PGY 3 Year

The third year of training (PGY3) marks a transition for our residents as they shift from working primarily in inpatient settings to primarily outpatient settings and continue their journey towards functioning independently as psychiatrists. Each PGY3 (and PGY4) resident has an office in the Residency Education and Training Suite on the 1st floor of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and is given primary responsibility for patient care with individual supervision from faculty. Outpatients will be seen in the Psychiatric Institute Resident Clinic (PIRC), and either New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic (PB2) or the outpatient clinics of the Washington Heights Community Service. 

Residents are trained in many forms of outpatient treatment during the third year, including advanced psychopharmacology and multiple psychotherapeutic modalities (cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, dialectical-behavioral, supportive, and psychodynamic psychotherapy). We take pride in the quality and amount of supervision provided to PGY3 residents in these modalities. In addition to supervision, residents have weekly didactic sessions building on themes first explored as PGY1s and PGY2s. One half-day is set aside as a flex day. During this time residents may pursue a specific research interest or receive more intensive outpatient training.

Call Responsibilities for PGY3s

During the third year, residents share night team and weekend call with on-site supervision from an attending physician at the New York Presbyterian Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Room. 

Adult Outpatient Community Psychiatry Clinic (PB2)

A subset of PGY3 residents see outpatients in the Adult Outpatient Community Psychiatry Clinic at NYP, where they learn about the rich tapestry of community and cultural services within Northern Manhattan. The clinic offers comprehensive and diverse outpatient services to a predominantly Hispanic community in Washington Heights/Inwood population as well as those receiving care at the CUIMC Medical Center. Residents have the opportunity to treat a wide range of diagnostic disorders including anxiety, bipolar, depression, psychosis, trauma, personality disorders, and psychiatric comorbidities with medical conditions. Residents will gain expertise in understanding the outpatient and community continuum of care. Learning how to manage acute outpatient crises, rapid stabilization, and linkage to ongoing care requires an understanding of the importance of the social determinants of health and network of psychiatric services. Residents work within multidisciplinary teams to provide intensive treatment to high risk/ high acuity patients and participate in twice weekly rounds. Residents gain expertise in evaluating and treating patients using telepsychiatry/tele mental health interventions and the spectrum of clinic to community care.

Psychiatric Institute Resident Clinic (PIRC)

The Psychiatric Institute Resident Clinic (PIRC), located in the New York State Psychiatric Institute, is a free clinic that offers residents the opportunity to see patients in myriad therapeutic modalities, including advanced psychopharmacology and multiple psychotherapies (cognitive behavioral, supportive, and psychodynamic psychotherapy). Individual supervision and team meetings are a hallmark of this clinic. We take pride in the quality and amount of supervision provided to PGY3 residents in each of these modalities. 

Washington Heights Community Service Outpatient Clinics (WHCS)

A subset PGY3 residents see patients in the outpatient clinics of the Washington Heights Community Service, a comprehensive community-based mental health treatment service for individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness who live in or near Northern Manhattan. Our mission is to provide culturally responsive, recovery-oriented, evidence-based treatment of the highest quality to those we serve. Residents work as part of a multidisciplinary team and work closely with the patients' families and outpatient primary clinicians to ensure outstanding community care. The clinics include the Audubon Clinic, the Inwood Clinic, and OnTrackNY. 

Residents will gain experience working in outpatient community psychiatry settings, caring for individuals with serious mental illness. Residents will learn to manage high risk, high-need individuals (e.g. individuals impacted by a variety of social determinants of mental health). 

In collaboration with Primary Clinicians and other members of the team, residents will provide direct care to a panel of patients with severe mental illness, including primary psychotic disorders. They will work with existing clinic patients as well as new admissions to the clinic. They will have the opportunity to prescribe and manage long acting injectable medications (LAI, antipsychotics) and clozapine. Depending on resident interest, they may also be involved in home visits, group work, or quality improvement projects.