Psychiatry Clerkship - Patient Care

8 units

Psychiatry is the specialty of medicine that focuses on the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of mental disorders. Mental disorders are disorders of the "mind", by which we mean what results from the operation of specific brain networks that underlie the "mental trilogy" of cognition, emotion, and motivation (From Synaptic Self by Joseph Le Doux, 2002). Regardless of the specialty you end up choosing, it is very likely that you will take care of patients with severe mental illness (SMI). SMI is common, and ranks as one of the top causes of disability worldwide and in the United States alike. Washington University School of Medicine is committed to the education of tomorrow’s leaders in biomedicine and our mission requires a solid foundation in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to care for people with mental disorders.