NJMS - General Psychiatry
Residency Program
PRESENTED BY
THE CHIEF RESIDENTS
Program - Overview
 New Jersey Medical School Department of Psychiatry
offers a fully accredited four year Residency Training
Program in General Adult Psychiatry.
 The Program is committed to providing a
comprehensive education in all the important
treatment modalities including psychopharmacology,
the psychotherapies, ECT and TMS.
 Philosophically, the Residency is founded upon the
Bio-Psycho-Social model, which is reflected in the
didactic and supervisory experience.
Program - Overview
 The clinical rotations are located at several primary
clinical sites:
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University Hospital (New Jersey Medical School)
East Orange Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC)
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
 Residents rotate through all of these sites during
the course of training.
 Additional satellite locations include:
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Lyons Veterans Administration Medical Center
New Jersey Medical School
University Hospital
Hackensack University Medical Center
Veterans Administration Hospitals
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital
Department Chair (Interim)
Program Director and Coordinator
Najeeb Hussain, MD
Jacqueline “Jackie” Rivas
Director, Psychiatry Residency Training
Residency Program Coordinator
Clinical Rotations
PGY 1
 Includes 4 months of Internal Medicine and 2 months of Neurology.
 Internal Medicine (~Q4 calls) and Neurology rotations take place in
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University Hospital and East Orange VA Hospital.
Both Internal Medicine and Neurology have night float systems
which do not include PGY 1 residents.
Includes six months of Inpatient Psychiatry (~Q4 calls); two months
each at University Hospital, East Orange VA Hospital and
Hackensack University Medical Center.
On each psychiatry rotation, residents receive substantial one-onone supervision by attending psychiatrists, who guide them through
these early, crucial experiences in psychiatry.
Guaranteed time-protected classes are held weekly every Wednesday
and on some Fridays (while on Psychiatry) or on Tuesday afternoons
(while on Medicine & Neurology).
PGY 2
 The PGY 2 year offers a rich and diverse exposure to psychiatric
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illness and treatment through rotations in inpatient, emergency and
consultation - liaison psychiatry.
This leads up to outpatient experiences later in the year.
PGY 2 residents spend two months in our dedicated Psychiatric ER
working as part of a team evaluating and treating patients in a busy
urban psychiatric emergency department.
The PGY 2 year includes extensive time-protected classes every
Wednesday and Friday (8am – 1pm), 52 weeks a year.
In addition to class lectures and building upon the PGY 1 year,
residents on each clinical rotation receive substantial faculty
supervision in patient interviewing, psychopharmacology and other
clinical skills and topics.
PGY 3
 The PGY 3 year marks a transition from working primarily in
inpatient settings to extensive outpatient training experiences across
a wide range of clinical settings.
 Each resident receives his/her own private office for study,
supervision, outpatient treatment and psychotherapy. Training
experiences include the resident teaching clinic, the suburban clinics
of HUMC, and the VA outpatient clinics which include PTSD and
addiction.
 Residents are trained in many forms of outpatient treatment during
the third year, including advanced somatic treatment
(psychopharmacology, ECT and TMS) and multiple
psychotherapeutic modalities (CBT, interpersonal, psychodynamic,
supportive, shared/split treatment and brief psychotherapies).
 Psychotherapy training includes video-taping rooms, one-way
mirror observation rooms, and weekly one-to-one supervision by
both an MD Case Manager and a separate Psychotherapy Supervisor
(MD or PhD).
PGY 4
 The PGY 4 year is designed to foster independent practice skills after
graduation and to enhance professionalism and life long learning
through advanced rotations and teaching opportunities.
 During this year, residents continue to see outpatients and to receive
advanced psychotherapy and psychopharmacology supervision, helping
them to consolidate their learning in these areas.
 Special classes and experiences focus on career choices, contract
negotiations, financial planning and practice management procedures.
 This year solidifies the residents' psychiatric knowledge and skill sets
and prepares them for their future psychiatric careers, including ABPN
Board-Certification, fellowship and sub-specialization training and/or
job placement and private practice.
Research & Scholarly Activity
Research & Scholarly Activity
 The Department has recently reorganized the research &
scholarly activity component of the program.
 Formal instruction in research methodology continues
under the guidance of experienced researchers.
