Post Graduate Medical Education - Programs

There is a high faculty / resident ratio (8:1) in the McGill Psychiatry Department.

Over the past 65 years, the Department of Psychiatry of McGill University has been at the cutting edge of development in neuroscience, diagnostic methods and therapeutic interventions. The Postgraduate Program of the McGill Department of Psychiatry provides eclectic training experiences in an academic environment. The program is flexible and geared to help trainees achieve their goals. Teachers and residents are actively involved in planning, overseeing and evaluating the teaching program.

The McGill Department of Psychiatry is fortunate to have a large number of excellent clinicians, teachers and researchers with diverse areas of interest. The University asks that residents rotate through a number of training sites in order to be exposed to different role-models and different subspecialties within psychiatry. Some of the currently accredited sites include: the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH), Montreal General Hospital (MGH), Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH), and the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) (all four are MUHC sites), as well as the Sir M. B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital (JGH), St. Mary's Hospital (SMH), Douglas Mental Health University Institute (DH), and Centre Hospitalier Pierre Janet (CHPJ).

Teaching Program:
There is a centralized teaching program, based at the University, which offers the core content of psychiatry in seminar form on Tuesday mornings. The primary goal of the centralized teaching program is knowledge acquisition. Self-assessment examinations are given at the completion of each teaching block.

The primary goal of the hospital-based teaching programs is skills acquisition. Most of the hospitals in the McGill network offer hospital-based psychotherapy seminars, psychopharmacology seminars, diagnostic interviewing courses, journal clubs, grand rounds and service-based rounds.

Mock oral examinations similar to that required by the Royal College are offered twice per year throughout residency. In the last year of training, these are formally given by the McGill Psychiatry Examination Board, in accordance with Royal College guidelines.

CENTRALIZED TEACHING PROGRAM
Course	Duration	Level
Crash Course in Psychiatry	10 weeks	R1
Major Psychiatric Disorders I	6 weeks	R1
Major Psychiatric Disorders II	10 weeks	R1
Introduction to Child Psychiatry	5 weeks	R1
Introduction to Psychotherapy	6 weeks	R1
Theory and Practice of Psychotherapy I	9 weeks	R2
Theory and Practice of Psychotherapy II	10 weeks	R2
Child Psychiatry	12 weeks	R2
Geriatric Psychiatry	6 weeks	R2
Neuroscience / Neurobiology	11 weeks	R3
Psychiatry and Medicine	11 weeks	R3
Research Methods in Psychiatry	8 weeks	R3
Gender, Social and Cultural Aspects of Psychiatry	7 weeks	R3
Legal and Ethical Aspects of Psychiatry	14 weeks	R4

Core Rotations:
The program is university based and five years in length. Each year includes 13 4-week periods. Presently, the R1 year is the basic clinical training year (including n periods of medical selectives and 4 periods of psychiatry selectives). Medical selectives include rotations in Family Medicine, ER Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Neurology, Endocrinology, etc.). The R2-R3 years are the junior clinical years. Typically, the R2 year consists of adult psychiatry (including inpatient and outpatient adult psychiatry), while the R3 consists of child and geriatric psychiatry. Residents with particular interest in research may opt to complete some of their clinical rotations half-time in order to pursue a research project half-time.

The R4-R5 years are the senior clinical years. They serve to consolidate the role of medical expert, and include rotations in C/L psychiatry (3 periods), continuing care (3 periods), and collaborative OR shared care (2 periods). In accordance with Government of Quebec requirements, residents are expected to complete at least 3 periods of their psychiatric training in a non-urban and/or non-university area. Please note that training requirements are continuously undergoing revision.

Rotation

Duration

Sites

Medical Rotations including Medical Stage-en Région 9 blocks JGH, MCH, MGH, SMH, RVH, CLSCs, and 13 non-urban settings

Inpatient Psychiatry 6 blocks JGH, MGH, RVH

Outpatient Psychiatry 6 blocks JGH, MUCH, SMH

Child Psychiatry 6 blocks CHPJ, DH, JGH, MCH

Continuing Care 3-6 blocks DH, JGH, MUCH

Geriatric Psychiatry 3-6 blocks CHPJ, DH, JGH, SMH

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry 3-6 blocks JGH, MCH, MGH, RVH

Psychiatry Stages-en-Région 3 blocks CHPJ, LGH, Nunavik, Val d'or / Malartic

Elective Rotations:
Residents generally complete their electives/selectives during the last two years of their residency. However, residents have the option of completing brief electives earlier in their residency.
N.B. Starred elective rotations may be counted as Royal College "selectives".

