University of Virginia Health System

First Year

T he internship year is divided into a total of  6 months of internal and emergency medicine and 6 months of psychiatry and neurology, although the rotations are mixed, with typically no more than 3 months of each at a time. This allows interns to integrate into the psychiatry department, without spending 6 months consecutively away on other services. Psychiatry residents train on the internal medicine, pediatrics and emergency medicine services, alongside the housestaff from a host of other disciplines. Psychiatry training is accomplished on the inpatient units and consultation-liaison/emergency services at the University Hospital and MarthaJefferson Hospital.  Eight weeks are spent on neurology service, typically split between the wards and consult service. While on psychiatry, interns spend several hours each week in special seminars geared to integrating into a hospital practice in medicine and psychiatry.  Morning report is a popular weekly seminar.   Each Thursday there is a residents' meeting and lunch, providing an opportunity for all residents to take a welcome break during the busy week. In 1998, we started a process, supervision and support group for interns, which has been well received, and a great success.  This group allows the interns to understand the basics of group process and get to know and shepherd each other through the first year of training.