The hospital’s residency program started effectively in September 1997 with three (3) residents; gaining its accreditation from the National Postgraduate Medical College in the year 2000. Designed to offer resident doctors a balanced and comprehensive clinical experience based on a formal curriculum covering major areas in Psychiatry, the program encompasses training, clinical service delivery, and research.
This program has produced numerous fellows of both postgraduate colleges; the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) and the West African College of Physicians (WACP).
Structure and Organization
The residency program is under the department of clinical services which is overseen by the Head of Clinical Services (HCS). The program is coordinated by the Head of Research and Training (HTR) under the supervision of the Head of Clinical Services. The HTR supervises the training of residents in collaboration with all consultants in the hospital with the support of the allied departments.
Our program has a Chief Resident whose role is to support the Head of Clinical Services and the Head of Training to co-ordinate the clinical and academic aspects of the program. The Chief Resident is in turn supported by a Deputy Chief Resident. A local organizing committee, the Residency Support Committee, ensures the residency program runs smoothly. The Head of Training and Research works closely with this committee to assist him in various aspects of organization and supervision. Statutory members of this committee are the Head of Training and Research and a supporting consultant, the immediate past Chief Resident, Academic Coordinator, Chief Resident and the Deputy Chief Resident. Functions of the committee include:
1.) To supervise, track, and monitor rotations of residents and ensure that they are on schedule as required by the NPMCN;
2.) receive and handle complaints from the residents concerning their program;
3.) discuss and resolve issues concerning residents in terms of their performance, attitude to training, etc.; and
4.) report to the Head of Clinical Services and confer with him on major issues that require his attention.
The Academic Program
The institution’s residency program has a robust academic program which is designed to cater for the various skills, knowledge base and mandatory competencies required for the training of a specialist in Psychiatry, as guided by the NPMCN Curriculum. Residents mandatorily participate in the various academic seminars, courses, practicals and mock tests aimed at professional and personal development. They are engaged in academic and research activities, both at a general level and at the level of individual units. These academic programs cut across the different stages of residency – primary, part 1, and part 2.
Mock examinations are also held regularly to expose residents to college-styled examinations.
Clinical Rotations
The hospital currently has eight (8) clinical units, called Firms. Each unit carries out general adult psychiatry services as well as services pertaining to the subspecialty it is named for. Residents rotate through these firms; each rotation spanning three to six months according to college guidelines.
The rotations done by residents are as follows:
1. Firm A: Community Psychiatry
2. Firm B: General Adult Psychiatry / Medical Psychotherapy
3. Firm C: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
4. Firm D: Forensic Psychiatry
5. Firm E: Psychiatry of Later Life
6. Firm F: Substance use Psychiatry
7. Firm G: Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
8. Firm H: Emergency Psychiatry
9. Neurology (Done in the Neurology unit of the Internal Medicine Department, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital)
During each rotation the resident is expected to:
Participate in ward rounds (consultant ward round, senior registrar ward round, registrar ward round) and follow up treatment plans.
Run outpatient clinics of the unit/firm.
Take calls as dictated by the call duty roster.
Review patients and present cases during ward rounds and/or clinics
Conduct Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).
Make academic and seminar presentations at unit and general clinical meetings.
Participate in psychotherapy sessions.