Rotation	Duration	Sites
ADHD	2 – 6 periods	DH, MCH
Addiction Psychiatry*	3 – 13 periods	MGH
Adolescent Psychiatry*	2 - 6 periods	CHPJ, DH, JGH, MCH
Anxiety Disorders	2 – 6 periods	MUHC
Autism Spectrum Disorders*	2 – 13 periods	MCH
Behavioural Pediatrics*	2 – 6 periods	MCH
Child Psychiatry*	2 – 13 periods	MCH, CHPJ, DH, JGH
Consultation-Liaison: Adult*	1 – 6 periods	JGH, MGH, RVH, SMH
Consultation-Liaison: Child*	3 – 6 periods	MCH
Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy*	6 – 13 periods	CHPJ, MUHC
Intensive Psychiatric Intervention (PACT)	3 – 13 periods	MUHC
Continuing Care	3 – 6 periods	DH, JGH, MUHC
Crisis Intervention	1 – 6 periods	DH, MUHC, SMH
Day Hospital: Adult	1 – 6 periods	JGH, MUHC
Day Hospital: Child*	1 – 6 periods	CHPJ, JGH, MCH
Developmental Pediatrics	1 - 2 periods	MCH
Dialectic Behaviour Therapy*	6 periods	CHPJ
Dynamic Psychotherapy: Long-term	13 periods	JGH, MUHC
Dynamic Psychotherapy: Short-term	6 – 13 periods	JGH, MUHC
Eating Disorders	6 periods	DH
ECT	1 period	DH, MUHC
Emergency Psychiatry	1 – 6 periods	DH, JGH, MGH, RVH, SMH
Family Therapy*	6 – 13 periods	JGH, MUHC
First Episode Psychosis	3 – 13 periods	DH, JGH, MUHC
Forensic Psychiatry	1-6 periods	CHPJ
Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit*	1 – 6 periods	JGH, SMH
Geriatric Psychiatry*	2 – 13 periods	CHPJ, DH, JGH, MUHC, SMH
Group Therapy*	6 – 13 periods	CHPJ, DH, JGH, SMH
Human Sexuality Clinic	3 – 6 periods	MUHC
Inpatient Psychiatry	1 - 6 periods	JGH, MUHC
Psychiatry Intensive Care Unit	1 – 2 periods	DH, JGH
McGill Univ. Mental Health Services	3 – 6 periods	MUHC
Mood Disorders	3 – 13 periods	DH, MUHC
Neurology: Adult	1 - 2 periods	JGH, MGH, MNI
Neurology: Child	1 - 2 periods	MCH
Neuropsychiatry	3 – 6 periods	MNI
Neuroradiology	1 period	MGH, MNI
Pain Clinic	1 period	MGH
Palliative Care	1 period	MGH
Pediatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit*	1 – 6 periods	MCH, CHPJ
Psychopharmacology	2 – 13 periods	DH, MUHC
Psychiatry Research: Adult*	1 - 13 periods	DH, JGH, MUHC, SMH
Psychiatry Research: Child*	1 – 13 periods	DH, JGH, MCH
Sexual Identity Clinic	2– 6 periods	MUHC
Shared Care	2 – 6 periods	JGH, SMH
Transcultural Psychiatry: Adult	3 – 13 periods	JGH
Transcultural Psychiatry: Child*	3 – 13 periods	MUHC

Residents are expected to complete approximately 3 to 6 months of training in a non-urban and/or non-university setting. This includes a variety of 1-month family medicine rotations, as well as a 3-month psychiatry rotation at Centre Hospitalier Pierre-Janet (CHPJ) or at another non-urban site. Residents are provided with housing, and a monetary supplement to cover the cost of travel.

Residents have the opportunity to complete up to 12 months of their training at another Quebec university, as a "carte mobile". Residents may also spend 3 months of their training outside Quebec (n.b. it is possible to receive full remuneration for 3 months of out-of-province elective training).

Psychotherapy Training:
The McGill Department of Psychiatry has a long tradition of excellence in psychotherapy. A variety of psychotherapies are taught in didactic lectures, clinical seminars and one-on-one supervision. There are opportunities to audiotape and/or videotape therapy sessions, and to have your tapes reviewed in one-on-one supervision. Current psychotherapy requirements include:

Elective psychotherapy training experiences include dialectic behavioral therapy, existential therapy, sex therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, etc.

The McGill Department of Psychiatry offers the unique opportunity of becoming an efficient and competitive clinician-scientist to a select number of students.

In 2011, the McGill Department of Psychiatry initiated a research-track program to support residents with strong research interests. Our goal is to provide select residents with the ability to becoming clinician-scientists. Clinician-scientists occupy a unique position at the interface of research and medical practice. With 3 research Institutes and more than 300 faculties, the McGill Department of Psychiatry is the perfect location to achieve this goal. Ultimately, residents from the research-track program will be more competitive to apply to an academic position and more effective to conduct their own research and teaching alongside their clinical practice.

