PSY 420 - Rural Outpatient Psychiatry

This clinically oriented elective will provide the student with exposure to rural mental health care for children, adolescents and adults in the outpatient setting. The student will participate in psychiatric evaluations and develop an understanding of the etiology, presentation, diagnosis, treatment and prognostic variables of psychiatric disorders and the delivery of care in a rural setting The reals of anxiety, affective/mood disorders, neuro-developmental disorders, psychotic illness will be explored. Through evaluations, follow-up visits, and case presentations, the student will gain an appreciation of formulating cases with attention to biological, psychological/developmental and social/culture perspectives. The elective curriculum would include content on mental health disparities in rural areas and in the Eastern Shore. Students would be encouraged to develop case reports with their preceptors. Students will live on Virginia’s Eastern Shore during this rotation in the College of William & Mary - Virginia Institute of Marine Science cottages.