Curriculum & Clinical Rotations

PGY-1: All first-year residents rotate for six months in inpatient psychiatry. Inpatient psychiatry rotations are spent at the VA Medical Center and the state psychiatric hospital, the Memphis Mental Health Institute. The remaining six months are spent on rotations in internal medicine, pediatrics, and neurology. These experiences are a mix of inpatient, outpatient, and consult services with primary sites being VAMC, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, and Regional One Medical Center.

PGY-2: In the second year, residents continue to expand and refine their knowledge and experience of inpatient psychiatry and rotate at Lakeside Behavioral Hospital. Core rotations such as consultation–liaison psychiatry, community psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, child psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry are completed in PGY-2 year.

PGY-3: In the third year, training is devoted primarily to the outpatient treatment of both adults and children. Experiences in the University Clinical Health clinic as well as in the Le Bonheur CAP clinic enhance residents’ understanding of individual and family psychopathology and of the complex psychopathology and psychosocial dynamics that motivate behavior. On a case-by-case basis, a year-long research elective(one half day a week dedicated to research) may be awarded to a resident in the PGY-3 year.

PGY-4: PGY-4 residents rotate through inpatient psychiatry and consult liaison psychiatry as junior attendings. Electives offered are TMS/PHP at Lakeside, Neuropsychiatry, sleep medicine, community psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, Same Day Access Clinic at the VAMC, child psychiatry at Le Bonheur, and addiction or community psychiatry at Alliance. For residents who have a longitudinal interest in research, research electives can be offered.

University Behavioral Health Center
920 Madison, 2nd Floor
Memphis, TN 38163

The University Behavioral Health Center is the new clinical and academic home of the Department of Psychiatry and is located at 920 Madison Avenue on the second floor. It houses the offices of the faculty and residents in the outpatient clinic.

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Alliance Healthcare Services
602 Malcomb Street
Memphis, TN 38103
*Opening Spring 2026

For more than 40 years, Alliance has been serving the mental health needs of the Memphis community and beyond. As the largest comprehensive behavioral health provider in Shelby County, Alliance offers inpatient, intensive outpatient, home-based, and community based programs, including a continuum of crisis services to more than 22,000 residents of Shelby County and the surrounding areas. Trainees learn to comprehensively assess and treat adults, children, and adolescents via treatment options that include individual and group therapy, medication assisted therapy, peer support services, crisis continuum services, and medically monitored detox for patients with substance abuse disorders.

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Memphis VA Medical Center
1030 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
901.523.8990

Founded in 1922, the Memphis VA Medical Center (VAMC) is affiliated with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and is one of our primary adult teaching hospitals. It offers quality healthcare for the changing medical, surgical, and quality of life needs of the Mid-South men and women who so proudly served our nation.

For the 196,000 veterans from 53 counties in western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and northwest Arkansas, the VAMC offers a variety of services for both physical and mental health needs. New programs include those for traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide prevention.

The Memphis VA hospital provides treatment to acutely disturbed psychiatric patients on a 23-bed psychiatric service that is staffed on a multidisciplinary basis by the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Psychology, College of Nursing, and School of Social Work. Resident assignments include the psychiatric inpatient and outpatient services, consultation-liaison services, alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs, and medical inpatient services, including neurology.

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Memphis Mental Health Institute
951 Court Ave
Memphis, TN 38013
901.577.1800

The Memphis Mental Health Institute (MMHI) has been providing person-centered psychiatric care in a therapeutic, supportive, and compassionate environment to Memphians since 1962.  MMHI is an authorized TennCare provider that often assists patients with severe mental illnesses that don't have access to other resources through the private sector.

Patients may be hospitalized on a voluntary or involuntary basis to receive assistance from the staff of psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, therapists, and coordinators.  The doctors and staff work with patients to help them transition back into the community after treatment.

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Regional One Health
877 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 545-7100

Regional One Health (ROH) was established in 1829, making it the oldest health system in Tennessee.  In addition to being the home of the Elvis Presley Trauma Center, Regional One Health also includes several other Centers of Excellence in Burn, High-Risk Obstetrics, and Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU).  

ROH is the largest medical and surgical teaching site for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.  More than half of Tennessee's doctors will receive some, if not all, training at ROH.  The partnership between Regional One Health and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center includes the UT Regional One Physicians group, the largest teaching physician group of its kind in the Mid-South.

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Lakeside Behavioral Health System
2911 Brunswick Road
Memphis, TN 38133
901.231.4827
800.232.LAKE

Founded in 1969, the mission of Lakeside Behavioral Health System (LBHS) is to provide specialized behavioral health care and addiction treatment to those wishing to heal.  It's 345 acre, 345-bed facility is fully accredited, state licensed, and Medicare certified.

Inpatient and Outpatient services are provided for those with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, dementia, bi-polar, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses.  Lakeside offers weekly on-site support groups for depression, bi-polar, AA, and NA.  It also offers training classes and workshops on suicide prevention. [Photo by LBHS]

Fellows learn the basics of acute inpatient psychiatry, to comprehensively assess and treat children and adolescents who are acute, with different modalities including crisis management, pharmacology, individual family and milieu therapy.

