PSY 417 - Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry Acting Internship

This course is designed for seniors wishing for a sub-internship experience in Inpatient Psychiatry prior to beginning residency in Psychiatry. However, students entering the Primary Care field, who want further experience recognizing and assessing mental illness should also apply. This elective may be beneficial for students interested in Geriatric Medicine, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Psychiatry or other fields that would involve the Geriatric population. The student will be exposed to the Senior Treatment Area at Sentara NGH, which is an inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry unit. This unit hosts a population of patients 65 years or older who often present with dementia, delirium psychosis, anxiety and affective states, alongside the physical impairments of various medical conditions, including movement disorders, cardiac and pulmonary conditions and progressive terminal illness. At this location, the student will work actively with the attending physician and will gain experience in diagnostic assessments, behavioral and pharmacologic management of psychiatric illness and the education of patients/caregivers. Treatment modalities include the exposure to Electroconvulsive Therapy which is an effective and safe option for medication-refractory depression, psychosis or catatonia in this population. The student will follow and manage patients daily and play an active role in team presentations. Common topics on this rotation include polypharmacy, ways to minimize confusional states, interdisciplinary management, palliative care, resources in the community and caregiver burden. Efforts will be made to expose the student to topics of interest.