| Residency
Training in Psychiatry
Fellowships:
Clinical Psychology Training Programs:
Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry:
The Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Medical Center has a well-established
Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry. The fellowship has been in existence
since 1994 and was first accredited by the ACGME in 1995. This was the
first year that training programs in Addiction Psychiatry were accredited
and since then the program has expanded extensively.
The Medical center has a long tradition of offering treatment for addictive
disorders. Besides running one of the largest Methadone Programs in the
country, the Institute of Chemical Dependency offers inpatient and ambulatory
detoxification, an inpatient 28-day rehab and a wide variety of outpatient
treatment options. This places the fellowship in the unique position of
being able to provide an incomparable depth of experience to trainees.
Three positions are offered each year and all fellows spend four months
each on a “major” and “minor” rotation.
The inpatient rotation consists of working on the 28-bed dual diagnosis
unit with a multidisciplinary staff, all of whom are experienced in the
addiction field. Fellows gain experience in managing complicated withdrawal
states, often comorbid with severe psychiatric illness. They are also
responsible for medical student supervision and assist in the education
of the PGY-2 residents that rotate through the unit. The concurrent “minor”
rotation consists of providing psychiatric consultation-liaison services
to three inpatient medical detoxification units (75 beds), under the supervision
of an attending physician.
Fellows rotate for four months on the 28-day inpatient rehab unit. While
on this rotation, they operate as members of the treatment team. This
includes sitting in daily rounds, participating in evaluations at admission,
observing and co-leading groups and learning the use of family therapy
in addiction treatment. The “minor” rotation for this trimester
is Methadone Maintenance. Fellows attend clinical meetings at a MMTP and
also perform evaluations. They become familiar with the day to day running
of a Methadone program and learn about the unique regulations that govern
this modality of treatment.
The outpatient experience is an ongoing one, as fellows carry a variety
of cases throughout the year. However one four-month block is devoted
to being the “staff psychiatrist” for an outpatient drug treatment
program and seeing patients for consultation and ongoing care. In addition
fellows co-lead a group for dual diagnosis patients with an experienced
addictions counselor. Fellows also rotate through the Pain management
Service during this time and engage in consultation and treatment of patients
with comorbid chronic pain and addictive disorders.
The Division of Addiction Psychiatry has an active outpatient clinic
and patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and addiction are followed in
the Combined Psychiatric and Addictive Disorders Program. Studies on this
population of patients were initially funded by the National Institute
on Drug Abuse and several important papers have been published around
factors in relapse and treatment retention. Research opportunities also
exist with in the Division of Neuroimaging and Biological Psychiatry,
and in the area of Methadone Maintenance and novel detoxification strategies.
Ample supervision is provided by Board Certified Addiction Psychiatrists,
Attending Physicians and Psychologists who dedicate their time entirely
to the addiction field. The fellowship program is flexible and trainees
can concentrate on a particular area that matches their particular interest.
Applications are accepted beginning early fall and interviews are usually
conducted October thru February. Application packages can be requested
by contacting Lynette Joseph at 212.420.2836 or ljoseph@bethisraelny.org.
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Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (Psychosomatic
Medicine)
Background
Beth Israel Medical Center is 1,368-bed full service teaching hospital,
which has been serving New York City for the past century. In addition
to the general medical-surgical units, Beth Israel boasts several specialty
inpatient units covering HIV/AIDS, Oncology, Physical Medicine/Rehab,
Cardiology, Nephrology, Intensive Care, Cardiac Surgery, and OB-Gyn. Beth
Israel has an academic affiliation with the Albert Einstein School of
Medicine and is a major clinical campus for the medical students' psychiatry
rotation. Over the years, Beth Israel has developed a reputation for a
caring involvement with its surrounding communities, such as the East
Village, Gramercy Park, Loisaida, and Stuyvesant Town. A commitment to
the excellent clinical care of the community and research into the best
methods of delivering such care are hallmarks of Beth Israel, the Department
of Psychiatry and the Division of Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry.
The C-L division at Beth Israel had its informal beginnings in the 1960's
under the leadership of Dr.Max Needelman. Dr. Joel Wallack assumed direction
of the division in 1982 and established the Fellowship Training Program
in 1986. Since then the program has trained over 30 fellows, many of whom
have taken on leadership roles in C-L Psychiatry nation-wide. Dr. Philip
Bialer, the current C-L chief and Fellowship Training Director is himself
a graduate of the program.
The program has been certified by the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine
as meeting the standards of C-L Fellowship Training and has been formally
approved by the hospital's Graduate Medical Education Committee. The American
Board of Medical Subspecialties and the American Board of Psychiatry and
Neurology have recently approved Psychosomatic Medicine as an official
sub-specialty. Once ACGME has established the criteria for accreditation,
we will be submitting an application. There are four full-time faculty
in the division. The length of training is for 12 months beginning on
July1.
