Medical Student Education Program
Contact
Brian Schmidt
Medical Student Education Coordinator
316/293-2644
Introduction
A principal mission of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita (KUSM-W) is the education of medical students. To this end, the department provides the eight-week required Neuropsychiatry clerkship during the Phase-II clinical curriculum of the undergraduate MD program, offers a diverse group of psychiatry elective courses, and sponsors the Psychiatry Interest Group (PsyIG) for 3rd and 4th year students.
Neuropsychiatry Clerkship
The Neuropsychiatry Clerkship is a required eight-week experience offered during the third year of the undergraduate curriculum. The clerkship is offered six times per year accommodating approximately ten students at a time. The goal of the clerkship experience is to prepare medical students for residency by providing an active, hands-on training experience in general psychiatry, specialty psychiatry and neurology. Clinical skills learning objectives include obtaining an accurate and complete medical history, performing comprehensive and focused mental status and neurologic examinations, assessing potential psychiatric and neurologic emergencies, and developing advanced communication skills. Students also learn the art of differential diagnosis and disease classification and the latest information on disease prevention and management. Multidisciplinary collaboration, social and cultural issues in healthcare, and advocacy for the mentally ill are emphasized in the clerkship curriculum.
The Neuropsychiatry Clerkship employs a variety of innovative educational methods to achieve the stated learning objectives. Students identify personal learning goals at the start of each clerkship and monitor their progress toward achieving those goals with the help of faculty mentors and review of patient contact experiences. Opportunities for clinical skills mastery are provided through clinical service assignments, formative standardized patient experiences, and formal weekly practicums with real patients focused on interviewing skills, mental status examination and neurologic examination. Faculty and residents directly observe student performance and provide immediate structured feedback. Supplementary classroom experiences in the Clerkship emphasize knowledge application and use active learning methods. Student progress is monitored through the use of a Learning Portfolio that includes independent assignments to promote self-directed learning and appreciation of the interaction of complex systems in healthcare. Learning materials are made available to students as hard copy and electronically through the clerkship Angel pages .
Psychiatry Electives
For additional experience in Psychiatry, the Department offers several elective courses for 4th-year medical students:
- Subinternship in Psychiatry (Students are required to take a subinternship in the 4th year and select one of several medical specialty options including psychiatry.)
- Child Psychiatry/Adolescent Psychiatry
- Advanced Studies in Psychiatry (e.g., research, psychotherapy)
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry
- Clinical Addictionology
- Clinical Psychopharmacology
- Outpatient Psychiatry
- Special Topics in Psychiatry (e.g., forensic psychiatry, sexual disorders)
Psychiatry Interest Group (PsyIG)
VISION
The vision for the Psychiatry Interest Group (PsyIG) is to bring medical students together to foster interest in psychiatry, neuroscience and mental health.
MISSION
The Psychiatry Interest Group (PsyIG) provides an enjoyable social and professional venue for regular meetings of medical students, elects medical student officers and project leaders, and with the support of KU faculty and residents, plans and performs activities to expand knowledge, explore career opportunities and perform service to the community consistent with the group’s vision.
BRIEF HISTORY
The Psychiatry Interest Group at KUSM-W started in academic year 2002-2003 under the guidance of psychiatry department faculty, Michael Burke, MD. The goal was to provide more opportunities for medical students to become involved in psychiatric medicine and issues related to mental health and neuroscience. PsyIG has evolved into a social, educational and service organization that is directed by students and sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry. New student leadership for the organization is elected at the beginning of each academic year. A national Psychiatry Student Interest Group Network (PsychSIGN) was launched by the American Psychiatric Association in 2005. We look forward to using resources from this national network as they are developed and become available.
In its first year, members attended a screening of “A Beautiful Mind” and met the author Sylvia Nasar during her visit to Wichita. The group also produced laminated “pocket cards” for clinicians which lists suicide risk factors, suicide screening questions, and resources for patients at risk for suicide. These cards have been re-printed multiple times and distributed to students, residents and community practitioners. PsyIG members also participated in the “Walk for the Homeless” awareness program.
In its second year, the PsyIG membership participated in the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Taskforce activities, which included attendance at the first Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Forum. Several members participated in a speaker’s training program and joined the suicide awareness speaker’s bureau. A group of members went on to present an Issues in Medicine program for third and fourth year medical students on suicide prevention.
In 2004-05, PsyIG members manned sites at the Sedgwick County Health Department and Via Christi Regional Medical Center for National Suicide Prevention Day and National Depression Screening Day providing patient education and clinical screening assessments. PsyIG members also participated in the annual candlelight ceremony for mental health awareness, which is sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI).