 A monthly Journal Club with faculty and residents
provides a forum to critically evaluate publications;
residents help to lead these popular conferences.
 By the end of the PGY-2 year, each resident is assigned
an individual research mentor who helps the resident
prepare a project suitable for consideration for
publication.
NJ Psychiatric Society meeting
TMS
 The New Jersey Medical School’s
Department of Psychiatry is part
of the nation's largest free-standing
public health sciences university.
 With a long standing commitment to providing innovative
and patient-centered care, we also offer cutting edge
treatment for Major Depressive Disorder through the use of
repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS or
TMS).
 The residents have an opportunity to observe the
proceedings, participate in patient care and make useful
research collaborations.
Child Psychiatry
 Residents meet their two-month ACGME requirement* in child
and adolescent psychiatry at NJMS - University Hospital.
 The most common presenting problems are suicidal thoughts
and actions, disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety and
depressive disorders, child abuse and neglect, autism spectrum
disorders and school problems.
 The types of treatment provided include crisis-oriented
interventions, psychopharmacological management, supportive
therapy, family therapy and referrals for psychosocial support
services. All cases are individually discussed and supervised
with a Child Psychiatrist.
 *Residents who plan to pursue sub-specialization in child and
adolescent psychiatry (fellowship) may do so after the PGY 3 or
PGY 4 year. When leaving after PGY 3, advance notification is
required and such residents must forgo the two month child
rotation (per ABPN guidelines) and other experiences in order
to maintain Board- eligibility requirements.
Addiction Psychiatry
 Residents spend one month working in the Veterans Affairs Hospital
in Addiction Psychiatry services.
 During this month, residents are trained in the evaluation and
treatment of patients whose problems range from substance induced
psychosis to family crisis.
 Residents are introduced to various substance use disorder
treatment modalities and treatment settings.
Emergency Room
 Residents gain expertise in diagnostic interviewing and
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treatment of acute psychiatric emergencies.
The patients are able to stay for up to 72 hours, allowing
time for a thorough evaluation and the best treatment and
disposition.
An important experience of the PGY 2 year is the 2 months
spent working in the ER, where Residents are trained in the
evaluation and treatment of patients whose problems range
from substance induced psychosis to family crisis.
During this rotation, residents gain expertise in diagnostic
interviewing and treatment of acute psychiatric
emergencies.
Our psychiatry ER also houses a psychiatric screening
center, which staff state employed screeners who will do an
independent screening of all intakes for disposition
planning and committed admissions.
The Consultation-Liaison Service
 Each Resident will do C/L Psychiatry at University Hospital, East
Orange VA Hospital, and/or Hackensack University Medical Center,
working under the supervision of the attending psychiatrist(s) from
that service.
 Residents have the opportunity to teach medical students and nonpsychiatric residents (Neurology, ER, Podiatry) rotating through the
service, who also participate in C/L conferences and case
discussions.
 C/L is a challenging service requiring enhanced interdisciplinary
communication and advocacy throughout the hospital as well as a
refined skill set for the interface of general medical and psychiatric
conditions.
 While it is primarily a clinical rotation, residents have regular
opportunities for interesting case studies, reports and scholarly
presentations at conferences.
General Policies of Note
 Resident Duty hours are applied as per ACGME
standards.
 No moonlighting is allowed due to concerns over
duty hour violation and exhaustion.
 USMLE / COMLEX Step 3 results required by the
end of PGY II year.
Graduation
Graduation Party
After Graduation
 After graduating from our program, our residents
have gone on to fellowships at many esteemed
institutions including:
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Yale University
Columbia University
Tufts University
New York University
University of Illinois at Chicago
Montefiore Medical Center
Long Island Jewish Medical Center
St. Luke’s Hospital
Local Attractions
 Newark, the largest city in NJ, offers opportunities to
enjoy cultural, recreational and educational pursuits.
 Things to do in and around Newark include:
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The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)
The Newark Museum
Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex
NJ Beaches – Famous Jersey Shore
Prudential Center
New York City
Transportation
 Modes of public transport available in and around
Newark include:
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Railway System - Newark Penn Station
Shuttle Service – between NJMS & Penn Station
City Subway System
Extensive Bus System
Air Travel - Newark Liberty Airport
Cherry Blossoms
Dinner Out
Resident Cohesion