USC ELECTIVE

Faculty: Bonnie J. Ramsey, M.D. - Course Director

Institution: William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute

Location: Columbia, South Carolina

Duration: 4 to 12 weeks

Course Offered: Throughout academic year

Number of Students: 2 per rotation

Students Report To: Bonnie J. Ramsey, M.D., Shearouse Pavilion, Unit 170, 8:00 a.m., (803) 898-2333

The educational goal of this elective is to provide supervised clinical experience in adolescent psychiatry with an emphasis on a substance abuse unit. Students will acquire basic knowledge of child and adolescent psychopathology in particular, but will also work two half-days a week in the outpatient clinic where both children and adolescents are seen. The clinic on Wednesdays is a medication management clinic.  Students will be able to function as externs and will therefore have their own patients.  Students will develop clinical skills in interviewing, assessing, diagnosing and treatment intervention with the adolescent patient.

This elective is based in the Adolescent Substance Abuse Unit of the Child and Adolescent Inpatient Service.  This unit serves patients both with substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTS disorders.   Students will participate actively in the treatment program including assessment and diagnosis of patients, treatment team meetings, treatment planning, grand rounds, family, individual and group therapies, and interdisciplinary milieu treatment.  Changes can be made to suit the student's particular interests.  Students will also evaluate and treat any medical problems their patients may have.   If desired, students may also attend didactic series including family therapy, normal development and psychopathology series as provided to psychiatry residents, but is not required.