To supplement the clinical experience, each post-graduate year contains weekly didactic seminars that enable the residents to build a solid foundation of knowledge. During these seminars, attending physicians cover the residents' clinical duties in order to protect this educational time thus allowing the residents to learn free of the burdens of clinical service.
Other didactic experience is provided through clinical conferences, grand rounds, and journal clubs. Residents observe ongoing psychotherapy via a one-way mirror conducted by noted psychoanalyst, Joel Kotin, M.D.
Lawrence Sporty, M.D., a highly valued psychotherapist on staff, also provides weekly seminars on case formulations.
Each 3rd year resident meets with Dr. Sporty weekly for an hour for individual
psychotherapy supervision. In addition, extensive courses are offered to prepare the residents for the oral and written board certification exams.
The strong didactics offered at UCI help explain why UCI Psychiatry residents continue to excel each year on the national PRITE exams as well as on the board certification exams.