Curriculum

The UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles Psychiatry Residency Training Program is dedicated to preparing residents for the future of psychiatric practice. Residents are provided with a strong foundation in the biologic, dynamic and behavioral aspects of etiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders. In addition, the program provides residents with a grounding in social determinants of health, community-based interventions, and health services research.

Our goal is to train psychiatrists who are able to function in a variety of settings and who are comfortable in selecting and utilizing the broad spectrum of diagnostic, somatic, and therapeutic interventions within the field. We expect our graduates to be prepared for a choice of various careers in teaching, research, administration, or clinical practice.

Our residents gain experience and training in comprehensive psychiatric services, providing inpatient, outpatient, and community-based care. In addition to a strong set of general experiences in adult, child, and geriatric psychiatry, the program offers subspecialty clinics that allow the residents to develop specific interests and expertise. Residents also have an opportunity to do research, including laboratory, clinical, quality improvement, and community-based health services research projects.

Our program utilizes various measures to gauge the progress of residents and the training experience. Direct observation of work with patients and performance in the didactic curriculum is combined with a review of the written clinical record. Written and verbal feedback from supervisors is standard. All residents take the Psychiatric Resident-In-Training Examination (PRITE) yearly as a measure of their cognitive knowledge based on national norms. Residents take oral examinations yearly to assess competence in clinical assessment, differential diagnosis, case formulation, and treatment plan. A log of psychotherapy cases is maintained to ensure a balanced mix of clinical experience across diagnostic categories, and utilization of the widest possible variety of interventions.