PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENCY ON A MEDICAL SERVICE

During the past 15 years a series of psychiatric residents chose to spend the final year or two of their training as psychiatric consultants on the medical service of the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. A report in the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry¹ describes certain aspects of their professional development in a setting which attracted young psychiatrists who were interested in psychophysiology and in general medicine.

Since they were part of the medical service, the residents were invited to attend the daily "morning report" at which the medical residents in charge of each ward described the patients admitted during the preceding 24 hours. Psychological problems relevant to diagnostic evaluation or to the personal handling of the patient were immediately referred to the psychiatric resident. He was also assigned as consultant to the medical outpatient clinic.

Each psychiatric resident was advised by his supervisor, a senior psychiatrist,