Medical Students
PSYCH 5640: Psychotic Disorders (Elective for 4th Year medical student)
Instructors: Stephan Heckers, MD, and faculty (Drs. Amison, Clark, Maley, Stovall and Woodward)
Objectives: Psychosis is a cardinal feature of several psychiatric disorders. This elective emphasizes a clinical appreciation of psychosis and training in the use of diagnostic instruments for clarification of psychotic symptoms. The elective can be tailored to the interests of the student by dividing time among inpatient treatment units and routine outpatient offices, in both clinical and research environments. Activities under the purview of the faculty include a) participation in assessments and treatment planning and b) exposure to neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience research. The student will be expected to prepare and lead a journal club meeting or case presentation relevant to one of these settings for an audience of attendings and peers.
Prerequisites: Psychiatry 5020, Neurology 5020, and prior planning of activities with Dr. Heckers or his designee.
Residents
Residents will participate in daily rounds with the patients and meetings involving treatment and discharge planning; when necessary, the resident will interact with providers from other specialties. The resident also will have the opportunity to work closely with the families and have the opportunity to follow the patients in the outpatient setting. The unique setting of our Early Psychosis program allows longitudinal follow up of our patients in many different settings (inpatient, partial program and outpatient).
Fellowship
The fellow will provide individualized patient care, in different settings, including the inpatient unit and outpatient clinic. This unique structure provides the trainee with the opportunity of making therapeutic decisions in acute and non-acute situations. The longitudinal follow-up offers the possibility of building a stronger alliance between provider and patient, decreasing the likelihood of patient drop-out and increasing chances of compliance with the treatment plan. The fellow will also be involved in our research and the education of residents and medical students.
Postdoctoral Fellowship and Internship in Psychotic Disorders
The Postdoctoral Fellowship in Psychotic Disorders provides flexible, experiential training in treatment, assessment, and research of individuals with a psychotic illness, especially the early stage of psychosis. The fellowship adheres to the scientist-practitioner training model and is designed to prepare individuals for careers as clinical psychologists in academic and/or research settings, based on their individual interests and career goals. This is a 1-year fellowship with possible re-appointment for a second year depending on availability of funding and satisfactory progress during the first year of the fellowship. The fellowship is well-suited for individuals that: 1) Have pre-doctoral clinical training in assessment and/or intervention of individuals with a psychotic illness; 2) Have a strong record of research experience; and 3) Are scientist-practitioners intending to pursue a clinical and/or academic research career in psychiatry. For more information see https://www.appic.org/Postdocs/Universal-Psychology-Postdoctoral-Directory-UPPD/Detail/id/1880
The Psychosis emphasis track of the clinical psychology internship is designed to provide interns generalist training in adult clinical psychology with an emphasis on clinical assessment, intervention, and research on psychotic disorders, particularly early-stage psychosis. The program is geared towards individuals with a background in research, assessment, and treatment of psychotic disorders that plan on pursuing academic careers in clinical research. Core training in psychotic disorders is supplemented by mandatory training in neuropsychological assessment and an elective experience in psychotherapy. More information can be found on the internship website: https://www.vumc.org/vu-vapsychinternship/psychosis-emphasis-track