Goals & Objectives

St. Luke’s Adult Psychiatry Residency is a four year ACGME accredited residency.

The purpose of our program is to provide a unique and structured educational experience for residents in order to make them competent in the field of psychiatry. Our goals and objectives are in line with ACGME core competencies and include

1. Patient care
2. Medical knowledge
3. Practice-based learning and improvement
4. Communication skills
5. Professionalism
6. System-based practice

Mission Statement

To train psychiatrists that will provide integrated, reliable, and effective psychiatric care to our community regardless of their ability to pay and further transform the delivery of psychiatric care within Northeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. To accomplish this, we will provide a scholarly environment with our faculty and ensure the appropriate didactic, clinical, and experiential environment to graduate excellent clinical psychiatrists. Our program's mission aligns with the larger mission of the sponsoring institution which is to show an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses, and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care.

Residents will also be able to:

1. Understand the fundamentals of psychodynamic, supportive and cognitive behavioral therapies.
2. Understand substance use as a disease and develop a basic understanding of all the associated co-morbidities and treatments.
3. Understand how to practice in an independent outpatient practice.
4. Understand the importance and usefulness of a multidisciplinary approach to psychiatric patients.
5. In addition to having a strong grasp of psychopharmacology, residents will understand the indications and uses for other therapeutics (TMS, ECT).
6. Develop basic and eventually advanced understanding of normal and abnormal childhood development.
7. Develop the skills to manage medically complex psychiatric patients.
8. Develop skills to complete a full neurological and mental status exam and know its clinical significance.
9. Understand how to interpret the literature and how to conduct clinical research.
10. Understand the best clinical practices to improve outcomes and safety.

In addition to their clinical duties, residents are also expected to participate in the education and training of medical students. They will also participate starting as a PGY 1 on research projects. Also, a half-day a week is protected for didactic time and seminars, grand rounds and journal club round out the educational components.