Insight by Year

Rotations

Internal Medicine (Pediatrics for Child Track)

• 1 month: Wards
• 1 month: Specialty clinic
• 1 month: Specialty consults

Neurology

• 1 month: Inpatient neurology
• 1 month: Outpatient neurology

Inpatient Psychiatry

• 5 months: El Paso Psychiatric Center (EPPC)
• 1 month: Psychiatry Emergency Services

Key Rotation Sites

El Paso Psychiatric Center (EPPC)

A 72-bed state hospital serving the El Paso community, EPPC offers unique training opportunities, including:

• Forensic Patient Exposure: Hands-on experience working with forensic populations.
• Legal System Integration: Collaborate with the in-house mental health court and gain experience in Emergency Detention Orders (EDOs) and Certificates of Medical Examination (CMEs).
• Severe Mental Illness Management: Treat patients requiring extended hospital stays.

EPPC is the only state hospital in Texas accepting walk-in patients and works closely with Emergence Health Network to support uninsured populations.

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Psychiatry Emergency Services

The admissions hub at EPPC, this department focuses on evaluating and admitting acutely ill patients. It serves patients arriving through:

• Walk-ins
• Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) referrals
• Transfers from medical hospitals

As part of this rotation, you’ll gain valuable experience assessing and managing acute psychiatric conditions in a fast-paced environment.

Rotations

Consult-Liaison/Emergency Psychiatry

• 5 months: University Medical Center (UMC)

Psychiatry Emergency Services (PES)

• 3 months

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

• 3 months: TCHATT and CPAN Clinics

Sleep Medicine

• 1 month: Sleep medicine at the VA

Key Rotation Sites

University Medical Center (UMC)

UMC serves as El Paso County’s acute care teaching hospital and hosts the region’s only Level 1 trauma center. The hospital provides care to patients across West Texas, Southern New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
Through the Consult-Liaison (CL) Psychiatry rotation, you’ll gain experience in diverse settings, including:

• Emergency Room: Addressing acute psychiatric issues.
• ICU and Inpatient Care: Treating complex conditions with psychiatric comorbidities.
• Trauma and Surgery Departments: Managing psychiatric needs of trauma patients.
• Ob/Gyn Units: Addressing mental health concerns in reproductive health contexts.
  This rotation emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration through consultations with other specialties.

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TCHATT and CPAN Clinics

These innovative programs provide critical services to children and primary care providers in West Texas:

• TCHATT (Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine): Offers virtual psychiatric services to children in public schools across West Texas.
• CPAN (Child Psychiatry Access Network): Provides consultative support to primary care providers and pediatricians managing psychiatric conditions in children.

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VA Sleep Medicine

During this one-month rotation, you’ll focus on the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders, gaining valuable insight into their relationship with psychiatric conditions.

The third year focuses entirely on outpatient psychiatry, offering exposure to a wide variety of clinical settings and patient populations. Each week, you will rotate through diverse clinics, gaining valuable experience in specialized areas of psychiatry.

Weekly Clinics

• Adult Outpatient Clinic (Texas Tech): Comprehensive care for adult patients with a range of psychiatric conditions.
• Adolescent Clinic (Texas Tech): Addressing the unique needs of adolescent patients.
• Child Guidance Center: Specialized care for children and their families.
• Aliviane: Substance use treatment and recovery services.
• Neuropsychiatry Clinic: Focus on conditions at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry.
• Mood Clinic: Management of mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder.
• VA Outpatient Clinic: Psychiatric care for veterans.
• EHN Clinic: Community mental health services provided through Emergence Health Network.
• Bienvivir: Geriatric psychiatry services for elderly patients.
• Tigua Clinic: Care for members of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Native American community.
• Ysleta Independent School District (YISD): School-based psychiatric services.
• Psychotherapy Clinic: Advanced training in various psychotherapy modalities.
• Research Half-Day: Dedicated time to focus on scholarly activities, including clinical research or quality improvement projects.

Unique Opportunities

This fully outpatient year allows residents to:

• Develop expertise across the lifespan, from children to geriatric patients.
• Gain experience in culturally competent care through diverse patient populations, including Native American and veteran communities.
• Deepen skills in psychotherapy through hands-on training and supervision.
• Participate in research and contribute to academic psychiatry.

The fourth year is designed to solidify your skills as a senior resident while providing opportunities to tailor your training to your interests through electives and continued outpatient care.

Key Rotations and Experiences

• Senior Rotation:

  • Consult-Liaison Psychiatry (CL): Advanced training in managing complex cases and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams at University Medical Center.
  • El Paso Psychiatric Center (EPPC) Inpatient Unit: Leadership and in-depth experience managing severe mental illnesses in a hospital setting.

• Electives (Choose Based on Interests):

  • Sleep Medicine: Advanced understanding of sleep disorders and their management.
  • Psychotherapy: Additional training in therapeutic modalities.
  • Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): Hands-on experience with ECT as a treatment for severe psychiatric conditions.
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): Training in TMS for treatment-resistant depression and other indications.
  • Neuropsychology: Focus on the cognitive and behavioral aspects of neurological conditions.

• Continuity Clinics:

  • Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic: Ongoing care for a diverse group of patients, allowing residents to build long-term therapeutic relationships.
  • Psychotherapy Clinic: Continued development and refinement of psychotherapy skills with regular supervision.

Unique Opportunities

• Take on senior-level responsibilities, further preparing you for independent practice.
• Customize your training with electives tailored to your career goals.
• Maintain and enhance continuity of care through long-term outpatient clinics.