Letter to the Applicants from the Training Director

Congratulations for choosing to specialize in Psychiatry. This is an exciting time for our field, as new discoveries inform and improve treatment of our patients. Although sometimes difficult, the discipline is very rewarding. Like other patients, psychiatry patients can recover, improve, or manage chronic illness. Our patient population is large and spans the ethnic, socioeconomic, and education spectrum.

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina has a long history of balanced training in Biologic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. A significant number of our residents pursue additional subspecialty training. UNC Psychiatry residents are well prepared for their choice of practice setting, be it academic, public sector, or private practice. UNC Psychiatry residents train in a supervised, collegial, and supportive environment. We have general and specialized inpatient and outpatient settings. UNC Psychiatry residents are expected to actively and appropriately participate in medical student clerkship rotations. Although ours has been a successful program, we are not content to rest on our laurels. Self-analysis and innovation are essential to maintaining excellence.

UNC Psychiatry applicants hail from all over the country. We look for outstanding and academically successful individuals. Our candidates have a variety of backgrounds, special interests, and skills which make our residents a diverse and exciting professional group. In addition to traditional medical school graduates, our program has also trained a number of specialists who switched to Psychiatry. We seek candidates who have interpersonal skills and are eager, and ready, to learn.

If you are invited to interview with our department, we will contact you to arrange a date during November, December, or January. We have a large number of applicants each year, but will make every effort to accommodate requests for an interview date that will be convenient for you. The interview day will include individual meetings with faculty and residents. You will also be invited to meet some of our residents in an informal setting.

We appreciate your inquiry and we look forward to hearing from you.