Description of Elective: The Forensics Department at Bronx Psychiatric Center (BPC) serves as the home for the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The division offers access to a wide range of forensic services, spanning criminal/civil consultation, New York State (NYS) mental hygiene law evaluations, report preparation, risk assessment, testimonial supervision, and court diversion services. Working alongside the faculty and fellows in the division, resident trainees will participate in all aspects of this work and gain a unique exposure to forensic psychiatric practice in NYS.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain exposure to the everyday work of a forensic psychiatrist.
- Improve ability to appraise the style and content of a forensic psychiatric report.
- Appreciate the wide range of types of work forensic psychiatrists perform.
- Develop comfort working with patients/clients with a forensic history.
- At the end of this rotation, the resident will be able to explain the different forensic statuses in NYS, and how each status is managed longitudinally by Division of Forensic Service (DFS) of the NYS Office of Mental Health.
Learning Activities:
Specific Role of the Resident: The resident on this rotation will participate (initially through shadowing, with progressively more responsibility depending on resident experience/aptitude/interest) with several aspects of the forensic service, including:
- Performing risk assessment and report generation for hospitalized patients as part of statutory requirements under the criminal procedure law or per primary team request.
- Observe and comment on testimony witnessed in the mental hygiene court at BPC, under the direction/supervision of division faculty.
- Assist a multidisciplinary team at a court diversion office provide client evaluation and court recommendation.
- Residents will be involved in the production and editing of reports generated by the division.
Supervision Structure: Clinical supervision will be provided by Dr. Matthew Grover, Associate Program Director of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship.
Minimum and maximum duration of elective: 1 month
Restrictions: No more than 1 resident at a time