07/14/2019
Our program:
The one-year UPMC Fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry trains physicians to achieve proficiency in patient care, medical knowledge, and academic contributions in the field of late-life mental health.
Fellows gain practical experience through diverse clinical rotations which include the 1) Health and Aging Inpatient Psychiatry Unit, 2) Geriatric Consultation/Liaison service, 3) Ambulatory Block (a variety of outpatient late-life specialty care settings); 4) Geriatric Research Education, and Clinical Care (GRECC) Unit at the VA Pittsburgh Health System (VAPHS); and 5) Outpatient and Consultation Services at VAPHS. In addition to these rotation experiences (each approximately 11 weeks duration), the fellows maintain yearlong outpatient clinics at Benedum Geriatric Center and provide consultation services at regional nursing homes where they are trained in both pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatments.
Fellows participate in weekly didactics which are delivered by local experts in geriatric psychiatry, geriatric medicine, gerontology, and related gerosciences. These weekly didactics are supplemented by rotation-specific lectures and learning opportunities. As there will never be enough geriatric psychiatrists to meet the public health need, fellows are taught to be effective communicators, consultants, team leaders, and teachers, especially to colleagues from other disciplines. To promote critical thinking, fellows are required to complete a scholarly project, under the guidance of a faculty mentor, during the program year.
By the end of training, fellows are prepared to sit for the ABPN Specialty Certification Examination in Geriatric Psychiatry and to practice Geriatric Psychiatry with diverse patient populations and across clinical settings, complexities, and working with a variety of care teams.
