PGY-IV Overview
The goal of the PGY-IV year is to facilitate the transition to the roles of independent clinician, teacher, administrator and scholar/researcher.
All PGY-IV residents continue their outpatient work with a selected group of long-term adult and child patients. In addition, PGY-IV residents serve as psychopharmacology consultants for non-physician therapists working in the clinic. They also serve as supervisory back-up call for inpatient service and emergency room.
In addition, for six months, each PGY-IV resident works in a leadership role on one of the clinical services at the Payne Whitney Clinic (including the Inpatient Service, Emergency Room, C/L service, O.P.D. or other) Here, with the supervision of the full- time faculty, the resident is responsible for day-to-day clinical decision-making, supervision of junior residents, and the administration of the service. In cooperation with each other, the PGY-IV resident group works closely with the Director of Clinical Services of Payne Whitney Clinic to assume the daily operations of resident-staffed clinical services to the fullest extent possible. In addition, while serving as Assistant Unit chiefs, PGY-IV residents play a pivotal role in the supervision and teaching of medical students clerks and sub-interns.
PGY-IV residents also participate in the teaching of several pre-clinical courses offered to Weill Cornell Medical Students.
During the other 6 months of the year, when not working as an Assistant Unit Chief, each PGY-IV resident works in an area of selected interest, involving either clinical work, and/or scholarship and research. Residents may choose to participate in any area of clinical work or research in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell or in any one of many institutions related to research and biomedicine in New York City (and sometimes beyond.) Mentorship will be provided for the design of this selective program.
In addition to continuing in intensive supervision for clinical work, PGY-IV residents participate in a 3 hour/week didactic seminar program scheduled during "protected" time. The PGY-IV curriculum includes: forensic psychiatry, community psychiatry, administrative and occupational psychiatry, psychiatry in the wider world ethics and special issues, advanced psychodynamic psychotherapy including brief dynamic psychotherapy.
PGY-IV residents participate in a number of committees active in NYPH and the Department of Psychiatry
PGY-IV residents continue their participation in the e-group experience.
PGY-III and IV residents may engage in moonlighting activities in any of several New York City Hospitals. Moonlighting provides an opportunity to do independent clinical work in a variety of settings and to supplement income. Moonlighting must be approved by the Residency Training Director.
All PGY-IV residents are required to write a scholarly paper that will be presented in a Senior Paper Colloquium for residents and faculty. The best of these papers will be presented at Departmental Grand Rounds. Over the years, residents have written papers on a wide variety of papers. Many of these papers have led to publication. Download the file linked at the right to see titles of the graduation papers from the last four years.