Psychiatry was my fourth rotation during my clinical year. Similar to our other rotations, we had one mid-site evaluation, and one final site evaluation. Prior to meeting with our site evaluator, we were given instructions on what material to bring and how to prepare it. Although we were tasked with submitting the same usual documents, there were extra factors that we had to keep in mind. For example, our drug cards required an article demonstrating the evidence of efficacy of each drug. Although I was initially a overwhelmed with having to find ten articles, I believe that it helped me develop a deeper understanding for how these drugs work, which allowed me to determine what interventions were better for different psychiatric conditions. Another difference between the psychiatry site evaluations and our other site evaluations is that for our H&Ps, our mental status exam replaced our physical exam. For our first site evaluation, we met with our site evaluator in person. We went in alphabetical order (based on last name) answering questions about our cases and helping each other with questions that were more difficult. We did not necessarily present the case to one another but I believe this method of evaluation is more effective for learning. We basically had an hour-long conversation about our patients and I enjoyed interacting with my classmates in this way as opposed to the usual monotonous reading 5-6 pages worth of an H&P.

For our final site evaluation, the structure was similar but we convened over zoom. We were allowed to submit any journal article of our liking so long as it was within the realm of psychiatry and behavioral health. Usually, we have to submit an article pertaining to one of our H&Ps. Because our site evaluator asked us questions pertaining to our case, I made sure to know my case inside and out so that I would be prepared to answer any questions that came my way. I made sure to review my differentials, medications, and assessment/plan extensively. I think it made a big difference compared to my first evaluation because I was more confident answering questions and I had a better idea of what to focus on for the final evaluation.