Medical Education US

I am a fourth year medical student and am very interested in combined internal medicine-psychiatry residency programs. While I am completing my ERAS application, I was wondering if anyone who has been through or involved with the process has any suggestions or comments. I am also curious to hear what is thought about the different training programs. Thank you for your replies!

It's been a long time since I've been through the process (around 8 years ago now). I applied at both med-psych and peds-psych-child psych programs. You can start with the combined residency program frequently asked questions that I put together a LONG time ago.

In general, the process is similar to interviewing for non-combined residency programs, except you get asked a lot on why you want to do the combined program instead of a single program.

I think it is important to look at how long the program has been around, how many staff they have directly involved in the combined program, how much support the program gets from each department, how many current residents there are, what past residents have done after completing the program, and how strong each residency program is separately.

If you have more specific questions, let me know. Feel free to send me a private message with the specific programs you are looking at and I'll reply via that route, if I know anything about the particular programs you are looking at.

Best of luck. I actually enjoyed visiting the different programs.

I am also considering. What have you heard in terms of the programs at Rush, Tulane, Duke and SUNY-Brooklyn? How well do they integrate medicine and psychiatry together? Is the atmosphere collegial there? Obviously, I prefer staying in bigger cities so no Kansas or West Virginia for me!

Thanks!

Admin wrote:
It's been a long time since I've been through the process (around 8 years ago now). I applied at both med-psych and peds-psych-child psych programs. You can start with the combined residency program frequently asked questions that I put together a LONG time ago.

In general, the process is similar to interviewing for non-combined residency programs, except you get asked a lot on why you want to do the combined program instead of a single program.

I think it is important to look at how long the program has been around, how many staff they have directly involved in the combined program, how much support the program gets from each department, how many current residents there are, what past residents have done after completing the program, and how strong each residency program is separately.

If you have more specific questions, let me know. Feel free to send me a private message with the specific programs you are looking at and I'll reply via that route, if I know anything about the particular programs you are looking at.

Best of luck. I actually enjoyed visiting the different programs.

These questions would obviously best be answered by past or present residents at these programs, of people who applied and interviewed. This is what I know about them:

Rush - I know the most about this program of those you listed. I interviewed to be in their first class of med-psych residents. At that time, it wasn't clear how well the program would develop there. They have good clinical departments in both fields. I've met a few of their residents and they seemed nice and social and competent. Their chair of psychaitry (Jan Fawcett) recently stepped down as chairman from what I've heard, and I don't know if they have found a replacement. I haven't really had any contact with anyone there for about 2 years, so I'm not sure what's happened recently. I know that they have matched almost all, if not all, of their positions and they were looking to fill a lot of spots (4 per year). I ultimately chose not to rank them because I didn't want to be in their first class, I met a disgrunted medicine resident on interview day because of tough calls (I've since heard he was the exception), I wasn't sure how well the program was going to be supported from their internal medicine department, and I didn't feel they had enough of an academic / research bent for my interests. Also, they didn't allow for as much elective time compared to Iowa where I ultimately went.

Tulane - I have met and talked with the program director of the med-psych program on several occasions. They seem to have a very solid program from what I can tell.

Duke - I applied but decided not to interview because I heard their medicine program was malignant (this was 8 years ago so things may have gotten better, and I've also learned these sort of characterizations among academic centers may be very misguided). I also wanted to stay closer to the mid-west. Obviously a good reputation for medicine and psychiatry.

I don't know anything about SUNY-Brooklyn.

Hope that helps.

Hi There,

My name is Rob and I'm a first year med/psych resident at RUSH. I've been on medicine for 3 months and start psychiatry tomorrow, so I can only share what I know thus far. The program is well established and though not the oldest (e.g. the ones in Virginia and W. Virginia), it's the largest with almost 4 med/psych residents per year (right now 18 residents total). The medicine program is solid and known to be a busy but benign program. The only major weakness (I see) is the lack of lectures and little focus on radiology (e.g. how to read a chest xray). There are noon conferences and teaching rounds, and in general congenial residents and staff. The hospitalists are GREAT in my opinion, but some of the private docs are not. In regards to psychiatry, the program is balanced in teaching both psycho-pharmacology and psychotherapy. I can tell you more later in the year once I've rotated through.

Interviewing. I only interviewed at Iowa, RUSH, and Tulane for med-psych. In my opinion, all three are solid programs. Iowa has one of the only med/psych inpatient AND outpatient units in the country. They also have an integrated med/psych journal club. The medicine is solid and the psychiatry program is more biologically based. Their program directors are also phenomenally nice. Tulane is in the zany city of New Orleans, which doesn't fit me, but ditto for a solid medicine and psych program. I hear the medicine dept has really improved the past 5 years. Many of their own med students now stay at Tulane rather than attend residency elsewhere. RUSH ultimately appealed to me because it's in Chicago, the residents were super-well rounded people, the program was well established, and they offered many opportunities for inner-city and correctional experiences. For example, they have a volunteer mental health clinic that the residents and attendings run once a month. I can also have my continuity clinic over at Cook County and rotate through the jail. If you have any more questions about the application process, feel free to email me back. I now have more time:)