Forensic and Inpatient Psychiatry Sub-Internship

Department of Psychiatry

  • Course Information

    Course Number: RPSY680

    Prerequisites: Completion of all Phase 2 Clerkships

    Length of Time: 4 weeks

    Phase Availability: Phase 3

    Credit Type: Physician Assessed Patient Facing (PAPFE), Sub-Internship (Sub-I), or Open

    Call: No call

  • Contact Information

    Program Directors: Johnny Williamson, MD; Curtis Austin, MD

    Coordinator/Scheduling: Allison King (aking75@uic.edu)

    Location: Elgin Mental Health Center (750 S State St, Elgin, IL 60123)

Narrative Description: Students will be assigned to an adult inpatient unit at Elgin Mental Health Center, treating either UST (Unfit to Stand Trial) patients, NGRI (Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity) patients, or a mix of both. Patients have been court-ordered for treatment with the goal of either restoring fitness to stand trial, or to stabilize them and step them down to a less restrictive setting. Patients have a wide range of chronic mental illnesses, co-occurring disorders, and personality disorders. The interdisciplinary team includes a psychiatrist, a primary care physician, nurses, a psychologist, social workers, an activity therapist, and mental health technicians.

The admitting physician for patients on the ward is the psychiatrist and has primary responsibility for the patient during the Sub-I. The primary care physician is consulted by the psychiatrist and the student as needed during the course of the Sub-Internship. The student has access to the primary care physician as needed. If available, students may also have an opportunity to attend mental health court via telecourt or in person at EMHC.

Elgin Mental Health Center is a full-service inpatient psychiatric hospital, treating conditions ranging from major depressive disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, substance use disorders, and trauma- and stressor-related disorders – the latter two of which are quite well-represented, something that isn’t always the case in a typical psychiatric hospital.

Elgin Mental Health Center has a robust security team that is on call at all times to address any emergent needs. All students are directed to check in with both the attending as well as the on-floor nursing/tech team before seeing patients, and are given instruction on appropriate safety dealing with potentially violent patients.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Continue to develop understanding of forensic psychiatric treatment, and public psychiatry in general
  2. Develop forensic communication skills, including forensic report writing and testimony (if scheduled and available during the rotation).
  3. Further develop psychiatric interviewing techniques.
  4. Build upon trauma-informed care knowledge and skill set, including delving into the manifold roles that trauma plays in mental illness, involvement in the carceral system, socioeconomic status, and other aspects of individuals’ lives
  5. Demonstrate leadership skills to other students on rotation, and take ownership of their patient load of (at minimum) six patients.
  6. Demonstrate diagnostic and treatment planning skills for a broad array of serious mental illness.
  7. Identify behavioral emergencies (including risks of non-suicidal self-injury, suicide, and harm toward others) and develop treatment plans
  8. Demonstrate understanding of co-occurring substance use disorders, and how to treat them for patients on the road to recovery.

Learning Activities:

  1. Supervised initial psychiatric evaluation of new patients
  2. Individual or supervised (as patient-appropriate) evaluation of forensic patients
  3. Producing accurate medical, psychiatric, and forensic documentation for patients
  4. Active participation (as a member of the treatment team) in interprofessional treatment team staffings
  5. Active participation (as a member of the treatment team) in unit meetings, including huddles and trainings
  6. Active participation in psychotherapy and activity therapy sessions
  7. Active participation in dispositional planning

Method of Assessment:

  1. The existing Elective Evaluation form will be used to provide feedback to the student about their performance. Grading method will be consistent with College policy.
  2. Completion of the Direct Observation Form will be documented.

Required/Recommended References:

  • American Psychiatric Association., & American Psychiatric Association. (2017). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.
  • Stahl, S. M., Grady, M. M., Muntner, N., & Cambridge University Press. (2021). Stahl’s essential psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific basis and practical applications.
  • In Boland, R. J., In Verduin, M. L., In Ruiz, P., & Sadock, B. J. (2022). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry.
  • Readings as assigned by preceptors

Miscellaneous Information: Elgin MHC requires at least four-week notice before rotations for paperwork, badges and required state training.