University of Illinois at Rockford - College of Medicine

Psychiatry Teaching Activities

Essentials of Patient Care is a broad-based behavioral science course in which second-year medical students explore the social, psychological, legal and contextual factors that affect patients, physicians and the interactions between physicians and patients. The curriculum is based around four major content areas: the doctor, the patient, the larger system and doctor-patient interaction. These areas were selected because physician-patient relationships are the core foundation of medical care and are significantly impacted by the background, history and present status of the patient, the constraints and opportunities of the larger system and the degree of self-awareness and professionalism of the doctor.

Clinical training in psychiatry is an integral component of medical education in Rockford. All M3 students are required to spend eight weeks on the clerkship which is based at Singer Mental Health Center. Additional experiences are arranged utilizing more specialized programs in the Rockford region. These include Mabley Developmental Center, RocVale Children’s Home, Rosecrance Addiction Treatment Centers, SwedishAmerican Hospital, and the University Psychiatric Services outpatient clinic.

Clinical exposure is diverse and largely representative of the mental health services offered in most communities. Student experiences include acute inpatient services with emergency stabilization, outpatient psychiatric evaluation with medication management, individual psychotherapies including hypnosis, and child/adolescent group therapies, as well as, exposure to developmental disabilities programming, addiction treatment services and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In addition to on-site activities, clerkship didactics include a core lecture series, and the Tuesday Morning Seminar where students research and present a mental health topic for discussion.

The fundamentals of patient interviewing, diagnosis and risk assessment are emphasized throughout this rotation with the expectation that students will develop competency in these areas. Students are also introduced to commonly utilized psychiatric treatment modalities such as pharmacotherapy, as well as a variety of individual and group psychotherapies.