Combined medicine and psychiatry training provides a broad foundation in both internal medicine and psychiatry to meet the needs of patients in a holistic way that includes the body, the brain, and the mind.
Med-Psych training prepares physicians for comprehensive and integrated care of all patients, particularly those who are in complex social, medical, and psychiatric situations. Med-Psych training also provides an opportunity to learn about the care of individuals with overlapping medical and psychiatric problems.
Some providers may focus on the medical care of patients with psychiatric illness, who experience lower rates of preventative care and higher mortality rates.
There are many possible career paths for a dual-trained internist-psychiatrist, including specialization in addressing:
- Health/health care disparities
- Medical complexity
- Functional or psychosomatic disorders
- Palliative care
- Geriatric care
- Collaborative care
- And many other opportunities to apply Med-Psych training.
Med-Psych physicians know that optimal care delivery requires innovation, and they are often leaders in creating new models of care.
Why choose Med-Psych at Duke?
- The program is well-established and stable, with strong support and respect from both the Department of Medicine and Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.
- Both departments have top categorical residency programs and are national leaders in clinical care and research.
- The Med-Psych program is sizable, with enough residents for collegiality, group identity, and learning from each other.
- Duke has a number of dual-trained faculty, many who graduated from this program, providing a supportive group of like-minded mentors.
- Opportunities exist for integrated clinical experience such as the Med-Psych service, integrated Med-Psych medical home, collaborative care in the primary care setting, pain-psychiatry and palliative care-psychiatry.
- There are opportunities for global health electives.