Resident Shelby Powers, MD, checks on her patients at the nursing station.
Duke’s world-class faculty and cutting-edge medical facilities, as well as partnerships with other hospitals and clinics, afford exceptional clinical training opportunities for residents.
Training Sites
Residents engage in clinical training experiences at two of Duke’s hospitals: Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital.
We are thrilled to have residents working in our newly opened behavioral health center at Duke Regional Hospital. This state-of-the-art facility includes a 42-bed inpatient unit, an 18-bed psychiatric emergency department, and a large neurotherapeutics suite and outpatient clinic. The building is spacious, thoughtfully designed, and flooded with natural light. Hallmarks of the psychiatric inpatient and emergency department include all private patient rooms, access to outdoor courtyards for patients, and ample physician workspaces. Residents rotate at this site for several months over the course of training during their Duke inpatient, emergency psychiatry, and outpatient clinic experiences.
Residents rotate at Duke University Hospital for inpatient med-psych rotations and can rotate at both Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital for their consultation liaison rotations.
In addition, the psychiatry residency program is closely affiliated with the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA)—adjacent to Duke’s medical campus—where residents do rotations in inpatient, emergency, consultation-liaison, geriatrics, and outpatient psychiatry.
Central Regional Hospital, a state psychiatric hospital, is 20 minutes away from Duke and residents also rotate on inpatient psychiatry there.
Hear from Residents
Current psychiatry residents reflect on their clinical training experience at Duke.
Clinical Rotations
Trainees in the PGY1 and PGY2 years complete most of the acute care requirements before proceeding to the more ambulatory and elective PGY3 and PGY4 years.
Neurology (1 month)
Consults at VA
Medicine (4 months)
Inpatient Med-Psych at Duke University Hospital (1 month)
Emergency Medicine at the VA (1 month) OR Duke Pediatrics Same-Day Clinic
General inpatient medicine at Duke Regional Hospital (2 months)
Inpatient Psychiatry (4 months)
Inpatient Psychiatry at Duke Regional Hospital (3 months)
Inpatient Psychiatry at the VA (1 month)
Emergency Psychiatry (2 months)
Emergency Psychiatry Nightfloat at Duke Regional Hospital (1 month)
Emergency Psychiatry at the VA (1 month)
Elective (1 month)
Inpatient Psychiatry (4 months)
Inpatient Psychiatry at Duke Regional Hospital (1 month)
Inpatient Psychiatry at Central Regional Hospital (3 months)
Emergency Psychiatry (2 months)
Emergency Psychiatry Nightfloat at Duke Regional Hospital (2 months)
Consultation/Liaison (C/L) Psychiatry (3 months)
C/L at Duke University Hospital (2 months)
C/L at the VA (1 month)
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2 months)
Child C/L at Duke University Hospital (1 month)
Child Emergency Psychiatry at Duke University Hospital (1 month)
Geriatric Psychiatry (1 month)
Geriatric Psychiatry at the VA (1 month)
Outpatient Psychiatry (psychopharmacology and psychotherapy)
Duke Behavioral Health Outpatient Psychiatry or VA Mental Health Clinic
The required Community Psychiatry, Outpatient Neurology and Addiction Psychiatry rotations may be deferred to PGY4 for more elective time in PGY3.
Outpatient Psychiatry (psychopharmacology and psychotherapy)
Duke Behavioral Health Outpatient Psychiatry or VA Mental Health Clinic
1.5 days per week
Outpatient Child Psychiatry
.5 days per week for 6 months (can be done during PGY3 if preferred)
Electives
3 days per week
See below for elective options.
Residents have one month of elective time in PGY1 and substantial elective in PGY3 and/or PGY4 years. Electives are listed below. Please note that electives are subject to availability and may vary from year to year.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Addiction Psychiatry (at several different sites/clinics)
ADHD
Applied Clinical Informatics
Caring for Hospitalized Patients with Opioid Use Disorder
UNC Wake Encompass (First Episode Psychosis Clinic)
PGY1
For 6 months: weekends off
For 3 months: 2 weekend day shifts per month
For 3 months: 4 weekend day shifts per month
PGY2
During the 2 months of Nightfloat residents have either 3-day weekends or 4-day weekends
During the other 10 months of the year, residents average two 12-hour weekend calls per month
PGY3 and PGY4
No overnight calls. Residents work 2-4 evening weekend call shifts per year (7pm-12am) and 5 evening weekday call shifts per year (7pm-11pm) in the Duke Regional Hospital Psychiatry Emergency Department.
