Fellowship Program Description
The University of British Columbia (UBC) offers an additional year of specialized training in geriatric psychiatry to individuals who have successfully completed an approved residency in general psychiatry. After successfully completing this Fellowship training program, candidates will meet the criteria set out by the Canadian Academy for Geriatric Psychiatry (CAGP) to launch a career in geriatric psychiatry.
The Program capitalizes on the strengths at UBC with emphasis on high quality clinical care, teaching and research. The opportunities offered during the Fellowship will assist candidates in becoming outstanding clinicians, administrators, and researchers in geriatric psychiatry. The goal of the Fellowship program is to provide extensive clinical experience to enable future practitioners with all the skills needed for the practice of geriatric psychiatry. It will also provide a foundation in research for future leaders in geriatric psychiatry.
Candidates develop expertise in managing common clinical problems encountered in geriatric psychiatry including depression, late-life psychosis, delirium, dementia, personality disorders, adjustment disorders and family problems. Specific technical skills are developed, including conducting specialized mental status examinations, performing cognitive assessments, ordering and interpreting brain imaging studies, choosing and monitoring drug therapy, treating the frail medically ill patient, the application of psychotherapy as well as other somatic therapies, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The work takes place in a variety of general health care settings, including the nursing home, the acute psychiatric inpatient units, a tertiary care hospital, acute medical hospitals, and the geriatric outpatient and outreach clinics.
UBC’s Division of Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship is a one-year long program and consists of mandatory clinical and academic components. These include 1) outpatient/ outreach/ community care, 2) consultation-liaison (plus secondary inpatients), 3) tertiary patient care components as well as 4) teaching, and research. These are offered at designated teaching facilities. Currently, these include UBC Hospital,. Vancouver General Hospital, Riverview Hospital, Mount St. Joseph’s Hospital and Kamloops Hospital. The Division of Community Geriatrics, Division of Geriatric Medicine, the Alzheimer’s Clinic at UBC and other programs provide further opportunities for exposure to a wide range of professionals and disciplines providing care of the elderly. Funding from Riverview Hospital, and the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry presently supports one fellowship. Opportunities to explore other sources of funding are available.
Contact Person for Fellowship Candidates:
Dr. Martha Donnelly
855 West 12th Avenue
Centennial Pavilion, 5th Floor D
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
Phone: 604-875-4728
Fax: 604-875-5816
Email: marthad@interchange.ubc.ca
|
Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Guidelines
(12 month Clinical Fellowship)
Core Services/Activities
(Mandatory) | Minimum
(percent of time)
| Maximum
(percent of time)
|
Outpatient/Outreach/Community Care
| 20 | 30 |
Secondary CareInpatient and Long Term Care
Consultations/Liaison experience is mandatory for this portion
| 20 | 30 |
Tertiary CareInpatient and other activity/services
| 20
| 30
|
Academic ActivityDivision Journal Club*
Teaching medical/other disciplines
Reading of current literature
Research Project**
| 20
| 30
|
Electives e.g.
Alzheimer's/Parkinson's clinics/neuropathology
Geriatric Medicine clinics
Geriatric Day Hospital
Geriatric Shared Care
Geriatric Psychotherapy/CBT Group
| 10
| 20
|
NOTE: The following are mandatory during the year, and must be incorporated into the experience: Administrative tasks, committee work, ECT, exposure to neuropsychological testing, nursing home visits, and consultation liaison.
* Division Journal Club: It is an expectation that the candidate must do a presentation at the Division Journal Club (minimum of one / year).
** Research: It is expectation that the candidate must complete a research project and the results presented during the year in a publication-ready format.
Process of designing the year’s core and elective activity:
The candidate, in consultation with the Site Supervisor, and approval of the Head of the Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Committee will allocate the times for each core activity and elective in advance. The guiding principle in designing clinical rotations for all complex patients will be one that provides longitudinal experience and continuity of care to enable acquisition of advanced skills in geriatric psychiatry.
Description of Programs and available rotations:
Listed below are descriptions of the various programs that currently participate in the Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at UBC. It lists the program site, contact information, patient description, other clinical and academic opportunities offered, the team composition as well as the geriatric psychiatry faculty. This will help the candidate with designing the years’ activity to meet their individual needs while fulfilling the criteria required for successful completion of the UBC Fellowship as outlined in the table above.
