Lahey Clinic Program

The Lahey Hospital & Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program is structured to foster professional growth by blending extensive clinical training and academic development within a supportive and collaborative environment. Located in Burlington, Massachusetts, just 17 miles northwest of Boston, the program enjoys a diverse and extensive array of clinical exposure, including inpatient and outpatient psychiatry services.

Program Overview
This residency program enrolls four residents for each year of training, amounting to a total of 16 residents across all postgraduate years. The residents gain experience in various settings, including academic medical centers, community hospitals, Veterans Affairs hospitals, and specialized mental health facilities. The program promotes a just culture and a focus on safety, aligning with Lahey Hospital's historical mission to provide comprehensive care.

The curriculum is designed to develop psychiatrists who are not only competent in the biological and psychosocial dimensions of the field but who are also compassionate and dedicated to leadership within the discipline.

Curriculum and Rotations

The residency follows a structured rotation schedule over four years:

• PGY-1: This year consists of rotations in Internal Medicine, Neurology, and inpatient Psychiatry.
• PGY-2: Residents transition into Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, inpatient care, Geriatric Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, and participate in a longitudinal ambulatory experience.
• PGY-3: Focus shifts towards Ambulatory Psychiatry and Subspecialty Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
• PGY-4: Senior residents handle Ambulatory Psychiatry, Collaborative Care Psychiatry, Community Psychiatry, and have opportunities for Chief Resident roles alongside elective rotations.

This systematic structure ensures that residents are progressively exposed to complex clinical problems while developing leadership skills and professional autonomy.

Educational Commitments and Research

Residents at Lahey Hospital are equipped with a unique educational experience, including weekly didactics, grand rounds, and various other educational offerings. There is a strong emphasis on resident participation in scholarly activities, with opportunities to engage in quality improvement projects and participate in the Psychiatry Leadership project.

Additional didactics include specific sessions in Clinical Skills, Psychopharmacology, Neurosciences, and specialized psychiatry topics tailored to correspond with the residents' clinical experiences and progression throughout the program.

Training Sites

The main training site for the program is the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, a tertiary care center capable of handling a diverse range of psychiatric disorders. Additional training sites include:

• Veteran Administration Boston Healthcare System: Provides exposure to military-related psychiatric conditions.
• Additional Affiliates: Residents may rotate through several community hospitals and outpatient settings, allowing for varied clinical exposures.

Visa Support

The Lahey Hospital & Medical Center Psychiatry Residency Program sponsors J-1 visas for International Medical Graduates (IMGs). This requires applicants to hold a valid ECFMG certificate for eligibility in graduate medical training.

Competitiveness and Applicant Requirements

As the program is considered highly competitive, successful applicants typically are expected to have graduated from medical school within the last five years and possess strong US clinical experience. The program encourages applications from international medical graduates and DO applicants. A key part of the selection process involves evaluating the robustness of letters of recommendation, particularly from US clinical rotations. Furthermore, applicants should ideally present their USMLE Steps 1 and 2 results at the time of application.

Notably, the program does apply a holistic review of all applicants, meaning more than just USMLE scores are taken into account, including clinical experience, personal statements, and reference letters.