PGY-1: Didactic time is protected for residents, even while assigned on other rotations, and occurs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. We encourage PGY-1 residents to attend primary service didactics when possible and when not clashing with boot camp sessions.

PGY-2: Didactic time is protected for residents and occurs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

PGY-3: Didactic time is protected for residents and occurs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. 

PGY-4: Didactic time is protected for residents and occurs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. 

All PGY Levels:

• Special Topics/PRITE and BOARD Prep: Tuesdays at noon. All PGY levels.
  This series will include PRITE review sessions from July-September. Other topics relevant to all PGY levels will be covered, including ethics, professionalism, wellness, biostatistics, journal club, morbidity and mortality (RCA), board prep, etc.

• Psychiatry Educational Series: Thursdays at noon. All PGY levels. Lunch served.
  This series encompasses adult and child case conferences and grand round speakers. This series runs from September to June. Over the summer, sessions will focus on wellness, physician identity formation, and resources.

• Psychopharmacology: Thursdays at 1 pm. All PGY levels.
  Residents are taught about psychotropic medications, their use, and their mechanisms, indications, and interactions following Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology textbook as well as the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology curriculum.  Assigned reading material and the latest literature will be discussed along with a monthly BOARD/PRITE prep session.

PGY-1: No psychiatry service call. Call on primary care services varies.

PGY-2: Call in the PGY-2 year is all overnight call on the psychiatry service. On weeknights after you have finished 8am-5pm duties on rotation, you cover the VA overnight from 5pm-8am. You answer calls from the unit, see new admissions, and take any overnight consults. On weekend call from 8am-5pm you cover both VA and ROH, accepting new consults, seeing the follow-ups, and accepting new admissions at the VA. Each call shift Sunday-Thursday includes a post-call day off.

PGY-3: There are only about 10 shifts per year that need to be covered and they are typically weekend shifts. Call takes place from 8am-5pm and you cover both VA and ROH, accepting new consults, seeing the follow-ups, and accepting new admissions at the VA. Each call shift includes a post-call day off.

• Each resident is required to complete one scholarly activity by the end of the year. By October 1^st of each year, all residents PGY-1, PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-4 must present to the Program Director a plan for scholarly activity for the year. 
• Examples of some scholarly activities are:
  • Presentation (Oral or Poster) at the annual conferences is highly recommended. Consider conferences like APA, AACAP, American Academy of CL Psychiatry, TN resident poster competition, UTHSC resident poster competition. Educational conferences like American Academy of Program Directors in Psychiatry, Academy of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry, ACGME,
  • A Grand Rounds presentation, including a printed literature search on the topic presented.
  • Journal Club
  • Case Conference
  • Quality improvement projects like intern guidebook etc.
  • Teaching- Medical students, peers, workshops
  • Case studies, case reports, letter to editor

Year 1
Block	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Site	1	1	1	1	4	4	1	1	1	2	6	6
Rotation Name	Inpatient Psychiatry	Inpatient Psychiatry	Inpatient Psychiatry	Inpatient Psychiatry	Inpatient Psychiatry	Inpatient Psychiatry	Internal Medicine	Internal Medicine	Neurology	Neurology	Pediatrics	Pediatrics
% Outpatient	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	100
% Research	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Year 2
Block	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Site	1	1	2	2	1	1	3	3	3	4	6	7
Rotation Name	C/L	C/L	C/L	C/L	Emergency Psychiatry	Community Psychiatry	Geriatrics	Inpatient Psychiatry	Inpatient Psychiatry	Forensics	C/A Inpatient	Substance Management
% Outpatient	0	0	0	0	0	100	0	0	0	0	0	0
% Research	0	0	0	0	5	0	5	5	5	0	0	5
Year 3
Block	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Site	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6
Rotation Name	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	Adult Outpatient	C/A Outpatient
% Outpatient	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
% Research	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Note: One PGY‑3 resident is eligible for research up to ½ day/week if funded.
Year 4
Block	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Site	1	2	2	1	3	3	4
Rotation Name	CL/Junior Attending	CL/Junior Attending	CL/Junior Attending	Junior Attending	Inpatient	TMS/PHP	Administrative Psychiatry/Junior Attending	Elective	Elective	Elective	Elective	Elective
% Outpatient	0	0	0	0	0	50	0
% Research	5	0	0	0	5	0	10

Note: All PGY 4 residents have a continuity clinic in the adult outpatient clinic at site 5 for ½ a day each week.                                                   

Site Key

1. Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center (Memphis)
2. Regional Medical Center at Memphis
3. Lakeside Behavioral Health System
4. Memphis Mental Health Institute
5. University Clinical Health
6. Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
7. Alliance Healthcare Services

Rotation Key: C/L – Consultation/Liaison, C/A Inpatient – Child/Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry, C/A Outpatient – Child/Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry, TMS – Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, PHP – Partial Hospitalization Program

Electives: electives may be at sites 1, 2, 3, or 4. Elective rotations vary from 0-100% research and 0-50% outpatient. Electives may chosen from: Geriatrics, Forensics, Partial Hospitalization Program, Intensive Outpatient Program, TMS, Administrative Psychiatry, Sleep Medicine, Neurology, Neuropsychiatry, Same Day Access Clinic/Clozapine Clinic, Mental Health Intensive Case Management, Medication for Opioid Use Disorder, and Research