Intern Rotations
- GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY - 3 South UCLA RNPH, 2 Months
You will learn about the evaluation and treatment of patients 55 years and older with psychiatric problems associated with aging (i.e. dementia, delirium, depression). This is an excellent learning experience with exposure to a great breadth of psychiatric pathology, ECT and also internal medicine. - HARBOR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY ROOM - Harbor General Hospital, 1 month
This rotation exposes you to acute diagnosis and management of psychiatric patients in the Harbor Psychiatric Emergency Room. This service is traditionally one of the favorites of the intern class and the teaching is first rate. The Harbor Psych ER provides services to approximately 5000 patients a year and its LA County catchment area includes over 1% of the psych population of the USA. Call at Harbor 3-4 times during the month. - PSYCHIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (PICU) - 2WAB VA Hospital, 1 month
This is a locked 12 person unit located on 2WAB of the VA hospital. Here you will see a range of pathology -- schizophrenia, mood disorders, substance abuse, and acute suicide risk and malingering. The patients that are admitted to the PICU generally need the highest level of care/security and all are on holds. Psychiatric call, see below - PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY ROOM - VA Hospital, 1 month
You will learn how to do an ER evaluation of all psychiatric patients presenting to the WLA VA ER and learn which patient’s require admission and which can be seen in outpatient mental health clinics. There are many chronic schizophrenic patients, homeless patients and patients with personality disorders, malingering and substance abuse. Psychiatric call, see below. - PSYCHIATRY NIGHTFLOAT - VA Hospital, 2 two week blocks
Night float at the VA is a service unique to the interns of this program. You will work with a variety of R2s, learn to be independent and efficient evaluating all patients presenting to the VA emergency room in addition to seeing emergency consults from other services from 5pm-8am approximately 5 nights per week. - INTERNAL MEDICINE – UCLA Center for Health Sciences, 1 month
This is one of the busiest rotations of the year, given that you are on an inpatient medicine team at a tertiary care center. You will learn how to work with many different services and hospital staff and learn how to deal with acute and complicated medical problems. On medicine call overnight every fifth night with your team. - OUTPATIENT MEDICINE - Sepulveda VA, 1 month
This rotation will give you exposure to “bread and butter” outpatient medicine – hypertension, diabetes, COPD, respiratory infections, skin infections, etc in the outpatient care setting. Psychiatric call, see below. - EMERGENCY MEDICINE - VA Hospital, 1 month
This rotation will give you exposure to a wide variety of acute medical problems. You will see patients with a variety of diagnoses ranging from upper respiratory infections, MI's, CHF exacerbations, GI bleeds, fractures, headache, stroke, etc. Six 10-12 hour shifts per week with no overnights, no call. - INTERNAL MEDICINE - VA Hospital, 1 month
This month is similar to the internal medicine ward month at UCLA CHS, except it’s the VA which means more “bread and butter” pathology, and a different patient population (mostly men, higher homeless population, and higher substance user population). On medicine call overnight every fifth night with your team. - NEUROLOGY - VA Hospital, 1 month
This is a combined outpatient and inpatient and consult service which carries mostly consult patients and few primary patients. You will learn how to perform full neurologic examinations and work-ups. You will see a variety of movement disorders, seizure disorders, dementias, sensory deficits, stoke, traumatic brain injuries, etc. Psychiatric call, see below. - NEUROBEHAVIOR - VA Hospital, 1 month
Neurobehavior is a consult and outpatient clinic service only. You will primarily see dementia, movement disorders, and epilepsy focusing on the cognitive deficits. You will perform a full neurological workup including history, examination, and standardized neurobehavioral testing and learn subtleties of differentiating dementias and their unique presentations. Psychiatric call, see below. - CALL RESPONSIBILITIES: With the exception of the rotations where call is outlined above, you will take overnight psychiatric call at either UCLA or the VA approximately every 6-7 nights. UCLA calls are 5pm-8am with an R2 overnight and an R3 until 11pm. Interns have protected time from 9:30pm-2am. VA calls are from 6pm-8am with an R2 overnight.
