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UNC has an incredibly strong reputation, and the solid didactic curriculum, breadth of faculty expertise, and research opportunities were huge draws. With 7 inpatient units, a busy consult service, and multiple outpatient clinics, I know I’d have exposure to a wide range of clinical activities!"
-Class of 2021 member

The third year of residency serves as a culmination of PGY-1 and PGY-2 while also building upon the residents’ already extensive knowledge base. During this year, the PGY-3 provides inpatient psychiatric services while also treating outpatient psychopharmacology and psychotherapy patients throughout the day.

Rotations

Residents work on a variety of services and all the inpatient units during PGY-3. While on the Geriatric Psychiatry Unit, residents will also have a sub-rotation on the Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) service where they will assess patients’ need for ECT, complete the medical clearance, and be able to perform ECT with the assistance of expert ECT providers within the department.

Rotation Blocks
Consults 3 – 4
Psychotic Inpatient Unit 0 – 1
Crisis Stabilization Unit 0 – 1
Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit 1 – 2
Neurology 2
Child Inpatient Unit 1
Peripartum Inpatient Unit 1
Eating Disorders Inpatient Unit 1
Selective Rotations 1

Selective Rotation

Third-year residents will have an additional opportunity to expand their consult service experience with two 2-week blocks on rotations of their choice. Options either on-site at UNC Hospitals or offsite at another location include:

  • Palliative Medicine (UNC)
  • Pain Medicine (UNC)
  • Corrections (UNC)
  • Psychiatric Emergency Service (UNC)
  • Forensic Psychiatry (CRH)

Neurology Electives

PGY-3 residents will spend two blocks on the neurology service where they may continue their inpatient neurology experience or participate in an outpatient or consult service. These blocks are broken down into one 4-week block and two 2-week blocks, and are 75% time as PGY-3s are still responsible for their outpatient commitments. These blocks are supervised by a neurologist, and can take place at UNC or other locations in the Triangle.

Sample PGY-3 Neurology Electives
Outpatient Headache Clinic Movement Disorder Clinic
Memory Disorders Clinic Sleep Medicine
Pediatric Neurology Clinic Inpatient Neurology Consult Service

Call Schedules

PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents divide weekend and holiday call coverage, during which they round on the adult inpatient units with attending physicians.

Psychotherapy

Continuity of treatment experience is essential to truly mastering the subtleties of psychiatric practice. It is important for residents to be able to follow patients over time, so PGY-3 residents continue to manage a cohort of continuity patients in the outpatient clinic to provide longer-term clinical care. Residents in their third year also spend 3-5 hours per week of 1:1 supervision with attendings.

Moonlighting

PGY-3 residents may elect to supplement their clinical training with moonlighting shifts at the UNC Emergency Department (PES), Youth Behavioral Health Hospital (YBH) or Central Regional Hospital (CRH). While the General Residency clinical experience is very robust and moonlighting is not a necessity, residents have the option to practice attending-level autonomy.