Preceptor: Kseniya Svyatets, D.O.
Coordinator: Jeffrey Sanchez, Jeffrey.Sanchez@NYULangone.org
Contact: Kseniya.Svyatets@NYULangone.org 
Telephone of contact: 212-562-4193

Prerequisites: Psychiatry Core Clerkship

Who should enroll in this elective?

Students who are considering Psychiatry as a career 
Students who are entering an allied field, such as Internal Medicine or Primary Care
Students who are interested in this clinical area 

Clinical site

Inpatient Unit 18N, Bellevue Hospital

Description

This advanced 4-week elective offers the student a unique opportunity to evaluate and treat patients with both substance misuse disorders and complex co-occuring psychiatric disorders on the Dual Diagnosis Training Unit, a 30-bed inpatient psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital. As an advanced elective, the student will gain an understanding of the core principles, foundational knowledge, and essential skills relevant to the specialty of psychiatry. While the patients on this service most frequently use alcohol, cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines or cannabis, the service also treats patients who use phencyclidine (PCP), hallucinogens, inhalants, methamphetamine, and other drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy), ketamine, and GHB. Prescription drug misuse is also common. The majority of patients also suffer from psychotic and/or mood disorders, as well as severe personality disorders, trauma, and significant psychosocial stressors. The student will also learn about associated neurobiology, psychopathology, behavior modification techniques, group therapy techniques, motivational interviewing, and psychopharmacology specifically designed for this patient population.

Over four weeks, students will assume direct responsibility for the diagnosis and management of their patients under the close supervision of attending physicians who are also faculty members of the Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Each student will have the opportunity to lead a weekly patient group such as: relapse prevention, rum and relationships, medical consequences of addictions, and life stories The experience is augmented by individual tutorials, case conferences, and division-wide grand rounds. For students who have completed a core clerkship in psychiatry, this elective is offered at the level of a sub-internship.

Students will be introduced to a breadth of clinical experiences, in the inpatient setting, and encounter a diverse range of cases reflective of this specialty. Students will also join the psychiatry house staff didactics.

Objectives of the Elective

By the end of this elective, through daily contact with patients and didactics, you will:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the field of Psychiatry, building on your pre-clerkship and clerkship experiences, through a broad exposure to complex co-occuring psychiatric and substance misuse disorders
2. Expand your skills in inpatient workup and management of patients with complex co-occuring psychiatric and substance misuse disorders that you may encounter throughout your career, regardless of specialty
3. Learn about specialty-specific history and mental status exams as well as the indications for, and complications of specialty-specific treatments
4. Gain knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of addiction (substance misuse and dependence), psychiatric illness and dual diagnosis
5. Gain insight into the interdisciplinary nature of Psychiatry and how our clinicians interact with other medical disciplines to provide comprehensive patient care
6. Gain knowledge and skills advancing Psychiatry as a career choice

Key Responsibilities of the student while on Elective

By enrolling in this elective, you have agreed to:

1. Participate in at least 35 contact hours of education each week, including:
   • Clinical management of 2-3 patients under direct attending supervision
   • Daily clinical rounds and weekly treatment team meetings
   • Unit academic conferences, division and departmental Grand Rounds
2. Provide communication of any excused absences to the Office of Student Affairs (excused absence form) and to the elective coordinator, in a timely fashion. 
3. Arrive in a timely fashion to all locations to which you are assigned.  
4. Participate in daily morning rounds and patient care with fellows and attendings.
5. Be an active participant in the care of patients being treated by the team, as dictated by the fellow/attending.
6. Attend all didactics provided for trainees, as outlined below.

Key Responsibilities of the preceptor/fellows/faculty while you are on the Elective

By accepting your enrollment in this elective, the faculty preceptor agreed to:

1. Clearly communicate their expectations of you
2. Maintain a supportive clinical learning environment
3. Ensure you have access to a broad case mix and clinical experience
4. Provide the education necessary for you to gain an understanding of the patients and pathology reflective of this specialty
5. Provide feedback on your clinical skills

Didactic Program

PGY2 didactics, Thursdays, 8AM – 11AM
Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Thursdays, 11AM-12PM
Once weekly: Division Grand Rounds, Case Conference, Team Meeting

Weekly Schedule

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Morning	Morning rounds and patient care	Morning rounds and patient care	PGY2 didactics   Psychiatry Grand Rounds	Morning rounds and patient care	Morning rounds and patient care
Afternoon	Patient care	Patient care	Patient care	Patient care	Patient care

Method of evaluation

The student will be assessed by the attending faculty with input from the fellow and team members based on their knowledge, skills, and participation in unit activities and conferences.

Scheduling Information

Duration: 4 weeks
Months offered: All Year
Student point of contact before start of elective: Jeffrey Sanchez, Psychiatry Program Coordinator 
On day 1, students report to: Dr. Kseniya Svyatets, Bellevue Hospital, 18N Inpatient Unit
Students per Period: 1-2