Clerkships & Medical Electives

Psychiatry Core Clerkship

Setting:

Sheppard Pratt Baltimore/Washington Campus

Duration:

6 weeks

About the opportunity: 

Students will work directly with attending psychiatrists seeing patients with a variety of mental health conditions. The bulk of clinical training occurs inpatient, on specialized adult and/or general child/adolescent units. There, students will also observe electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) over several weeks and gain exposure to group psychotherapy at the day hospital. Rounding out the clinical experience will be shifts at psychiatric urgent care and outpatient psychiatry clinics at other sites (Towson, Columbia, and/or Westminster). Supplementing the clinical experience will be several didactic sessions with the clerkship director and other Sheppard Pratt faculty.  

Eligibility

• Be enrolled in an affiliated medical school
• Show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 and annual flu shot, as well as a negative TB test (negative test within the past 12 months or a chest x-ray within the past 5 years)
• Comply with the COVID-19 mask policy and dress professionally

Students will:

• Participate in team meetings, interview patients under preceptor supervision, review patient charts and medical records, participate in diagnosis and treatment planning
• Attend didactic sessions with the clerkship director and other Sheppard Pratt faculty

Schedule:

Clinical experiences will generally be during normal business hours. There may be some outpatient or urgent care shifts starting in the afternoon and ending in the evenings; on those days, students will have the morning off. There are no weekend shifts. Students would benefit from having access to a car as there is no public transportation or shuttle service between the two Sheppard Pratt campuses and other clinical sites.

To apply for a clerkship:

Speak with the clinical operations manager or clinical coordinator in your program. We do not accept direct inquiries about clerkships. 

Psychiatry Electives

Setting:

Varies based on elective

Duration:

4 weeks

Eligibility: 

• Be enrolled in an affiliated medical school
• Be a 4th year student
• Have passed their core psychiatry and internal medicine clerkships
• Show proof of vaccination for COVID and annual flu shot, as well as a negative TB test (negative test within the past 12 months or a chest x-ray within the past 5 years)
• Comply with the COVID-19 mask policy and dress professionally

Available Settings:

Co-Occurring Disorders Inpatient Psychiatry Unit - Towson campus

This inpatient psychiatry unit is for adult patients who have histories of general psychiatric diseases plus substance use disorders, most commonly alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, cannabis use disorder, cocaine use disorder, and benzodiazepine use disorder.

Students, as a part of each treatment team, will participate in team daily rounding, patient interviews, and management for new admissions intakes and follow up, including management of general psychiatric diseases, substance use disorders related detox managements, and maintenance treatment. Students can read patients’ histories, documents, and notes. They can interview patients directly, collect patients’ information, and discuss with the attending the patient’s diagnosis and treatment plans. They also have opportunities to write admission notes and progress notes as practice. 

Evidence-based and case-based examples will be provided to students; students are welcome to ask questions for discussion.

Students work directly with the attending psychiatrist during normal business hours; specific schedule to be determined with preceptor. There is no evening or weekend call.

Adolescent Residential Treatment Center and Child & Adolescent School-Based Psychiatry - Towson campus and various Sheppard Pratt School locations

During this elective, students will gain an understanding of special education schools and the role of psychiatry in these schools, including residential treatment. Students will work with psychiatrists in two settings: the residential treatment center (RTC) and in therapeutic schools. The RTC serves youth ages 12-18 with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties who need a therapeutic school and living environment.

Elective students will round with the attending psychiatrist or nurse practitioners regularly in person during normal business hours and will have the opportunity to meet individually with patients. Therapeutic schools are for children and adolescents who need a specialized learning environment but otherwise live at home. Elective students will have the opportunity to see other therapeutic schools where they will observe and participate in psychosocial evaluation and medication monitoring. Students will work directly with attending psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners at the various sites during normal business hours; specific schedule to be determined with preceptors. There is no evening or weekend call.

Adolescent Inpatient Unit - Towson campus

The adolescent mood disorder inpatient unit serves male, female, and transgender youth ages 12-17. Common reasons for hospitalization include suicidality, aggression towards others, and school refusal. On this rotation, the elective student will round with the attending, participate in new patient interviews and follow-ups, participate in team meetings, and attend family meetings.

The goal of the elective is for students to familiarize themselves with the biopsychosocial assessment of adolescents and with the psychopharmacological and behavioral management of common mental health conditions, including mood, anxiety, trauma, and impulse control disorders. The elective occurs during normal business hours. There is no call. The student works directly with the attending psychiatrist.