of drugs. Additional topics include acute and maintenance treatment of the major disorders, considerations for pediatric and geriatric populations, treatment of refractory cases, management of drug-induced illnesses and side effects, and treatment of drug overdose and withdrawal.

Comprehensive Care Rounds

• Who: Residents
• Attendance: Required
• When: Thursdays, 1 to 2:30 pm (protected time)

Description: Each week a resident presents a detailed case summary to a rotating faculty member. After the presentation, the patient is interviewed by the faculty member. Following the patient interview, the faculty member leads a discussion in which each resident is asked to comment on some aspect of the case.

Resident Research Forum

• Who: Residents
• Attendance: Required
• When: 3rd Fridays of the month, 12 to 1 pm

Description:  Each month, faculty present varied talks pertaining to research, including critical appraisal of articles, statistical methods, careers in research, and current ongoing research in the field of psychiatry. 

Didactics for First and Second Year Psychiatry Residents

Psychotherapy

• Attendance: Required
• When: Thursdays, 2:30 to 3:30 pm (protected time)

Description: The history of psychotherapy, interview methods, and types of psychotherapy are discussed by faculty members. Topics include discussions on Freud, the Neofreudians, Mahler, and Erikson in addition to introductions to motivational interviewing, group therapy, and evidence-based psychotherapies. Practical applications include the therapist-patient alliance, transference, countertransference, resistance, strategies for change, and termination. The purpose of this series is to provide junior residents with a solid basis with which to base their supervised psychotherapy experience in their third and fourth years.

General Psychiatry Lectures

• Attendance: Required
• When: Thursdays, 3:30 to 4:30 pm (protected time)

Description: Faculty members lecture on the psychopathology of major psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. The series also provides an introduction to the mental status examination, psychiatric emergencies, psychological testing, commitment procedures, and utilization review.

Didactics for Third and Fourth Year Psychiatry Residents

Psychotherapy

• Attendance: Required
• When: Thursdays, 9 to 10:30 am (protected time)

Description: A seminar series presenting both the theoretical basis, as well as the practical aspects of various psychotherapy schools, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Supportive Therapy, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Psychodynamic Therapy. Practical applications include therapies that are illness and psychosocial-situation specific. This lecture series is required for third year residents who are excused from clinic, although all residents are welcome.

General Psychiatry Lectures

• Attendance: Required
• When: Tuesdays, 8 to 9 am (protected time)

Description: Comprehensive didactic series covering general topics on psychiatry. This includes lectures on psychosomatics (including transplant, HIV, hepatitis C, psychiatric oncology, and psychiatric manifestations of neurologic disorders), geriatric psychiatry, theories of personality development, forensic psychiatry, eating disorders, gender differences in psychiatry, neuropsychology, substance abuse, sexual disorders, career options, and many other topics.

Other Didactics

Clinical Skills Exams

All psychiatry residents have biannual clinical skills exams with an assigned faculty member. This involves interviewing a patient unknown to the resident and then presenting the case to the faculty member, including all relevant history, discussing case formulation, differential diagnosis and treatment plans.

Psychotherapy Supervision

Third and fourth year residents are required to meet regularly with their assigned psychotherapist (one hour per week) to discuss ongoing therapy patients and their treatment. Thursday afternoons are protected time for the third year residents to care for their psychotherapy patients.

Conferences

All residents are encouraged to attend annual psychiatry conferences that take place throughout the United States. These include, but are not limited to, conferences held by the American Psychiatric Association, Iowa Psychiatric Society, Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and American Neuropsychiatric Association and conferences sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

In addition to conferences, residents are encouraged to attend psychotherapy workshops including training events sponsored by the Iowa Psychotherapy Training Institute at the University of Iowa. These events have new topics annually and include training in interpersonal psychotherapy, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy.

Residents are given excused educational days each year to attend educational events related to psychiatry.