The Practicum

The practicum is one of the most important elements of the curriculum. This comprehensive program provides each student with practical experience with patients of various ages and varied diagnoses. The curriculum requires a minimum of two; 100-hour intensively supervised clinical experiences, ordinarily scheduled in the summer terms, where a minimum of 50 patients is seen during each practicum. To comply with APA recommended standards, each student should have a minimum of two hours per week of individual supervision.

Students will have to arrange their own practicum settings, which comply with and are approved by the Practicum Coordinator, or his designate.

Students are expected to spend 100 hours or more with their qualified mentor, usually a boarded psychiatrist or an otherwise qualified medical practitioner. The student observes the psychiatrist/patient interaction, his/her clinical evaluation; treatment (medication) prescribed and understands the justification for the treatment protocol. It is preferred that the supervisee is able to follow patients over time to observe long-term effects. In general, each student should spend sufficient hours each week with a supervising psychiatrist (or other accepted provider) to complete his or her practicum hours in a reasonable time frame (usually 8-12 weeks). The specific hours per week are arranged between the student and the approved practicum mentor.

Case seminars overseen by a qualified proctor are scheduled for students in the summer semesters. As part of the practicum training process, students are expected to present clinical cases.

In review, the clinical rotation will consist of two, approximately 100 hours practicum, including observation and clinical discussion of fifty patients. The goal is for students to observe a diverse group of patients with a variety of symptoms over the course of several weeks of treatment and to be able to observe the clinical effects of psychotropic medications developing over time. Students must keep a complete log of their clinical activities as part of the record of their training. The log should include, but is not limited to: each patient’s concise biopsychosocial history; medical and psychiatric history; medications that the patient is currently taking; allergies; foods and beverages that might suggest negative drug interactions; current DSM diagnosis; indications and counter-indications regarding the psychotropic medication(s) currently prescribed and; drug-drug interactions. Each patient’s log will conclude with a one-paragraph summary.

Prerequisites for Practicum I and Practicum II are successful completion of all prior courses.