Clinical Rotations
Clinics and Services
The Stanford University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences offers a wide range of clinics and services in which interns may choose to do their clinical rotations. To read a description of the programs provided by these clinics, select the clinic or service name from the list above.
Clinical Rotations Summary
First Year
The internship year consists of four months of internal medicine divided between Stanford University Hospital (SUH) and the Palo Alto Veterans Administration (PAVA), two months of neurology at SUH, 4 months of VA wards inpatient psychiatry, 1 month of night-float and one month of vacation. Highlights of the year include a successful and popular "big brother/sister program"; a monthly social evening at the home of a faculty member with visitors from the faculty; individual supervision to discuss diagnosis and treatment of specific patients; and opportunity to meet other faculty and residents at Stanford in different disciplines during medicine and neurology rotations. For a summary of the entire residency, including alternate tracks, see our Sample Rotation
PGY-1 Rotations
Stanford Hospital
Inpatient Medicine
Inpatient Neurology
Outpatient Neurology
VA-Palo Alto Health Care System--Palo Alto Division
Inpatient Psychiatry (Ward 4B2)
Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (Ward 5C4)
Inpatient Medicine
Psychiatric Emergency Service
VA-Palo Alto Health Care System--Menlo Park Division
Inpatient Geriatric Psychiatry (Ward 348)
Second Year
The second post-graduate year provides 3-4 two month-long psychiatry inpatient rotations at the PAVA and/or SUH. The essentials of clinical psychiatry are taught partly through conferences and teaching rounds at each rotation site. Residents will also spend three months on a Consultation-Liaison Service at SUH and one month on night-float. Residents also begin to care for a small number of outpatients in Stanford's Interpersonal Psychotherapy Clinic. This clinic provides residents with training in long-term psychotherapy. These long-term psychotherapy patients often continue to be treated in subsequent years of residency education and possibly beyond. In addition, at least two hours of individual psychotherapy supervision are available weekly for each resident.
PGY-2 Rotations
Stanford Hospital
Comprehensive Medicine Unit (G2)
Adult Inpatient Psychiatry (H2)
Geropsychiatry Service (G2/H2)
Psychiatric Consultation Service
Psychiatric Emergency Service
Third Year
The third year is devoted to outpatient work, along with significantly reduced call duties. Residents assume a higher level of responsibility for all aspects of the clinical service. The outpatient experience takes place in general and specialty psychiatric clinics at Stanford and Menlo Park Veterans' Administration (VA). Residents continue to treat their long-term psychotherapy patients in the Stanford Interpersonal Psychotherapy Clinic during the third and fourth years. During either the third or fourth years residents train in community psychiatry at one of the local county mental health clinics or the Menlo Park VA and in child psychiatry at one of the child services within our Child Psychiatry Training Program.
Fourth Year
During their fourth year of training residents are free of call responsibilities! During this year every effort is made to provide residents with programs tailored to their individual interests. This is primarily an elective year with several popular outpatient rotations and a variety of clinical and basic research opportunities. Residents can apply for various fellowships to obtain funding for clinical or basic research.
PGY-3 & 4 Rotations
Stanford Unversity
Cowell Student Health Center: Counseling & Psychiatric Services*
Stanford Hospital
Psychiatric Emergency Service
Electroconvulsive Therapy (PGY4 Elective)
Stanford Psychiatry Clinics
Bipolar Affective Disorders Clinic
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Geriatric Clinics
Individual Psychotherapy Clinic
Medical Psychotherapy Clinic
Mood Disorders
Neuropsychiatry Clinic
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic
Psychosocial Clinic (including Behavioral Medicine Clinic, Interpersonal Problems Clinic, Family and Couples Clinic)
Women's Wellness Clinic
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
Child Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service
Comprehensive Pediatric Care Unit
VA-Palo Alto Health Care System--Menlo Park Division
Mental Health Clinic
Clozaril Clinic
PTSD
Community Psychiatry
Community Mental Health Clinic
East Palo Alto Mental Health Clinic
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Santa Clara
Adult Outpatient Clinic
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