Clinical Rotations

PGY-1 Rotations

Hines VA Internal Medicine – Three months

Three months of inpatient experience at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. Each Psychiatry intern serves as a member of an Internal Medical Team comprised of one Psychiatry intern, one Internal medicine intern and one Internal medicine senior resident. The Psychiatry interns actively treat their own patients under the supervision of an Internal medicine attending physician.

Hines VA Emergency Psychiatry – Two months

A two-month rotation in which the Psychiatry intern evaluates and treats psychiatric patients in the Emergency Department by working closely with ER attendings, ER staff and ER residents, under the supervision of a dedicated Psychiatry ER attending.

Hines VA Neurology – One month

A one-month inpatient neurology consultation rotation in which the Psychiatry intern evaluates and gives recommendations for the care of patient admitted to Hines VA hospital, under the supervision of a Neurology attending physician.

Hines VA: Adult Inpatient Psychiatry, 2-South – Two months

A two-month rotation, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, in which the Psychiatry resident evaluates and manages the treatment of veteran patients, under the supervision of a Psychiatry attending, at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital Inpatient Psychiatry Unit. The diagnoses often encountered include Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance use disorders. Residents also have the opportunity to observe ECT treatments while on this rotation.

Madden Mental Health Hospital - Adult Inpatient Psychiatry – Two months

A two-month rotation in which the Psychiatry resident is responsible for ongoing inpatient management of patients affected by a variety of acute psychiatric conditions, under the supervision of a Psychiatry attending. Residents also have the opportunity to observe Mental Health Court proceedings. This rotation is highly regarded by the Psychiatry residents as it delivers a rich clinical experience evaluating and treating patients afflicted by “seminal textbook cases” of a variety of severe psychiatric diagnoses, including acute psychoses and manias.

Loyola & Hines Night Float – One month

A one-month rotation in which the Psychiatry resident learns how to manage acute psychiatric emergencies under supervision provided by two Psychiatry attendings at both Loyola University Medical Center and the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. The rotation also provides weekly supervision to discuss patient case presentations with the following attendings: Loyola C/L attending, VA Chief of Staff and VA ER Medical Director, in order to provide a comprehensive educational experience.

Loyola Emergency Medicine – One month

A one-month rotation in which the Psychiatry intern functions as an ER resident, performing initial assessments, work-ups and interventions of non-psychiatric patients presenting with urgent and emergent complaints. The intern works under the supervision of an ER attending physician.

PGY-2 Rotations

Loyola Psychosomatic Medicine/Consult-Liaison – 4 months

A four-month experience- divided into separate one month blocks- in which the Psychiatry resident develops a solid understanding of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry by practicing team management through leading the Psychiatry Consult-Liaison team. The team often consists of Neurology residents, Podiatry residents, third-year medical students, and fourth-year medical students completing Psychiatry C/L sub-internships. This rotation provides an exceptional opportunity for the Psychiatry resident to exercise effective communication skills with team members as well as our medical, surgical, ER, and pediatric colleagues by learning the art of completing a consult in the general hospital.

Loyola Child and Adolescent Psychiatry – One month

A one-month rotation in which the Psychiatry resident has the opportunity to observe and work with a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist to treat child/adolescent patients in an outpatient setting at Loyola University.

Hines VA Addiction Psychiatry – One month

A one-month rotation where the Psychiatry resident works directly with an Addiction Psychiatrist to learn how to treat patients diagnosed with substance use disorders in the Hines VA Substance Use Disorder Residential Treatment program. The resident also has the opportunity to obtain additional training in a variety of other outpatient substance use disorder programs, including the Opioid Treatment Program (methadone and suboxone clinics).

Hines VA Geriatric Psychiatry – One month

A one-month rotation in which the Psychiatry resident evaluates and treats geriatric patients afflicted by various psychiatric disorders- including delirium and dementia- in long-term care settings under the supervision of a Geriatric Psychiatry attending.

Hines VA: Adult Inpatient Psychiatry, 2-South – One month

Please see PGY-1 rotation description.

Hines VA Neurology – One month

Please see PGY-1 rotation description.

Loyola & Hines VA Night Float – One month

Please see the PGY-1 Night Float description.

Elgin Forensic Psychiatry – One month

A one-month rotation where the Psychiatry resident, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, evaluates and manages the treatment of forensic patients via the application of medical-psychiatric principles in legal contexts, under the supervision of a Forensic Psychiatry Attending.