In 2005-06, PsyIG social meetings were held regularly. Psychiatry department faculty frequently attended these meetings to discuss topics in psychiatry, neuroscience and career opportunities. PsyIG members partnered with the Mental Health Association (MHA) and the Counseling Center at Wichita State University (WSU) for National Depression Screening Day. Recognizing the increasing incidence of depression and suicide on college campuses, PsyIG members performed depression screenings on students at WSU.
In 2006-07, the members continued to participate in Depression and Mental Health screenings and awareness programs at the Mental Health Association, Wichita State University and our Spanish speaking members also participated in programs at the Hispanic Health Fair. Psychiatry department faculty attended third-Thursday meetings and presented on topics of interest. A practicing hypnotist was invited to one meeting to present on the theory and clinical practice of hypnotism. A highlight of the year was launching the Psychiatry Film Festival series. PsyIG board members provided potluck dinner and the movies were followed by lively discussion and jeopardy-style prize drawings.
For more information, please contact the Psychiatry office at 293-2644 or e-mail Brian Schmidt.
Members of PsyIG are encouraged to take advantage of free membership in the American Psychiatric association.
PsyIG Officers for 2007-2008
Past PsyIG Officers
2007-2008
Board Members: Miranda Feagan, Janna Lang, Ashley Robertson, Matt Schmidt, Joanna Toews, Amanda Valliant, Ali Wait, Cameron West, Erin Zahradnik
2006-2007
Board Members: Warner Peng; Casey Cordts; Seth Vernon; Francisco Chacon; Allen Davied; Jessica Veeh; Danika Little; Kari Hamlin
2005-2006
President - Vadim Izgur; Vice President - Rick Moberly; Secretary/Treasurer - Steve Pizzola; Public Relations/Community Liaison - Adam Gregg and Lindsay Rome
2004-2005
President: Ben Davis; Vice-President: Vadim Izgur; Public Relations/Project Leader: Rick Moberly; Community Liaison/Secretary-Treasurer: Monica Gorcos
2003-2004
President: Clint Colbert; Vice-President: Danelle Shoemaker; Secretary-Treasurer: Billy Burtnett; Chair of Public Relations: Ruth Nguyen; Chair of Community Service: Ryan Stuckey
2002-2003
President: Amy Burns
Student Awards
Ron Martin, M.D. was Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita from 1988 to the time of his death in 1998. Dr. Martin, a prominent researcher, clinician and teacher, was committed to fostering interest among medical students in psychiatry as a career. Accordingly, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in Wichita is pleased to announce The Ron Martin, M.D. Scholarship Fund for Medical Students. Based upon appropriate submissions the following awards will be made available to 3rd and 4th year students at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita who have successfully completed their required psychiatry clerkship:
- Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Best Psychiatric Paper. A $750 annual award for the best paper written on a topic in psychiatry. Topics are to be selected and the paper prepared under the guidance of a psychiatry faculty mentor. The submitted paper must be suitable for publication in a refereed medical journal. April 15 is the deadline for paper submissions to be considered by the awards committee for a May award.
- Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Elective Performance. A $250 annual award for outstanding performance in a psychiatry elective. The student will prepare a written summary of their learning activities during the elective course and the relevance of the experience to their medical career. The attending faculty will prepare a letter explaining how the student has consistently exceeded performance expectations during the elective. April 15 is the deadline for submitting materials to be considered by the awards committee for a May award.
- Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Clerkship Performance. A $150 annual award for outstanding interest and performance in the field of psychiatric medicine during the basic psychiatry clerkship. Nominations for this award will be made by clerkship faculty attendings. The awards committee will review nominations and supporting clerkship performance summaries at their annual meeting in May.
Interested students are encouraged to contact the director of medical student education in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences-Wichita Campus for additional information on application procedures and award availability.
Past Recipients
2008
Kari Hamlin - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Outstanding Performance in the Neuropsychiatry Clerkship
Veronica Amey - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Outstanding Performance in a Psychiatry Elective
Bonnie Charles - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Outstanding Performance in a Psychiatry Elective
Erin Zahradnik - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Best Psychiatric Paper
2007
Lindsay Rome - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Outstanding Performance in the Neuropsychiatry Clerkship
Kathrine Girrens - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Outstanding Performance in a Psychiatry Elective
Jeff Gum - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Best Psychiatric Paper
2006
Vadim Izgur - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Elective Performance
Laura Dellinger - Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Clerkship Performance
2005
Monica Gorcos – Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Elective Performance
Ben Davis – Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Clerkship Performance
2003
Amy Burns – Ron Martin, M.D. Award for Psychiatry Clerkship Performance
