SAMPLE SPECIALTY ROTATIONS
*Possibly subject to change each training year depending on the needs in the community.
**Interns typically choose two rotations to complete for the training year. One occurs for the first six months and the other for the second six months of the year.
University Hospital Inpatient Trauma Psychology
The Spirit of Charity Trauma Center at University Medical Center, New Orleans (UMCNO)
is the only Level 1 trauma center in Southeast Louisiana. It is also one of the
busiest trauma centers in the country and a national leader in trauma related research,
teaching, prevention, and outpatient care programs. Located adjacent to the LSUHSC
main downtown campus, the Trauma Center provides multidisciplinary treatment to patients
with acute traumatic injuries such as motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, and
other accidental or violent injuries. The Trauma Psychology team in the Trauma Center
is made up of Dr. Erika Rajo, LSUHSC faculty psychologist, an LCSW, and psychiatry
and psychology trainees. The team provides psychological screening for PTSD and depression
for all traumatic injury patients, screening and brief intervention (SBI) for patients
with elevated blood alcohol levels, and consultation and brief interventions to inpatients
who have psychological problems during their treatment and recovery at UMCNO. Issues
typically include acute stress disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression,
anxiety, adjustment disorders, and other mental illness.The psychology team works
closely with the inpatient psychiatry team and the trauma and orthopedic surgeons
to provide comprehensive patient care.
The Trauma Psychology team also provides outpatient behavioral health services at
the Trauma Recovery Clinic (TRC), based in the UMCNO trauma surgery clinic. The TRC
improves continuity of care from inpatient to outpatient services following traumatic
injury and provides short- and long-term psychotherapy and medication management services
to trauma patients and their family members. TRC clinicians are are integral members
of patients' medical treatment teams and, in addition to direct patient services,
provide consultation to surgeons and other treatment team members to support patients'
physical and psychological healing.
As part of the Spirit of Charity Psychiatry Research Unit, the trauma psychology team
also participates in research initiatives including prevention and treatment of posttraumatic
stress disorder and other psychological sequelae following traumatic injury, virtual
reality exposure therapy for gunshot victims, and violence prevention programs.
Supervised by Dr. Erika Rajo and Dr. Sandy Hyatt, psychology interns will have the
opportunity to provide psychological screenings, brief interventions, and individual
and family psychotherapy treatment for inpatients at the Trauma Center. Interns are
also welcome to participate in the numerous research projects through the Spirit of
Charity Psychiatry Research Unit. For more information about UMC and the Trauma Center
visit http://www.umcno.org/
University Hospital Burn Center
The psychology clinic at the Burn Center at University Medical Center, New Orleans
is a specialty service under the umbrella of the UMCNO Trauma Psychology team. Our
Burn Center, we are proud to report, is the Gulf South's only Burn Center verified
by the American Burn Association. In brief, that means that we provide a high standard
of care to individuals with serious burn injuries. The Burn Psychology team is currently
comprised of Dr. Nathan Brown (Burn rotation supervisor), LSUHSC faculty psychologist,
though he collaborates closely with the Trauma Center mental health providers as well
as the multidisciplinary burn team (i.e., burn surgeons, nurses, physical therapists,
occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech therapists, dieticians, and more). This
rotation shares some similarities with the trauma rotation; for example, we provide
inpatient psychological screening and short-term interventions for our hospitalized
patients. However, the experience will differ from the trauma rotation because, in
contrast to the Trauma Center, the Burn Center is contained in a relatively small
16-bed unit and patients are often hospitalized for up to several months. Therefore,
interns will have the opportunity to work with a consistent team of burn staff and
to follow patients on an inpatient basis for a relatively longer period of time. In
sum, psychology interns will have the opportunity to provide psychological screenings,
brief interventions, and individual and family psychotherapy treatment for inpatients
at the Trauma Center. Depending on availability and interest, interns may also participate
in the Burn Center's weekly multidisciplinary team meetings, monthly educational conference,
burn research projects, biweekly Burn Survivor Support Group, and observe burn surgeries.
For more information about UMC and the Burn Center visit https://www.umcno.org/programs-services/burn-center/
University Hospital Bariatric Clinic
The Center for Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery is a clinic within University Medical
Center providing vertical sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-en-y bypass surgery to the morbidly
obese. During this rotation, interns will have the opportunity to learn about and
conduct psychological evaluations required for clearance for bariatric surgery. Interns
will additionally have the opportunity to provide screening and brief interventions,
manualized treatment for binge eating disorder, and post-operative health and behavior
assessments. The bariatric behavioral health team works closely with social work,
nursing, dieticians, and bariatric surgeons on a multidisciplinary team to ensure
optimal weight loss success and improvement in quality of life. This rotation is supervised
by Dr. Lindsey Poe.
School-Based Consultation
Since 2006, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry
(LSUHSC) has worked collaboratively to meet the psychosocial and educational needs
of students and families in various schools in and around the New Orleans area. The
purpose of the school rotation for psychology interns is to improve the interns understanding
of the role a clinical psychologist plays in a school setting. More specifically,
the intern learns how to provide effective consultation services to school administrators
and teachers regarding challenging students at school and managing difficult behaviors.
Interns will also learn about techniques and treatment styles that are different in
a school setting from an outpatient setting. Interns will conduct classroom observations,
create functional behavior assessments and behavior intervention plans. Clinical psychologists
do not always get to experience a child population in a school setting whereas trainees
who are seeking specialization in school psychology will be well versed in this aspect
of training. It is important for clinical psychology trainees to gain experience working
with children in a school setting because children spend most of their day at school.
The relationships children build with peers and teachers are important aspects of
their development. This rotation is under the supervision of Dr. Michelle Moore.
Opportunities Academy
Opportunities Academy (OA) is a rigorous, post-secondary full day program for scholars
with neuro-developmental disabilities aged 17-22. During this rotation, interns will
have the opportunity to be an integrated member of the school's mental health team,
participating as a member of the IEP team. They will have the opportunity to complete
integrated Louisiana Bulletin 1508 compliant psycho-educational evaluations in conjunction
with related services providers and will have the opportunity to conduct Functional
Behavior Assessments and create Behavior Intervention Plans for scholars with a variety
of intervention needs in conjunction with teachers and job coaches. Opportunities
are also available to provide individual and group therapy, social skill trainings,
and provide professional development trainings on topics related to mental health
to OA program teachers and staff. Dr. Kristin Callahan provides supervision during
this elective.
CrescentCare
CrescentCare is a Federally Qualified Health Center specializing in the care of people
living with HIV and members of the LGBTQ community. CrescentCare provides integrated
care, including primary medical services, behavioral health, and preventative services,
regardless of income or insurance status. Interns will provide individual therapy
services within the Behavioral Health Department for people living with HIV. Patients
present with a wide range of psychological conditions, including severe mood disorders,
PTSD, and substance abuse. The intern will work as part of a multidisciplinary team
and under the supervision of Dr. Andrea LaPlante.
HIV Outpatient Clinic at UMC
An intern's role at the HOP Clinic is primarily conducting neuropsychological assessments
and 1-2 sessions of individual psychotherapy with patients diagnosed with HIV and
hepatitis. Referrals come from other providers within the clinic. For assessments,
referrals are typically added to the intern's schedule at the request of other providers
who are looking to quickly seek information about patients' suitability for simulant
medications or questioning changes in cognitive status as a result of a neurodegenerative
process. Intakes and assessments are conducted within a single visit so results can
be provided to the referral source prior to patients' next visit with them, which
is often within the next 14 days. This rotation is under the supervision of Dr. Shane
Bierma.