The first year of the 5 year program is designed to resemble a rotating internship year, the purpose of which is to facilitate:
the consolidation of general medical knowledge learned during medical school and applicable to the practice of psychiatry
the application of that knowledge across a variety of clinical situations requiring differential judgment
the development of an understanding of the knowledge base, skill set and complexities of medical practice across as wide a sample of medical specialties as possible
the further development of ethical understanding regarding patient care and the doctor patient relationship
the development of more independent decision making and confidence in managing clinical situations.
familiarity with the health care system and its resources in Edmonton, and with the educational structure at the University of Alberta.
PGY-1 weekly academic half-days are at the University of Alberta Hospital site as the program endeavors to facilitate interactions between the PGY-1 and PGY 2-5 years. At the University of Alberta, our Associate Program Director sits on the PGY-1 Coordinating Committee and helps our PGY-1's arrange their selectives and guides them through this year.
At present our PGY-1 year includes 13 four-week blocks:
Psychiatry - 3 blocks
Addictions
Crisis Services
ER Psychiatry
Internal Medicine - 2 blocks
Cardiology - 1 block
Emergency Medicine - 1 block
Family Medicine - 1 block
Neurology - 2 blocks
Selectives - 2 blocks - options include:
Medical subspecialties (Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Palliative Care)
Family Medicine
Pediatrics
Research
Neuropsychology
Psychiatry subspecialties (not exceeding 1 block)
Vacation - 1 block