Medical Students
Education and Opportunities for Medical Students
The Psychiatry Department and each of its sub-specialties are fully committed to medical students’ education. The medical student clerkship director at the Department of Psychiatry is Dr. Patricia Ortiz, and Dr. Sarah Michael is the assistant clerkship director.
Third-Year Psychiatry Clerkship
The psychiatric clerkship is combined with internal medicine, and for a period of 16 weeks, third-year medical students are exposed to an excellent experience in the different areas of psychiatry. During the clerkship rotation, medical students have the opportunity to evaluate patients with mental health disorders in different settings.
Outpatient Care
Students may rotate through general psychiatry, mood disorders, child and adolescent psychiatry, neuropsychiatry, substance use disorders, and community-based clinics.
Inpatient Care
Students may participate in inpatient psychiatry experiences at El Paso Psychiatric Center.
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Students may work with consultation-liaison teams at University Medical Center of El Paso and El Paso Children’s Hospital.
Fourth-Year Psychiatry Electives
The Fourth-year medical students have the opportunity to do elective rotations in subspecialties for a period of 4 weeks.
General Psychiatry
Deepen clinical interviewing, diagnostic formulation, and treatment-planning skills.
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Explore psychiatric care for patients receiving treatment in medical and surgical settings.
Specialty Experiences
Available experiences may include child and adolescent psychiatry and substance use disorders.
Scholarly Activity and Research
During the first two years of medical school, students may work with psychiatry faculty through the Foster School of Medicine Scholarly Activity and Research Program (SARP). With faculty mentorship, students develop and complete an independent scholarly or research project aligned with their interests.
Scientific Research
Basic, clinical, translational, or epidemiologic research.
Community and Population Health
Community-based, behavioral, public, or environmental health projects.
Education and Humanities
Medical humanities, qualitative research, or medical education research.
All projects must follow applicable federal and institutional requirements, including Institutional Review Board or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee review when required. The program helps students learn how to develop, investigate, and communicate a meaningful scholarly question.
Example Publication Outcome
Blunk DI, Tonarelli S, Gardner C, Quest D, Petitt D, Leiner M. “Evaluating Medical Students’ Clinical Reasoning in Psychiatry Using Clinical and Basic Science Concepts Presented in Session-level Integration Sessions.” Medical Science Educator. Published July 1, 2019. doi:10.1007/s40670-019-00761-x.
Student Recognition
Medical students have earned competitive opportunities through the American Psychiatric Association. Past examples include:
- William Wise, MS4, was recently awarded from APA to participate in an intensive two-day training in HIV AIDS Psychiatry in Washington, D.C., and a month-long clinical/research program. The 2020 dates for this program are August 27 – September 25, 2020. The student will receive a stipend of $2,700 that will cover the expenses.
- Abhinav Mishra, MS4, won an externship in Addiction Medicine from the APA. This program is intended to identify racial/ethnic minority medical students who have an interest in psychiatric services related to substance use disorders, prevention, and early intervention.
Explore a Future in Psychiatry
Learn about the specialty, student membership, and preparation for psychiatry residency through the American Psychiatric Association.
Explore American Psychiatric Association resources for medical students