Didactic and Educational Activities
Didactics
• Introduction to Psychosomatic Medicine (Didactic Block One, Part A)
• Readings in Psychosomatic Medicine (Didactic Block One, Part B)
• Special Topics in Psychosomatic Medicine (Didactic Block Two)
• Psychosomatic Medicine Literature Seminar (Didactic Block Three, Part A)
Psychosomatic Medicine Conferences
• Case Presentations in Psychosomatic Medicine (Didactic Block Three, Part B)
Conferences
• Schwartz Rounds
• Psychiatry Resident and Faculty General Psychiatry Journal Club
• Neurology Grand Rounds
• Internal Medicine Grand Rounds
• General Surgery Grand Rounds
Didactics Required for All Post Graduate Year Residents
• Psychiatric Grand Rounds
• Crisis Prevention/Intervention Training
• GME Dean's Lecture Series
• PRITE Review Course
DIDACTIC INSTRUCTION BLOCKS consist of three weekly blocks of 90 minutes each. A color coded chart follows the block descriptions.
DIDACTIC BLOCK ONE
Part A. Introduction to Psychosomatic Medicine
Meets weekly for 90 minutes for the first three months (12 sessions) to present introductory topics of Psychosomatic Medicine, including the nature of psychosomatic medicine (psychiatric consultation-liaison service); the psychiatric consultation process; brief presentation of psychosomatic epidemiology; brief review of the hierarchical arrangement of DSM-IVR diagnoses and the five axis diagnosis scheme; brief review of common psychiatric disorders; brief review of the psychiatric differential diagnosis, formulation of psychiatric disorders using the 4 Ps and the biopsychosocial model, psychiatric diagnoses; brief review of psychiatric treatment modalities and psychiatric treatment planning; introduction to ethical and legal concepts encountered in psychiatric consultation; introduction to personality types and psychological responses to physical illness and hospitalization; and commonly encountered problems in psychosomatic medicine, such as delirium, aggression and violence, suicide attempts and ideation, substance abuse, and capacity determinations.
Part B. Readings in Psychosomatic Medicine
Meets weekly for 90 minutes each session for the last nine months (36 sessions) to read and discuss topics of psychosomatic medicine applied to various medical, surgical, and obstetric specialties and subspecialties, covering chapters 18 to 37 in Levenson’s The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychosomatic Medicine and using other sources, including relevant articles from current psychosomatic medicine literature.
DIDACTIC BLOCK TWO
Special Topics in Psychosomatic Medicine
Meets weekly for 90 minutes each session for the whole year (48 sessions) to discuss special topics in psychosomatic medicine including such topics as the health care system and facilities: hospital organization and administration; medical economics and the principle of limited resources; principles of healthcare insurance; the politics of medicine; principles of ethics and ethical problems in psychosomatic medicine; legal principles applicable to psychosomatic medicine; review of psychiatric disorders; psychiatric differential diagnosis, formulation, and diagnosis; psychosomatic epidemiology; psychiatric treatment modalities and planning; psychopharmacology in patients with medical illnesses; conversion disorder, factitious disorder, and malingering; catatonia, serotonin syndrome, and neuroleptic syndrome; unexplained medical disorders (“functional disorders”); principles of palliative care and the role of psychiatry in palliative care.
DIDACTIC BLOCK THREE
Part A. Research literature seminar (“Journal Club”)
Meets twice a month for 90 minutes each session for the presentation and discussion of journal articles reporting research studies in Psychosomatic Medicine, designed to give the psychosomatic medicine fellow practice in procuring and critically evaluating current research in Psychosomatic Medicine.
Part B. Case Presentations in Psychosomatic Medicine
Meets twice a month for 90 minutes each session for the whole year in order for each psychosomatic medicine fellow to present for discussion among his peers and the faculty cases of special interest.