Dear Medical Students:

We are writing to inform you about the Psychiatry Residency Program at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. We believe that the program here has much to offer and would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about it.

The Residency Program in psychiatry at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is centered in Fargo. As you may know, the University does not own a hospital but instead uses community facilities, including the MeritCare Healthcare System, the largest provider in the region, as well as the Veterans Administration Hospital, and community mental health centers in both Fargo and Moorhead. This has several advantages, including the fact that community sites must demonstrate their ability to work effectively with residents in order to be part of the program. Given the financial structure of the medical school, there is no pressure on residents or faculty members to generate income, since none of the departmental funds come from clinical revenues.

The program is small, accepting four residents a year, and is known for having a personal approach to the welfare of each resident. The residents are intimately involved in all departmental bodies and influence departmental decisions, and they truly feel they are part of the system here.

Philosophically the program stresses developments in psychopharmacology and biological psychiatry while still maintaining a strong base in psychotherapy training, particularly with an emphasis on skills and knowledge in delivering and supervising manual-based, structured forms of psychotherapy. The residency allows for extensive time in the fourth year for elective experience. During this year residents can subspecialize in various areas ranging from rural psychiatry to clinical research.

The Psychiatry Residency is nested in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, a multi-disciplinary department that includes psychiatry, psychology, neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroradiology. Therefore, despite the fact that the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences is small, the Department of Clinical Neuroscience is large with a total faculty of approximately 130 statewide, mostly clinical faculty. Because of this residents are given opportunities to interact with colleagues in related neuroscience fields.

The Department of Clinical Neuroscience is also gifted in terms of research opportunities because of a close affiliation with the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, a private, not for profit, separately endowed research institute which includes both basic science and clinical research components. Much of the clinical research is focused in the area of eating disorders. Dr. Mitchell serves as Chairman of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and as President and Scientific Director of the Institute. Several faculty members are cross-appointed at both institutions and the arrangement has allowed us to attract researchers of international prominence. Because of this, the Department of Clinical Neuroscience faculty and residents can use NRI resources for research and we encourage as many residents as possible to do so. We are proud of having won the University’s Departmental Excellence in Research Award.

We believe, as do the rest of our faculty, that our program is something special. We urge you to consider our program if your interests lie in the area of psychiatry.

Thanks and best wishes, and please call if you have any questions we can answer.

Yours truly,