The program provides support during the residency training for: matching research interests with the most appropriate research supervisor, conducting a research project, choosing rotations conducive to the time required for research and managing the time restraints of clinical training for research, and if applied, obtaining an MSc or PhD diploma. Progress is routinely monitored. Residents selected to the research-track program are expected to have a regular activity of publication and presentations including the annual departmental research day.

Interest in the research-track program will be surveyed at the time of application to the residency program. Our research committee will review candidates for suitability for the research track program.

All McGill psychiatry residents complete the required 8-week course in research methods. Optional 4- or 8-week courses are available regarding biostatistics and epidemiology. There are numerous opportunities to carry out research projects part-time during some core rotations, and half- or full-time during elective rotations (residents may opt to spend up to one year full-time or two years half-time carrying out psychiatry research electives).

Emphasis is placed on the scholarly work of our residents, and there are many opportunities in our network for recognition of academic productivity. Residents typically have written at least one publishable paper (research or clinical) before graduation. There are several monetary prizes awarded for excellence in scholarly endeavors, including the Chairman's Prize (for the overall best research or clinical paper written by a resident); Saul Wilner Prize (for the best unpublished clinical paper); Innovative Publication Prize (for the best published research or clinical paper); Gabrielle Weiss Prize (for the best paper relevant to Child Psychiatry); Geriatric Psychiatry Prize (for the best paper relevant to Geriatric Psychiatry); and the Serge Bikadoroff Prize (for the best paper relevant to C/L Psychiatry).

As of the Spring of 2009, residents will also be able to compete for internal funds for their research projects. An annual award of $10,000 (renewable) will be granted for the best resident research proposal.

The Clinician Investigator Program is also available for McGill psychiatry residents. The CIP's mandate is to assist in the career development of clinician / investigators by providing a formalized postgraduate educational program that fulfills the existing clinical specialty training requirements of the Royal College, as well as a minimum of two years of structured rigorous research training. Up to one of the research years may also be credited to fulfill the individual's specialty requirements. It is preferred that the two years of research be sequential (i.e., R5 plus a one-year fellowship). For psychiatry residents, acceptance into this Program requires the joint approval of the CIP and the Psychiatry Residency Program Committees. For more information please refer to: http://www.med.mcgill.ca/postgrad/programs/cip.htm

McGill psychiatry residents may also pursue a Masters Degree in Psychiatry during their five-year residency. This degree Program provides residents with more rigorous training as medical scientists, including course work in research methods specific to their area of supervised research, leading to the presentation of a Master's thesis and to scholarly publications. The precise courses vary depending on the research area. For more information please refer to:

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:
McGill Psychiatry residents may obtain their Diploma in Child Psychiatry. This is issued by the McGill Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research upon meeting all requirements of the Psychiatry Residency Program PLUS the specific requirements of the Division of Child Psychiatry Residency Program. The latter comprise two years of child and adolescent psychiatry training, a passing grade on a scholarly paper, and successful completion of an oral examination linked to the submitted paper. The 2 years of child and adolescent psychiatry training include the 6-period child core rotation, 3-period child C-L rotation, and 17 periods of additional child rotations (e.g. electives rotations in transcultural, infant team / autism, adolescent inpatient / first-episode psychosis, research, etc.). Four sites are available for child and adolescent psychiatry training, including one non-urban site (CHPJ, DH, JGH, MCH). For more information please refer to:

Geriatric Psychiatry:
McGill Psychiatry residents may obtain their Certificate in Psychiatry, with Proficiency in Geriatric Psychiatry. This is issued by the Faculty of Medicine upon meeting all requirements of the Psychiatry Residency Program PLUS the specific requirements of the Geriatric Psychiatry Training Committee. The latter comprise one year of geriatric psychiatry training, and a scholarly paper written with the supervision of an academic mentor. Five sites are available for geriatric psychiatry training, including one non-urban site (CHPJ, DH, JGH, MGH or SMH). For more information please refer to the Geriatric Psychiatry website:

Mentorship Program:
Incoming residents participate in our one-on-one Mentorship Program. Mentors meet with R1s approximately 6 to 12 times during their first year. Mentorship may involve 1) shadowing of mentors involved in clinical areas of interest, or 2) meeting with mentors to review readings on academic topics of interest. Incoming R1's inform our office whether they prefer a clinical or academic mentorship experience, and list three areas of interest so that we may select an appropriate mentor for them.

The Humanitarian Studies Initiative for Residents (HSIR) at McGill is a multi-disciplinary program that provides residents with robust, didactic teaching in humanitarian studies (monthly evening seminars plus a 2-week intensive course at Harvard University), a 3-day weekend disaster-simulation in Massachusetts, as well as a 1- to 3-month international field placement. If selected for this program, McGill psychiatry residents may complete the HSIR during their five-year residency.

Additional Information:
An attraction of the McGill program is its location in a cosmopolitan French milieu. Facility in French is an asset but not essential requirement for acceptance into the program. For those who wish to improve their language skills, courses are available at McGill at reasonable cost.