Forensic Psychiatry Elective - NVMHI

This course is designed to introduce the student to the assessment and treatment of forensic psychiatric inpatients. Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) in Falls Church, VA provides extensive treatment to both pre-trial jail and Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity (NGRI) patient populations, and provides competency and restoration services as well. The student will:

• Spend time on multiple treatment teams, to appreciate treatment challenges specific to the acute care of patients referred from the jail, as well as management of the graduated release process for chronic NGRI patients.
• Participate in not only psychiatry didactics, but also have the opportunity to observe and spend time learning directly from clinical psychologists at NVMHI about forensic risk assessments, competency evaluations, psychological testing, etc.
• Participate in any court hearings that may occur (recommitment, annual confinement, conditional release, etc.)
• Appreciate medicolegal challenges inherent in forensic work, including how to balance clinical care and recovery with legal, court-ordered, and public safety considerations.

The student will attend weekly didactics with PGYII residents. NVMHI is an attending-driven hospital, so students will be able to directly work with and learn from experienced attending psychiatrists daily.

Course Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Recognize the medico-legal context of day-to-day clinical practice settings/tasks (eg: exceptions and limitations to confidentiality).
2. Demonstrate medico-legally sound skill sets in interviewing and documentation (eg: risk assessment and management).
3. Apply forensic psychiatry specific skills in both civil and criminal cases, especially when interacting with the legal system.