Dear Sir,
Thank you for your response email. Psychiatry rotation is one of the core rotations required by
Oceania University of Medicine for the award of a Doctor of Medicine degree. This rotation is
stipulated to last for a period of 4 weeks. The focus is on common psychiatric conditions, impact
on patients’ wellbeing and treatment plans.
While I appreciate the fact that the clinic is an outpatient one, aimed at a young population it
would still form a good learning ground as the majority of mental health issues first appear
during a person’s formative years.
One of the first things I expect to achieve within the rotation period is to learn how to establish
rapport with the clients and communicate with them in ways that they would understand. I expect
this to be a bit challenging as the clients may be struggling with intense depression, anxiety,
sadness, anger and may not be interested in any form of communication.
The highlight of the rotation would be my ability to recognize and effectively assess common
psychiatric symptoms including suicidal tendencies. I hope to achieve this by learning how to
conduct thorough psychiatric history and mental status examinations.
This rotation would also enable me to witness firsthand the effects of psychiatric medications,
medication interactions as well as side effects. I would be adequately exposed to the overall
effects on the health and functioning of patients as well as pharmacological and alternative
treatments options.
With constructive feedback from the clinicians, I expect to become very confident in my ability
to source information from the patients and their families which would enable me to provide
accurate diagnoses and treatment plans.
Overall, I expect to have a great experience and at the same time, increase my knowledge base in
psychiatry.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Yours sincerely,
Nkechi (Enke) Nweke,