Didactics

Didactic Curriculum

Protected time for didactic learning takes place on Thursday throughout the entire 4 years of training.  We allocate a full day of learning each week in order to support residents to develop expertise in multiple domains on their professional journey to be future leaders in the field.  Our didactic curriculum complements and expands upon the clinical curriculum to achieve the objectives of the residency program.  We have designed the curriculum to spiral based on years of training and experience gained.  In this way resident knowledge increases in complexity in pursuit of mastery.

Below are examples of our didactic curriculum by year:

PGY- 1  Didactics

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry grand rounds
  2. Boot camp:  Fundamentals of PGY – 1 Psychiatry
  3. Introduction to clinical interviewing
  4. Biopsychosocial formulation
  5. Health, equity, and social justice
  6. Introduction to clinical skills verification
  7. Cultural Psychiatry
  8. Mental status examination and bedside neurocognitive evaluation
  9. Interviewing the geriatric patient
  10. Neuropsychiatry 1
  11. Psychotherapy 1
  12. Motivational interviewing
  13. Crossing the quality chasm
  14. Psychopharmacology 1
  15. Teaching medical students
  16. Emergency psychiatry
  17. Wellness
  18. History of psychiatry

PGY- 2 Didactics

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry grand rounds
  2. Child development
  3. Neurocognition
  4. Forensic Psychiatry 1
  5. Neuromodulation
  6. Introduction to psychodynamic psychotherapy
  7. Psychiatric ethics
  8. Foundations of psychiatric diagnoses and their treatment
  9. Public Psychiatry
  10. Substance use disorders
  11. Quality improvement methodology
  12. Supportive psychotherapy

PGY- 3 Didactics

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry grand rounds
  2. Functional neuroanatomy of the human brain
  3. Pediatric psychopathology
  4. Cognitive behavioral therapy
  5. Dialectical behavioral therapy
  6. Forensic Psychiatry 2
  7. Geriatric Psychiatry
  8. Interpersonal psychotherapy
  9. Critical analysis of the literature
  10. Neuroscience
  11. Psychiatric ethics
  12. Psychopharmacology conference
  13. Public Psychiatry
  14. Human sexuality
  15. Substance use disorders 2
  16. Women’s mental health
  17. Genetics
  18. Principles of family therapy

PGY- 4  Didactics

  1. Massachusettes General Hospital Department of Psychiatry grand rounds
  2. Advanced psychopharmacology
  3. Advanced psychotherapy concepts
  4. Group psychotherapy
  5. Forensic Psychiatry and ethics
  6. Office practice
  7. Leadership
  8. The influencer model
  9. Healthcare economics

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds is a weekly lecture series for psychiatry residents and faculty to learn about topics pertinent to the field of psychiatry. At Northern Light Acadia Hospital, we are fortunate to have a partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with access to their Grand Rounds, which occur every Thursday at noon in a virtual setting. This partnership allows us to learn about the pathophysiology of psychiatric illness and empirically supported treatments from prominent thought leaders in our field, and provides insights into the newest developments in psychiatric medicine and neuroscience.

Journal Club

Journal Club is a 50-minute session held Fridays at noon in a hybrid in-person and online setting, allowing all residents and various faculty to join. Journal Club serves several purposes including staying abreast of recently published literature, teaching how to critically assess articles, determining when and how to incorporate knowledge into clinical practice, and making it a habit to maintain the practice of continuing education. Articles will be presented by residents and will be followed by an appraisal of the biostatistical and methodological aspects of the literature, as well as a discussion about how the clinical information may modify clinical practice.