Training Program
The training consists of several year-long activities:
1. Clinical and service activities
2. Liaison activities
3. Didactics and supervision
4. Teaching and supervision of residents and medical students
5. Administrative duties
6. Research
| Inpatient and outpatient consultations |
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The consultation service at Beth Israel is a busy
one with an average of 100 consultation requests per month. The
fellows are assigned 3-5 consults per week. Over the course of the
year, they see a wide range of patients with varying diagnoses from
all services in the medical center; the fellows are often assigned
the more complicated cases. Daily work rounds, led by C-L attendings,
are held with the fellows and residents during which all cases seen
the day before are presented and discussed. In addition, Chief-of-Service
rounds are held weekly. The fellows meet individually with Dr. Bialer
weekly for supervision and review of their inpatient consults. Daily
ad-hoc supervision is also available from all of the C-L attendings.
Fellows also see patients in the Krueger Clinic for the Treatment
of Immunological Disorders for 3- 5 hours per week to gain knowledge
and experience working with people with HIV/AIDS. In addition, the
Fellows attend the Primary Care Clinic at PAAC one morning per week
for 6 months precepting medical residents on their interactions
with their patients. Emphasis is placed on interviewing skills and
obtaining psychosocial information from their patients. |
| Liaison Activities |
| |
The liaison experience is tailored to meet the fellows' specific
interests. Past fellows have focused on HIV, Oncology, Physical Medicine/Rehab,
Nephrology, Cardiology, and OB-GYN units. In addition, there are two
weekly liaison ombudsman-type case conferences. These rounds are organized
by the fellows in conjunction with the unit staff and are attended
by medical house staff, C-L residents and fellows, and medical students.
Coping and personality styles, psychosocial histories, managing difficult
patients, and counter-transference issues are examples of topics explored
in the conferences. Fellows will also have an opportunity to lead
these case conferences. |
| Didactics and Supervision |
| |
The full-time faculty supervises all clinical work and liaison
activities. In addition there is a 22 week-long course on C-L psychiatry.
Local experts in this field are invited as guest lecturers for this
course to complement our own faculty. The areas covered in this
course include:
Introduction to Psychosomatic Medicine: History and Overview
Legal and Ethical Issues
Delirium
Psychopharmacology of the Medically Ill
Primary Care Psychiatry
Substance Abuse
Neuropsychiatry of HIV/AIDS
Psycho-oncology
Coping, Personality Styles, and the Hateful Patient
Malingering and Factitious Disorders
The Patient-Physician Relationship
Family Systems in the Medical Setting
Transplant Psychiatry
Death and Dying/ Palliative Care
Psychnephrology
Pain Evaluation and Management
Cross Cultural Issues
Reproductive Related Disorders
The Surgical Patient |
| Teaching and Supervision of Residents and Medical Students |
| |
Fellows serve as the primary supervisor for a rotating psychiatry
resident for at least 6 months of the year. In addition, the fellows
have an opportunity to supervise Family Medicine residents who rotate
through C-L as part of their training. The third year psychiatry clerkship
for Einstein medical students is primarily based on the inpatient
psych units. However, the students attend C-L rounds weekly and one
of our liaison conferences, In addition, the fellows spend one hour
per week with the students going to see interesting cases on the service.
Ad-hoc lectures for med-surg staff on topics such as Delirium or Depression
is arranged during the course of the year. |
| Administrative Duties |
| |
The fellows will have a minimum of two months experience coordinating
the consult service under supervision. This will involve triaging
of consultation requests being called in, assigning them to residents
and staff, and maintaining the patient log and database. Fellows will
also learn about the financial aspects of the C-L service and about
billing for consultations. This will include learning proper diagnostic
and CPT code documentation, as well as the process of working with
Medicare, Medicaid, and other third party payers. |
| Research |
| |
Fellows attend a weekly C-L research meeting during which current
projects are discussed and new projects developed. Although not a
requirement of the training, the fellows are encouraged to develop
their own project or focused literature review. Alternatively, they
can participate in ongoing projects within the division. Past and
current projects include “Missed Cases of Delirium in the General
Hospital”, “Drug-drug Interactions in Patients with HIV/AIDS”,
“The Presence of APOE in Patients Diagnosed with Delirium”,
and “The Psychosocial Impact of Lipodystrophy on Women with
HIV/AIDS”. Fellows are encouraged to write up their findings
for publication and/or presentation at scientific meetings. |
| Benefits |
| |
Beth Israel Medical Center supports a generous package of benefits
to its trainees and staff. The Fellowship stipend is paid at the
PGY5 level for New York City, which is approximately $55,000. Also
included are malpractice coverage, health insurance, as well as
dental, optical, and hearing aid benefits. Fellows may contribute
to a tax-deferred annuity through the Medical center. Housing may
also be available through the Medical Center at attractive rates.
Beth Israel has an excellent full-service medical library, the
Seymour J. Phillips Library. It is conveniently located on the 12th
floor of Fierman Hall.
Finally, the Division of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry as well
as the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel is sincerely interested
in fostering a pleasant and collegial working environment. The concerns
of trainees are taken seriously. There are many opportunities to
socialize within the department and with other medical colleagues.
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For an application and/or other inquiries, please contact:
Philip A. Bialer, MD
Chief, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Beth Israel Medical Center
First Ave. and 16th St., Fierman 509
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-420-4352
Email: pbialer@bethisraelny.org
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