Title
Psychiatry resident/fellow-initiated and -designed multi-modal psychopharmacology curriculum for major depression
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Psychiatry
Date
9-1-2012
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Psychopharmacology; Internship and Residency; Curriculum; Depressive Disorder, Major
Disciplines
Medical Education | Psychiatry | Psychiatry and Psychology
Abstract
Psychiatric residency programs must train psychiatrists to be proficient in psychopharmacology, despite having a limited number of faculty who are student-centered, knowledgeable, and effective educators in psychopharmacology as well as time constraints on those faculty who are available. Although almost all psychiatrists prescribe medications, residency programs are not required to demonstrate their competency in clinical psychopharmacology. An assessment of psychopharmacology competency on American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) examinations suggests that residents are not being adequately trained in psychopharmacology. Psychopharmacology is traditionally taught through didactics and apprenticeship; these teaching methods have drawbacks, including large lecture formats with passive learning and small-group learning, with overemphasis on difficult-to-treat cases. Therefore, the development of a multi-modal curriculum to support psychopharmacology education in U.S. adult psychiatry residency training programs that addresses these shortcomings would be an important step forward.
Comments
Citation: Acad Psychiatry. 2012 Sep 1;36(5):414-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ap.10080116. Link to article on publisher's site