General Residency Program
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the program’s ACGME accreditation status?
We once again received full accreditation following our most recent ACGME review in April 2007. Our next accreditation visit is scheduled for 2012, the longest review cycle allowed by the ACGME. We were particularly pleased to receive the following commendation:
“The Review Committee commended the program for its demonstrated substantial compliance with the ACGME's Requirements for Graduate Medical Education.”
Are you anticipating any leadership changes in the program?
After 23 years of service as chair of the department, Dr. John F. Greden announced in March that he would be stepping down on September 1, 2007. Dr. Greden will continue in his role as executive director of the University of Michigan Depression Center. Dr. Greden is among the longest-serving and most influential chairs of psychiatry, having served as president of the American Association of Chairs of Departments of Psychiatry, as Chair of the APA Council on Research, and as a member of the APA Committee on Residents.
Dr. Gregory Dalack has been named interim chair while a dean’s search committee conducts a national search for a permanent replacement. Dr. Dalack completed medical school and residency at Columbia University. He has been at the University of Michigan since 1992, serving as the Ann Arbor VA Chief of Clinical Service and more recently as Associate Chair for Education and vice-chair of the department. For the past year he has been responsible for day-to-day operations of the department, ensuring that his transition to interim chair will provide seamless leadership.
What kind of psychotherapy training is available in the program?
We are committed to providing excellent quality, comprehensive training in all aspects of clinical psychiatry. Currently, about 15% of the didactic curriculum is devoted to psychoanalytic therapy, 15% to cognitive and behavioral therapies, and 20% to other therapies (interpersonal, family, group, multimodal, etc.).
Formal psychodynamic training begins at the onset of the second residency year (PGY-2) with the 40-hr seminar "Theory and Practice of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy" and the 12-hr course "Introduction to Psychotherapy.” PGY-3 begins with a series of integrated didactic and supervisory mentorships on interpersonal psychotherapy, dialectic/behavioral therapy, and cognitive/behavioral therapy, followed in PGY-4 by mentorships in psychoanalytic therapy and family/couples therapy. Additional seminars during PGY-3 and PGY-4 cover object relations, multimodal therapy, treatment of personality disorders, and advanced topics in psychodynamic psychotherapy.
Residents begin treatment of patients with supervised psychodynamic psychotherapy at the beginning of PGY-2 and continue these cases throughout residency. During PGY-3 all residents are expected to spend at least 5 hours per week seeing psychotherapy cases and receiving individual supervision. Additional time and patients are available to residents seeking more experience. Supervision is provided by full-time psychiatry faculty and practicing community psychiatrists with faculty affiliations.
Many affiliated faculty are members and training faculty of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, who have generously provided time for supervision and didactic instruction of residents. Members of the Institute are involved in all aspects of curriculum planning in psychodynamic theory and practice.
Isn’t the University of Michigan a big, research-oriented, academic medical center?
Big? Yes. The Psychiatry Department includes over 100 full-time faculty and many additional affiliated psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and others. Yet the department feels more intimate than those numbers would suggest. Residents in the program have ready access to the entire faculty for supervision, consultation, informal advice, or just to talk about what they are up to. A strong mentorship atmosphere in the department encourages close relationships among all faculty and between faculty and residents.
Academic? Yes. The department stands at the cutting edge of clinical practice and basic research, with faculty of national and international reputation leading the way. Education is among our highest priorities and we offer innovative training programs unsurpassed in the academic world. Although we provide tertiary care for all of Michigan and much of the Midwest, we are primarily a clinical training program and a community health resource. We provide physician service to local community mental health and primary care clinics. We staff outpatient programs through the area. Most of our patients live in our own community.
What is the patient population like?
A recent review of our patient population showed a remarkable diversity of ethnicity, socioeconomic and education level, age, and diagnosis. In fact, the demographics of our patients correspond closely to the population of southeast Michigan in particular, and the nation in general. The many levels of clinical service we provide, including to community mental health, managed care, HMO, private and group insurance plans, and others, brings a broad spectrum of patients into our care. We are a public hospital and the designated provider of emergency and inpatient care for community mental health. Over 40% of our patients are sponsored by public programs such as MediCare, Medicaid, or the Washtenaw Health Plan, a local program providing healthcare coverage to indigent and underinsured patients.
Are residents required to do research?
The ACGME requires that all residents be taught “research literacy,” including habits of intellectual inquiry, critical thinking, and informed analysis of the literature. In addition, opportunities to conduct research must be available for interested residents. We do not require that residents engage in research, but innumerable opportunities to become involved in projects present themselves across the years of training and most residents find their interest piqued at some point. About 80% of the residents have published a paper or made a presentation at a national meeting before graduation.
We do not, however, expect that most residents will focus on research. We are primarily a clinical training program and we have a Research Track for residents electing a career in research and a Clinical Scholars Track for residents planning an academic career focused on education, clinical work, or other scholarly activity.
Where do residents go after graduation from the program?
Anywhere they want they to go. Training at the University of Michigan is universally recognized as of the highest caliber and our graduates are well received at academic and clinical centers across the country. About a third of our graduates choose to stay in or around Ann Arbor, a third elsewhere in Michigan or surrounding states, and a third are scattered throughout the country. More than 40% of our graduates enter academia; nearly 60% go directly into clinical practice. Historically, nearly two thirds of our graduates have elected to continue training in a fellowship program prior to either academic or clinical careers. Graduates of the program following each of these paths have consistently reported that they were well prepared clinically and academically for the challenges that awaited them.
Status of 2001-07 Residency Graduates
Average Graduates per Year: |
10 |
Residents Entering Fellowship Training: |
65%* |
Graduates Pursuing Academic Careers: |
43% |
Graduates Pursuing Clinical Careers: |
57% |
*Includes child/adolescent fellowships
How do residents perform on the board exams?
Our residents perform well on the written and oral examinations of the ABPN, significantly above the national average. In the past five years, 82% of our graduates have successfully completed parts I and II of the ABPN certification exam on the first attempt, and virtually all of our residents have passed the exam within three years. We find that the best preparation for these exams is a consistent schedule of supervised clinical work, regular feedback from faculty, and high-quality didactic courses.
2000-04 Graduates
|
University of Michigan |
National |
Graduates Passing ABPN |
94% |
86% |
Graduates Passing ABPN |
82% |
64% |
How sensitive is the program to personal and family issues?
The program is attentive to the interests and well-being of every resident. We have a generous contract negotiated by the House Officer Association on behalf of all University of Michigan residents. All residents enjoy liberal personal and family leave policies, including paid maternity and paternity leave. The Psychiatry Program also offers flexible scheduling, a high level of personal support, second- and third-shift Psychiatric Emergency Service rotations to minimize overnight call, and other innovations to accommodate the many demands of personal and family schedules. It should come as no surprise that our residents express a high level of satisfaction with their training experience.