First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship: Second Edition by Latha Stead, S. Matthew Stead, Matthew S. Kaufman, S. Matthew Stead, Matthew S. Kaufman

First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship: A Student-to-Student Guideby Anonymous

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January 25, 2007: Wagoner found that grades in required clerkships were the most important academic criteria used by program directors to select residents (Wagoner ? Acad Med 1999 74(1): 51-8). Since the psychiatry clerkship is one of these required clerkships, students are naturally interested in knowing what they can do to maximize their chances of doing well in this rotation. First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship begins with a short section on how to do well in the rotation. The advice is solid. Most students and faculty I interviewed praised the breadth of topics covered in this book. Students were pleased with the content, specifically noting that the information helped them answer questions during rounds. Most, but not all, students reported that it was also useful for exam preparation. As is the case with any book, it does not cover everything: ? There is little information in the book about how to present patients or complete write-ups. How important are psychiatry oral case presentations and write-ups? Well, consider that Nuzzarello found that ?50% of students completed the psychiatry clerkship without being observed? (Nuzzarello ? Acad Psychiatry 2004 28(1): 66-70). How, then, did the attending physicians evaluate their students? ability to do H & Ps? They based their evaluations on the quality of their oral case presentations and write-ups. Students often assume that previous rotations will have prepared them well for oral case presentations and write-ups. However, this is not often the case. There are considerable differences between presentations and write-ups in psychiatry and those in other specialties. ? A survey of psychiatry clerkship directors revealed that 24.5% of respondents reported that their clerkship uses an oral exam (Rosenthal RH - Acad Psychiatry 2005 Spring 29(1):47-51). While First Aid for the Psychiatry Clerkship covers most of the topics that may surface during an oral exam, a section on the oral exam would have been helpful. Few students are accustomed to taking an oral exam and therefore lack a specific strategy for success. ? Finally, students who have had other clerkships under their belt, often feel unprepared for conducting a psychiatric interview. Some, but not all, clerkships provide training in this area. Since that?s the case, more emphasis on approaching the psychiatric patient and the psychiatric interview are recommended. Overall, however, this is a valuable resource, one that deserves a five-star rating. Students should recognize, however, that the book has some limitations and plan accordingly.