Program Goals

The VCU Psychiatry Residency Program offers:

• Exceptional clinical learning opportunities in both general and subspecialty areas, with varied diagnostic and demographic patient groups to prepare you for contemporary psychiatric practice.
  
  
• A dedicated, accessible faculty with diverse research and clinical interests who has won numerous national, state and campus wide awards for their expertise.
  
  
• A carefully planned, dynamic didactics program, covering a broad range of diagnostic, psychopharmacologic and psychotherapeutic topics.
  
  
• Individualized training and mentorship in multiple modalities of psychotherapies

“After all the preparation and attention you give to finding your specialty, the program you want to be in and the city in which you want to live, your attention turns to whether or not you will be competent in the field you chose after your residency is done. I had asked various 4th year residents that question during my intern year and it was always the same answer-“just keep working hard, going to didactics and it all clicks your fourth year”. Well, I am in my fourth year, and I can tell you that the variety of patients you see, whether it’s in the emergency department, consulting medical floors or on our inpatient units, does prepare you for practicing on your own. I have had the autonomy through my residency, but especially within my fourth year, to work through most of my difficult patients with the assistance of supervision. The supervision is always extremely helpful. It has been my experience that great deals of the supervisors are also graduates of our program, which tells me that learning and teaching is inherent with our program. I will hope to continue that tradition after I leave the program.” - Dr. Louis Nardelli PGY-IV