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Meet the Residents S. Tyler Bayles, MD I attended medical school at the University of Arizona in Tucson, admittedly a very different place than Little Rock. While Arkansas often does not come to mind when one thinks of cutting edge medicine, nothing could be farther from the truth. Our program does not just cover a single metropolitan area, it is a nucleus of care that serves the entire state of Arkansas, Northern Louisiana, Southern Tennessee, Southeastern Oklahoma, Western Mississippi, and Eastern Texas. More medical services are provided in Little Rock, a city of 300,000, than where I trained, a city of almost a million. Therefore, what may seem on the surface a small program, is in fact a well funded, well rounded, and robust department. Though I interviewed with some “big name” programs, UAMS offered most all of the same opportunities but was friendlier and had a better sense of community. What struck me most about the UAMS program were the camaraderie, collegiality, and happiness of the residents. Residents here are have it good: we have collegiality with faculty that are dedicated to us having a good experience; we are not used simply to generate revenue; we are well compensated; and residents play a large role in structuring rotations and setting educational goals. Of course not everything is always perfect, but when issues do come up, residents play a significant role in resolving them. Additionally, residents here are equal and independent i.e., a PGY-1 is not under the supervision of a PGY-4, instead, residents work directly with attendings. Lastly, as I was interviewing across the nation, I saw many programs that were struggling financially which has many ramifications: residents being used to generate revenue at the expense of education; long work hours; lack of available services; and low morale. Our department is not shrinking, it is growing and growing fast! Our university has a new Center of Excellence: “The Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI),” many new faculty members with impressive research credentials (see substance abuse, outcomes research, geriatrics, eating disorders, and child psychiatry); new facilities including the upcoming PRI and State Hospital complexes; a top VA VISN with two hospitals; an upcoming child psychiatry building at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (itself a nationally recognized institution); and growing resident classes. In short, the UAMS Department of Psychiatry is indeed “cutting edge,” the residents are well taken care of and enjoy a level of respect not found elsewhere. I strongly recommend this program to all potential psychiatry residents – sound to good to be true? Then come see for yourself.
4301 W. Markham, Slot 554, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205 |
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