Day in the Life of a Psychiatry Intern

Written by Dipavo Banerjee, DO

0700: Wake up and get ready for the day.

0730: Listen to podcasts on my way to the hospital. Breakfast is on-the-go or I pick up something from the hospital.

0800: Receive sign out from the night float resident along with a multidisciplinary team of nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, and social workers.

0830-0900: Pre-chart on my patients, reading about overnight events including administration of PRN medications and restraint events that may have happened.

0900-1000: Round on my patients and follow up with social workers regarding patients that are ready for discharge or require a further stay. I usually check in with my attending regarding the daily assessment and plans around this time.

1000-1200: Complete discharges, call consults, and put in medication orders. Sometimes, patients have acute issues that will require a transfer to the medical floors, which I would initiate before noon.

1200-1300: Lunch while watching a didactics lecture, which typically is Grand Rounds or psychiatry safety rounds (M&M).

1300-1500: Afternoons are when the patients attend group therapy. I will complete notes and follow up with psychologists and occupational therapists regarding how patients did during group therapy.

1500-1630: Teach medical students! Also, I go over any clinical pearls and feedback items that I discussed with my attending earlier in the day.

1630-1700: Prepare for sign-out and update the hospital courses for my patients. I also tie up any loose ends from consults I ordered earlier in the day by messaging consultants.

1700-1710: Brief sign out. I update the resident on “short call” about any major events and to-do items.

1710-1730: Make my way back home. I will typically listen to some music and relax.

1730-1900: Walk my dog! Depending on the day, I will make time to cook and work out.

1900-1930: Dinner with my wife, while watching our favorite reality shows/game shows.

2000-2200: Play video games, watch a movie, wind down for the day and get ready for bed.

Inpatient psychiatry can vary depending on the type of hospital and patient population, but generally, you will get a chance to follow up on your patients each day and see the progression of their care. Many of the patients have treatment-resistant depression, catatonia, and schizophrenia. Interventions can include group therapy, supportive therapy, pharmacotherapy, intranasal ketamine, and ECT. It is important to remember how much you learn from a multidisciplinary team.