Psychiatry Department Educational Objectives Overview
Goals of the Program
The four-year general psychiatric residency program at the Medical College of Georgia
is designed to provide qualified applicants with comprehensive skills in the diagnosis
and treatment of the full range of psychiatric disorders found in the general population.
An emphasis on the biopsychosocial model and the comprehensive, multimodality approach
to the treatment of psychiatric disorders is fundamental to the approach of this program.
This program will assure the graduating general psychiatry resident the skills needed
to function in the major areas of the discipline (academic, community-based, military-government,
private practice, and research settings). The general psychiatry resident will be
trained to function as a leader of and collaborator with multidisciplinary teams in
a variety of settings (inpatient psychiatric, medical settings, forensic and prison
settings, community mental health centers, etc.).
Objectives of the Program
Specific goals in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes by PGY year are outlined
in subsequent pages. Some general goals would include:
To train general psychiatric residents in the comprehensive clinical skills of evaluation,
treatment, and consultation. Integrating information from multiple sources and systems
to make a diagnosis and comprehensive treatment plan that treats the whole patient
across all relevant settings.
To train general psychiatric residents in the DSM-V diagnostic system, with the ability
to develop a diagnostic formulation and communicate such information both orally and
in written form.
To train general psychiatric residents in the assessment of adults, children, and
families, using interview skills and assess tools such as the mental status examination,
psychological testing, and appropriate medical and neurological testing.
To offer general psychiatric residents experience with a variety of treatment modalities,
including psychopharmacology, individual therapies (supportive, CBT, psychodynamic)
as well as couples, family, and group therapy.
To offer general psychiatric residents the skills and knowledge to function in a variety
of practice and professional settings, and to have the abilities to be life-long learners.