Madden Mental Health Hospital – One month

Please see the PGY-1 rotation description.

PGY-3 Rotations

Loyola & Hines VA Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Continuity Clinics

Each Psychiatry resident has five clinics for twelve continuous months, two at Loyola University Medical Center and three at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. The Psychiatry resident has the opportunity to diagnose and treat patients suffering from a myriad of psychiatric disorders in the outpatient setting under the supervision of an Adult Psychiatry Attending.

Loyola Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic

Each Psychiatry resident has one clinic for twelve continuous months in which he or she evaluates and treats children and adolescents diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, mood disorders, and Autism Spectrum disorder under the supervision of a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry attending.

Loyola & Hines VA Adult Psychotherapy Clinics

Each Psychiatry resident has two clinics for twelve continuous months, one located at Loyola University Medical Center and another at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital. The Psychiatry resident uses a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques including psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral principles under the supervision of a psychotherapist to help patients work through various types of mental health concerns.

Research Clinic

The PGY-3 Research clinic is a dedicated hour each week for all third-year residents to deepen their knowledge of current psychopharmacology and psychosomatic medicine. Weekly activities include journal club, resident-led presentations regarding complex cases and medication approaches and case-based feedback discussions. Residents are also encouraged to participate in on-going research projects on pharmacogenetics, inflammatory indices, and gene polymorphisms in psychiatric patients under LUMC faculty.

PGY-4 Rotations

Post Graduate Year Four (PGY-4)

Each PGY-4 Psychiatry resident has one adult outpatient Psychiatry continuity clinic at Loyola University Medical Center and another one at Hines VA Hospital as well as at least one psychotherapy clinic per week for 12 continuous months. The remainder of the time is devoted to each resident's chosen elective rotations. The rotation schedule is developed with the Psychiatry Residency Program Director, and it provides a uniquely individualized, advanced training experience all under the supervision and mentorship of our academic attendings.

Loyola Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Outpatient Research Clinic

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) utilizes an electromagnet placed on the scalp that generates magnetic field pulses roughly the strength of an MRI scan. The magnetic pulses stimulate a small area on the surface of the brain about the size of a quarter.

Loyola and Hines VA Women’s Mental Health Clinic

Residents have the opportunity to provide excellent, evidence-based outpatient mental health care for women with depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric concerns as well as collaborating with Loyola’s Obstetrics and Gynecology service for women before, during or after pregnancy or during other reproductive changes.

Loyola Psychosocial Oncology

The Psychosocial Oncology Program at the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center at Loyola University Medical Center is devoted to helping individuals and families affected by cancer to navigate the cancer experience. The program is designed for the resident to learn the skills necessary to help individuals cope with emotional changes during treatment and after treatment has been completed. Services are available on an outpatient basis and for patients who are hospitalized at Loyola University Medical Center.

Loyola Psychosomatic Medicine (C/L)

Please see PGY-2 rotation description.

Clerkship Teaching Elective

The resident participates as an evaluator and/or junior instructor in Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine Psychiatry Clerkship rotation, under the supervision of the Clerkship Director. It is professionalism-based resident training as an educator in academic medicine.

Hines VA - Telepsychiatry Outpatient Clinic

Chicago-area veterans are using telemedicine services at six Veterans Affairs community outpatient clinics to help treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. The veterans can remotely consult with mental health specialists at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital via video technology. The technology has helped thousands of patients who might not have otherwise sought mental health care.

Hines VA Geriatrics/ Home Visitation/ECT (Electroconvulsant Therapy) Rotation

Residents work with a Geriatric Psychiatrist to assist older adults with a variety of concerns such as difficulty coping with change; stress; death and bereavement; depression; memory problems; family history of dementia; anxiety; agitation; poor sleep or other medical disorders. This rotation provides an opportunity for residents to learn about multidimensional therapies available at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital.

Loyola Medical Toxicology Service

Residents work under the supervision of a medical toxicology attending, performing consults in the medical, pediatric, emergency and ICU settings.

Hines VA - ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) Service

Residents work on the ECT service under the supervision of an attending Psychiatrist evaluating patients for ECT and actively learning how to perform ECT to treat inpatient and outpatient patients afflicted with illnesses such as catatonia and treatment resistant mood disorders.