Opportunities in Psychiatry

Inpatient services are one of the largest units of the LHSC clinical services and programs. This popular and reputable service provides the most resident and medical student teaching and attracts both locally trained and international graduates.

This service comprises various specialist units, including the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, the Geriatric Behavioral Unit, Short Stay Unit, and the general non-specialized units.

Teams include psychiatrists, social workers, occupational therapists, nurses, neuropsychologists, spiritual care practitioners, residents, and students. Several therapeutic groups run daily, focusing on skills building and brief psychotherapeutic interventions.

Victoria Hospital’s catchment region is one of Ontario’s largest, giving residents myriad opportunities to see unique psychiatric presentations, gain confidence in assessing and managing patients in the acute setting and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to optimize care. During your core rotation in this service, you will work closely with staff to assess patients in the Emergency Department who have been referred for a psychiatric consultation.

The Prevention and Early Intervention for Psychosis Program was one of the first of its kind in Canada, with an aim to provide swift treatment and recovery support for individuals in their first episode of psychosis.  We are one of the few in Ontario that cares for both inpatients and outpatients, and we work with an incredible multidisciplinary team.  You will have an opportunity to perform assessments and provide treatment to both clients and their families, as well as participate in many aspects of client care and recovery.  We also have opportunities to observe and participate in research with a current focus on understanding the brain changes in the early stages of psychosis.

Urgent Care involves outpatient assessments with patients that have been referred by the community or the Centralized Emergency Psychiatric Service for an urgent psychiatric assessment. You will get practice in mental health assessment and formulating a treatment plan for common psychiatric disorders.

The research rotation is an excellent opportunity to work on a research project of your interest. Residents have plenty of flexibility and time offered to pursue your chosen research. Research can lead to many exciting opportunities, such as traveling, presenting at conferences, and writing an abstract for publication.

Residents at Western have the option of gaining exposure to Forensic Psychiatry at the  The Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care, the forensic site of St. Joseph’s Health Care, features a new facility opened in 2014 located less than 20 minutes south of London in beautiful Elgin County. Junior elective rotations and extended PGY-4 chronic care rotations are unique opportunities to learn about major mental illness, violence risk assessment, problematic sexual behaviours, and the interface between psychiatry and the legal system. Residents participate assessment, treatment and forensic rehabilitation. There are frequent opportunities to participate in independent  psychiatric assessments, including assessments of Criminal Responsibility, Fitness to Stand Trial, level of risk and civil psychiatric assessments. Interested residents will have the option of presenting evidence to Review Boards and, when possible, in court. The Forensic rotations feature a high ratio of teaching to service.

This program provides an excellent opportunity to work at an innovative clinic for emerging adults (age 16-25) presenting in the early stages of mood and/or anxiety disorders. This clinic is involved with exciting research, providing the trainee an opportunity to see how to integrate clinical research with clinical care. The resident will have many opportunities to practice assessment and treatment of depression and anxiety. FEMAP provides the unique opportunity to engage in the ongoing ambulatory treatment of often complex mood/anxiety patients and see them through to complete recovery.

Residents will work with patients with chronic or treatment-refractory illnesses at Parkwood Institute Mental Health. This hospital is specifically dedicated to patients with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) at the tertiary level of complexity and includes all spectrum of mental health disorders.

The Parkwood Institute’s patients represent the widest variety of mental health pathology and include the following units:

• Mood and Anxiety unit
• Assessment Unit
• Primary Psychotic Disorders wards
• Psycho-Geriatrics wards
• Developmental Disabilities unit
• Child and Adolescent unit