Divisional Regulations and Requirements
Probation and Termination:
1. Clinical skills and other criteria, listed in the Assessment of Resident by Supervisor must be rated on the average as competent. Unsatisfactory category ratings must be remediated before the next evaluation. Failure to remediate will result in probation.
2. Interaction between the resident and colleagues, staff, faculty, and patients must be collaborative and professional, to ensure excellence in patient care.
3. Attendance is mandatory in all assigned areas of clinical work at least from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or longer, as determined by the clinical service.
4. Attendance at seminars and supervisory sessions is mandatory unless excused by the faculty member in charge, or the Chief of the Division.
5. Cooperative participation in seminars and in supervision is required and expected.
6. Reading and preparation for patient care, didactic programs, and supervision is required.
7. Examinations, including written exams such as the PRITE and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry exam and oral exams, must be performed at a level of competence that reflects the level of training. A remediation plan will be developed for areas of weakness.
8. Timely and appropriate record-keeping is required. Initial evaluations must be dictated or written within 24 hours of seeing the patient.
9. If the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry faculty, as a group, decide that any of the above eight requirements are not fulfilled, the resident shall be warned of the need to remediate and given two weeks to do so. At the end of two weeks, if remediation has not occurred, the resident will be placed on probation.
10. A resident on probation will be given a fair period of time to remediate (but not more than two months). If remediation has not occurred, a recommendation will be made to the Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry to terminate the residency.
11. The procedure for termination and appeal, as described by the Shands Hospital Office of Graduate Medical Education follows.
Selection of Residents:
Residents are selected based on their academic achievement, personal qualities and ability to excel in the rigors of psychiatric education. For the most part, only those most qualified applicants from LCME schools that the faculty considers as providing a superior undergraduate medical education and General Psychiatry training will be interviewed. All first year child residents are appointed through the NRMP Specialty Match although some maybe selected outside of the match in special situations. The training committee which consists of all the Child Psychiatry faculty finalizes the rank order list. Residents are accepted with the intent that these residents will complete the program, assuming their performance is satisfactory.
Selection of Upper Level Residents:
Upper level residents are rarely accepted and must have superior credentials. Upper level residents will only be accepted if there is a position for them to fill. Selected Child Psychiatry faculty and residents interview all upper level applicants. Previous training is verified by way of credential verification, as well as direct contact with previous training director(s).
Basic Performance Standards:
A candidate for the residency training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at University of Florida must have abilities and skills in five categories: observation, communication, intellectual, behavioral/social.
Observation - A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. In detail, observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and other sensory modalities.
Communication - A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. The focus of this communication is to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. Communication includes not only speech but also reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the health care team, children, adolescents and their families.
Motor – A candidate must have the ability to perform a complete physical and neurological examination, the ability to physically intervene and possible restraint of patients. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movement, equilibrium and functional use of the sense of touch and vision.
Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative, and Quantitative Abilities - These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis of complex information. The ability to make clinical observations, sound clinical judgment and diagnostic assessments based on review of patient history, diagnostic tests and clinical evaluation in order to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan.
Behavioral and Social Attributes - A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must be able to tolerate designated workloads and function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the admissions and education processes.
If you think you may not be able to meet these standards, please contact the program director to discuss potential accommodations.
Health Requirements:
The Department of Psychiatry requires all residents to be in a current state of health that permits them to participate in all required resident activity. If a medical condition or impairment arises during residency the Department of Psychiatry and the College of Medicine will assist the resident in seeking or obtaining the necessary care for his or her specific situation.
Shands HealthCare’s Occupational Health Services department provides a pre-placement screening evaluation, offers vaccinations for certain infectious diseases, performs screening tests on certain high-risk personnel, evaluates personnel who have been exposed to infectious diseases or personnel with a possible infectious illness themselves and provides in-service education.
It is the responsibility of all Shands at UF personnel and other Medical Center employees to notify Occupational Health Services of exposures to infectious diseases or if they suspect they have an infectious disease themselves.
All housestaff shall be immune to rubella, mumps, and measles, MMR vaccinations shall be given to all housestaff born in or after 1957 that do not have evidence of immunity to these diseases.
All health care professionals are urged to receive and provide documentation of the Hepatitis B vaccination. This is also provided by Shands HealthCare’s Occupational Health Services.
