The curriculum for the General Psychiatry Residency Program at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is carefully designed to allow residents to establish a well-rounded foundation in psychiatry by offering a wide variety of learning experiences. 

Wake Forest provides the most robust and well-rounded training experience in our region by exposing residents to a breadth of educational opportunities and clinical rotations that are second to none! We are proud to have a dedicated and experienced faculty that pushes our residents toward excellence while remaining approachable and encouraging. Faculty frequently spend time with residents in their homes or at other outings in the community. This family-oriented atmosphere leads to healthy departmental relationships and life-long mentoring opportunities.

Our residents gain the core competencies of clinical psychiatry by rotating through an array of faculty-designed clinical experiences broken into 13 four-week blocks each academic year.

Clinical Experiences

Our residents gain the core competencies of clinical psychiatry by rotating through an array of faculty-designed clinical experiences

Inpatient Psychiatry
Residents complete a 4-month rotation in their first year and a 2-month rotation in their second year on the adult inpatient psychiatric unit at HPMC, a 24-bed facility. This experience provides a dynamic environment to develop skills in psychopharmacology and comprehensive inpatient psychiatric care.

Medicine and Neurology
Interns complete a 3-month rotation in the HPMC Internal Medicine Department under the guidance of experienced hospitalists and specialists, along with a 1-month rotation on the Neurology consult service. During the second year, residents complete an additional 1-month Neurology rotation. Interns also complete a 1-month general Emergency Medicine rotation in the main Emergency Department under the supervision of ED physicians.

Emergency Psychiatry
First-year residents complete a 2-month rotation in the Emergency Department Psychiatric Service, which includes dedicated staff and a 4-bed behavioral health unit.

Night Float
Night Float residents provide overnight coverage from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM. Residents receive comprehensive preparation prior to this rotation, and an attending psychiatrist is always available for supervision and support. Interns and second-year residents each complete a 1-month Night Float rotation.

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Second-year residents complete a 2-month rotation on the Consultation-Liaison service, focusing on the care of patients with comorbid psychiatric, addiction, and general medical conditions.

Outpatient Continuity Clinic
The third year of residency is dedicated to outpatient psychiatric care, where residents serve as the primary psychiatrist for their panel of patients under faculty supervision. Residents progressively assume greater responsibility for medication management and treatment planning. Child Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry experiences are integrated into this outpatient year.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
During the fourth year, residents complete a 1-month rotation on the ECT service at HPMC under the supervision of ECT-certified psychiatrists.

Addiction Psychiatry
High Point Medical Center offers strong Addiction Psychiatry training, including detoxification and withdrawal management in both inpatient and consultation-liaison settings. In addition, fourth-year residents complete a 2-month outpatient Addiction Psychiatry rotation focused on management and medication-assisted treatment.

Electives
Fourth-year residents have up to 7 months of elective time, allowing them to tailor their training through additional inpatient or outpatient experiences to further develop their clinical expertise.

Didactic Curriculum and Education Hours

High Point Medical Center and Wake Forest Baptist psychiatry residents will share a comprehensive didactic program delineated below. Faculty from both residency sites will participate in teaching, providing residents with comprehensive learning opportunities across several subspecialties

Our Didactic Curriculum consists of two parts:

  • Crash Courses run for the first 12 weeks of each educational year (prior to the PRITE) and provide residents with on overview of the highest yield information in psychiatry. A specific focus is given to DSM-5 checklists and psychopharmacology to provide a firm foundation for more in depth study.

  • Block Courses run on a 2-year schedule and provide a comprehensive look at specific psychiatric areas of study. Most block will run from 4-6 weeks with longer periods of time devoted to more complex topics.

Education Hours
Education Hours are held once a week and consist of Journal Club, Case Conference and Performance Improvement presentations. Residents are paired with faculty members to cover specific topics of clinical or educational interest.