Applying and interview questions

Program questions

How friendly is the program to families/marriage?

Our program has a good mix of single and married residents, and many residents have children. The program definitely stresses the work/home balance and is very accommodating. Our call schedule is very reasonable, especially in third and fourth year where there is no required call.

St. Louis also has a lot to offer to growing families, including great neighborhoods to live in, good schools and tons of activities.

How diverse are the patients we see? Do you see a wide variety of mental illness?

The patients we see are quite diverse both in their backgrounds and the spectrum of mental illness. 

Learn more about our patient diversity »

Are research opportunities available during training?

Yes! View research training opportunities »

How is the faculty guidance/oversight?

One of our curriculum’s highlights is the strong focus on independence with supervision from extremely talented faculty.

As a PGY1, you work on an inpatient team that consists of the intern, attending, and medical students. During that first year, you work with the majority of our inpatient attendings, and they are able to learn your strengths and weaknesses, helping you improve along the way. That one-on-one time with our faculty allows you to learn from a varied group and take away strengths of each attending to add to your own skill set. By the second year, when you are looking for clinical supervisors, the faculty know you by name.

See clinical training and rotation information »

How much diversity is there in faculty?

The Department of Psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to advancing and retaining diversity at every level of trainee and faculty.  Forty-five percent of faculty in our department are women, a statistic that compares very favorably to thirty-five percent at the university as a whole.  In addition, the most-recent group of hires at the university includes sixteen percent African-American or Latinx at the instructor and assistant professor levels.

There is also great diversity in our faculty’s research and clinical interests.  No matter what your interest, you will be able to find someone here to work with in order to learn. From a research perspective, there are faculty focused on cutting edge investigation and treatments in any niche of psychiatry from neuroimaging to neurosteroids. On the clinical side, faculty interests include inpatient, outpatient, child, ECT and other neuromodulation techniques, forensics, geriatrics, and psychotherapy.

What is the moonlighting policy?

After completion of the PG1 year, residents who are eligible to obtain their permanent license and are in good standing with the program are allowed to moonlight internally. Those on J or H visas are not eligible to moonlight due to government restrictions. US citizens who attended a foreign medical school cannot moonlight until after completion of PG3 year because the State of Missouri requires three years of residency training before an IMG may obtain a permanent license.

Is time given off for conferences?

PGY1 and PGY2 residents are generally not allowed time off to attend conferences. PGY3 and PGY4 residents may take up to 5 days off to attend educationally appropriate conferences.

Do I need to have a car?

If you live near the hospital, you do not need a car during your PG1 year. You can simply walk to work. During PG2 year, several rotations are off site, so a car is required to get to these facilities. PGY3 residents will also need a car to get to one of the off-site outpatient clinics.