Introduction

The primary objective of our residency training program is to train academically knowledgeable, clinically astute, and caring child and adolescent psychiatrists. We offer comprehensive clinical training with rotations in all major areas of child psychiatry including: inpatient, outpatient, consult-liaison, forensic, school consultation, child abuse, child development, community psychiatry and pediatric neurology. Throughout the training, biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors are integrated so that the resident becomes adept at selecting and utilizing the most current methods of treatment available. While emphasizing clinical psychiatry, the residency program provides ample opportunity for the resident to learn and develop administrative, teaching, and research skills.

Our departmental faculty is deeply committed to the intellectual growth and emotional well-being of our residents. Learning is reinforced through careful supervision of all clinical work, comprehensive didactic seminars which build on each other and are integrated with the clinical program, case conferences, grand rounds, journal clubs, and the mentorship program. Residents actively participate in all levels of training and planning. Evaluation of the program, its trainees, and its faculty receives the highest departmental priority.

The University of California, San Diego Department of Psychiatry is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and offers a two-year residency program in child and adolescent psychiatry. Applicants from general psychiatry training programs throughout the country are selected in a highly personal way. Four residents per year are accepted in order to ensure close, personal contact between faculty and residents. In addition to child and adolescent psychiatry training, the division participates in the training of medical students, social workers, registered nurses, psychologists, and marriage and family counselors.