Description

The Inpatient Addiction Program (IAP) for adults is located in the Generose Building at Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester, Saint Marys Campus. The faculty for the program consists of a staff psychiatrist, a staff psychologist, residents, and alcohol and drug dependence counselors.

Specific goals

1. Acquire skills that effectively elicit a history of chemical dependency
2. Improve general psychiatric interviewing techniques
3. Become familiar with the treatment approach used by the IAP, which involves a multidisciplinary staff
4. Learn to work in cooperation with all staff members
5. Gain experience in the identification and management of various withdrawal syndromes

Activity outline

You evaluate two to three patients a week at the time of their admission. These patients are then presented at the staff conference the next morning. When possible, you participate in group therapy twice daily. Any withdrawal syndromes and medical evaluations are conducted by students under the supervision of the staff. You collaborate with the residents, counselors and social workers when dealing with patients and their families or employers. An hour of supervision is provided with the clerkship director each week. The patient lecture series, presented daily, also may be of interest.

Method of evaluation

Toward the end of the elective, students conduct live patient interviews while being observed and have the opportunity to receive feedback about their interviewing styles. The staff psychiatrist and clerkship director also provide a performance review at the end of the elective.