Academics

Residency Program

Welcome to the Psychiatry Residency Training Program of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma Schusterman Center in Tulsa! We are an ACGME fully-accredited training program in General Psychiatry, committed to training outstanding physicians skilled in the diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders. We have a strong didactic core curriculum emphasizing neuroscience, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, child psychiatry, and evidence-based medicine, among other topics. We are dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the well-being of our trainees and have developed a robust Wellness Initiative that includes resident leadership.

Within our community-based program, our residents rotate at the major hospitals in Tulsa and receive training and supervision from university and volunteer faculty. This combination provides residents with exposure to a wide range of psychiatric conditions and patient populations. We have a strong didactic core curriculum emphasizing neurology, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, geriatric, and child psychiatry among other topics. Additionally, our residents participate in required scholarly projects with opportunities to participate in clinical research, to present at regional and national academic meetings, and to publish original research in peer-reviewed manuscripts.

Tulsa is a very friendly city with excellent restaurants, shopping and cultural activities and the family environment of our department makes it an enjoyable place to work and learn. Please call (918) 660-3518 or e-mail rhonda-wallace@ouhsc.edu if you would like to learn more about our program.

Program Aims:

Our program aims are situated within those of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine, focusing on training physicians to utilize knowledge of social determinants of health, positively impacting the health of the greater Tulsa area, reducing healthcare disparities, and contributing to a more just society. We aim to accomplish these goals by training our residents in community-integrated sites, emphasizing psychiatry’s focus on the intersection between medical/biological and psychosocial factors that lead to illness and impairment. We aim to train graduates who are prepared to obtain board certification in general psychiatry, as well as immediately begin clinical practice in our community, but who may pursue subspecialty training or careers in academic medicine. We want our graduates to be the best versions of themselves possible, to provide evidence-based, excellent clinical care to our community. The program also aims to provide residents with an appreciation for the importance of health equity and physician well-being, so as to be advocates toward achieving the quintuple aim in healthcare.

Advice for Applicants:

Our program uses ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) for both the Main Residency Match and SOAP.

Signaling: As per best practices/recommendations for residency recruitment, we encourage all applicants (including students at our home institution or who have completed sub-internship rotations with us) to signal our program if we are one of your top 5 programs – which we hope we are!

We do not filter out any applications. All applications undergo holistic review by our recruitment committee. Per our institutional office of Graduate Medical Education, the following will result in an enhanced application review:

Graduated medical school 3 or more years prior to residency start date
Graduated from a non-LCME/non-AOA Medical School (IMG/FMG)
Failed 2 or more STEP/COMLEX examinations
Failed 2 or more courses in pre-clinical years
Failed 1 or more courses in clinical years
Had a non-medical or non-parental leave of absence
Academic probation in medical school
Misconduct (felony, misdemeanors)

Each applicant placed on our rank order list must meet necessary requirements for licensure in the state of Oklahoma. See here. International graduates must have a current ECFMG certificate.

We fully accept both COMLEX and USMLE results, and do not require osteopathic medical graduates to take both.

We prefer to see 3-4 letters of recommendation, at least one of which is from a psychiatrist.

At this time we are only considering candidates for PGY-1 positions.

Interview dates: we interview most Friday afternoons October-January. All interviews are virtual.

Interview release dates: we will begin reviewing applications on September 27 and aim to review all applications by November 10. Interview invitations will be sent on a rolling basis throughout this time period and will come via an email from our program coordinator.

Interview response time: applicants are asked to reply to the invitations within 72 hours, during which the interview slot will be held.

Current third or fourth year medical students who would like to schedule a visiting elective rotation with us are encouraged to contact our student coordinator at jennifer-austin@ouhsc.edu.

Access and Opportunity Statement:

Why You Belong at the University of Oklahoma: The University of Oklahoma, fosters an inclusive culture of respect and civility, belonging, and access, which are essential to our collective pursuit of excellence and our determination to change lives. The unique talents, perspectives, and experiences of our community enrich the learning, and working environment at OU, inspiring us to harness our innovation, creativity, and collaboration for the advancement of people everywhere.