Medical Student Education
Since our founding in 1923, our department has always been dedicated to the education of our medical students. We recognize that, no matter what specialty you ultimately enter, most of you will practice psychiatry one way or another. Our core psychiatry curriculum will provide you with the clinical understanding and tools for this reality. Our electives will give you the opportunity to hone your psychiatry skills and explore a variety of research and clinical issues. Psychiatry grows each year in the effective treatments that it offers patients, while it retains its essential interest in the individuality of their lives. You will become part of both the growth and the tradition of education in our field. We look forward to working with you.
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Joseph Sakai, MD
Mind and Behavior (IDPT 5024) introduces the interplay between the biological, developmental, environmental, and psychological processes underlying human behavior, cognition, and emotions. Through active learning, a medical student is prepared to participate in the care of persons experiencing mental illness, to seek transformative knowledge in the neurosciences, and to advance health equity.
Course Director: Abraham Nussbaum, MD
After completing the Mind & Behavior course students enter the Foothills Clerkship Curriculum. After assignment to their Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (LIC), students generally work a half-day per week with their Psychiatry preceptor, allowing longitudinal relationships (with preceptors and patients). Students work in a single system/combination of systems and are encouraged to follow a panel of patients (e.g., identified in Psychiatric Care) throughout the health care system (e.g., rounding with the inpatient team if admitted to Internal Medicine). In most LICs, students have a 1-2 week Psychiatric Immersion, working in a higher acuity setting (e.g., inpatient, consultation liaison, psych emergency services). In Team Based Learning (TBL) Small groups, students receive didactics focused on developing Psychiatric fund of knowledge and clinical reasoning in the care of patients.
During years 3 and 4, students can choose to pursue additional training in specialty or advanced care topics in Psychiatry. For those interested in pursuing Psychiatry as a career, we recommend completing either Advanced Adult Inpatient Psychiatry or Advanced Child & Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry. Other rotations focus on a broad range of subspecialty areas such as addiction, Psychiatric emergencies, forensics, eating disorders, etc. Students may also choose to conduct research under the supervision of a faculty mentor (Research in Psychiatry) or construct their own clinical experiences (Elective in Psychiatry).
Contact Us
Medical Student Education
1890 North Revere Court
Anschutz Health Sciences Building, Level 4
Aurora, CO 80045
Fax: (303) 724-7400
Tiffany Hamilton
Program Coordinator
Phone: (303) 724-7401
Email: Tiffany Hamilton
Joseph Sakai, MD
Director of Medical Student Education
Phone: (303) 724-7402
Email: Joseph Sakai