Elective Years 3 and 4: Emergency Psychiatry

Emergency Psychiatry

Diversification = R1 Psychiatry

University of Alberta Students: Placement Contact:

RAH - Dr Mark Corie mcorie@ualberta.ca
Misericordia - Dr. Justin Petryk jdpetryk@ualberta.ca
U of A - Dr Bethany Ostrowerka Bostrowerka@ualberta.ca

**Please email the specific contact for the location of interest before requesting an elective through MedSIS

Visiting Canadian Medical Students: visitingelectives@ualberta.ca. Please apply through the AFMC Student Portal.

Many patients referred to either adult inpatient or outpatient settings come from the emergency room. During this elective, the students will have ample opportunity to assess a wide range of psychiatric conditions. These include delirium, dementia, personality disorders, mood disorders, substance abuse problems, psychosocial problems, suicidality, and somatoform disorders.

On this elective you will do psychiatric assessments in the emergency department under the direct supervision of the Emergency Psychiatrist or Psychiatry Residents.

Knowledge to Gain:

1. Gain an appreciation of psychiatric presentation and management in complex medical and surgical patients.
2. Understand the principles of the Mental Health Act.
3. How to obtain informed consent.
4. The principle of the duty to protect.

Skills to Acquire:

1. Understanding the biopsychosocial factors influencing patients to present to emergency departments.
2. Understanding the role of comorbid substance abuse in patients presenting to the emergency department.
3. Identifying risk factors associated with suicide and homicide.
4. Ability to understand how to complete forms associated with certification under the Mental Health Act.

Goals and Objectives:

Emergency Psychiatry include:

1. Capacity to perform assessments in acute situations and make management decisions in a timely manner.
2. Ability to perform a safety assessment of a patient's risk of self-harm or harm to others.
3. Ability to communicate clearly with patients, families and emergency interdisciplinary team members in the acute care setting.
4. Initiation techniques of non-violent crisis intervention.
5. Ability to identify need for seclusion and restraints (both chemical and physical).
6. Identify and manage situations regarding medical intervention such as drug and alcohol intoxication, overdose and withdrawal and acute delirium.

You will be assigned patients to assess. Initial learning may be by observation, but independent assessment of patients, research of diagnosis and management, and delineating a diagnosis from plan is expected.

No prerequisites necessary, but it is preferred that medical students have completed their student intern rotation in psychiatry.