Introduction

Welcome to the Spokane Advanced Clinician Track of the University of Washington Psychiatry Residency Program! The Spokane program was started in 1991 to help address the demand for well-trained Psychiatrists in communities other than major metropolitan areas. The Spokane program admits three residents each year: two PGY-1 positions via the National Residency Match Program, and one PGY-2 position filled outside of the Match.

The Spokane Track is structured so that Psychiatry residents complete a portion of their training in Seattle and a portion in Spokane. We believe this arrangement provides a rich array of training and life experiences. In Seattle, residents receive training at a premier academic institution with numerous affiliated hospitals and clinics, and a large academic and clinical faculty, many of whom are involved in special clinical programs and a wide range of research activities. In Spokane, as part of a smaller group residents work more intimately with faculty members, with a more community-based focus, while still training at the major tertiary health care center between Seattle and Minneapolis.

The more intimate setting makes it possible to streamline the experience to the special needs of each resident. The close contact with the clinical faculty provides an opportunity to become acquainted with the lifestyle of the practicing psychiatrists in the region. Residency programs in other specialties in Spokane enrich the learning experience and expand the collegial network for those who would like to practice in the area after completion of their residency.

Spokane Track clinical rotations are based on their educational value. Many residency programs depend upon funding from contracts with agencies and hospitals that oblige them to place the residents in certain rotations, regardless of their educational needs. The funding base of the Spokane Track does not have such placement constraints. This means that while in Spokane, in part due to the small cohort and variety of training settings, resident on-call responsibilities are limited to those that are of significant educational value; regular emergency and night call are covered by staff psychiatrists.

Central to the philosophy of the Spokane Track is the opinion that to be an excellent clinician, one must be well-trained in diagnostic case formulation and in applying various treatment alternatives. This requires comprehensive and appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward both psychopharmacology and psychotherapy. The clinical and didactic curricula, as well as other training opportunities, emphasize these educational objectives equally. As you are exploring a future in Psychiatry, we hope you will pay a visit to Spokane to get acquainted with the area and meet our residents and faculty.

Matthew Layton, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor,
Program Director, Spokane Advanced Clinician Track

Thank you for your interest in the Spokane Advanced Clinician Track of the University of Washington Psychiatry Residency Program. This track is designed to provide superb and balanced training for those residents planning careers in smaller, non-urban settings.

As the only medical school for five states (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho), the University of Washington has, as one of its core missions, the goal of training physicians for this region. The Spokane Track grew out of our department's commitment to this mission, as well as the regional and national shortage of psychiatrists practicing outside of large urban areas. The goal of the program is to provide the broad-based training necessary to prepare residents to work as general psychiatrists in underserved communities.

To this end, the program has a unique structure, which combines the strengths of the academic university environment in Seattle with those of the community practice setting of Spokane. Residents spend the first half of their training in Seattle, where they can take advantage of a large and diverse academic faculty, specialized clinical opportunities, and active research programs. After completing primary care, inpatient psychiatry, consultation-liaison and outpatient experiences in Seattle, senior residents in Spokane then benefit from an integrated adult and child, inpatient and outpatient practice, which mirrors the practice of psychiatrists within the community.

Didactics, clinical rotations, and psychotherapy training are planned across the years in Seattle and Spokane to form a cohesive and high quality educational program.

We hope that you will take this opportunity to learn more about the Spokane Advanced Clinician Track. We look forward to hearing from you and hope to meet you in the future!

Richard C. Veith, MD Professor and Chair, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences	Deborah S. Cowley, MD Professor and Director, Psychiatry Residency Training Program