A Day in the Life of a Yale Psychiatry Resident

My Background

Hi, my name is Sanam! I grew up in Queens in New York City and attended college in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins, where I studied public health. I completed a gap year as a research assistant, studying hearing loss before starting medical school at Weill Cornell. During my psych clerkship, I completely fell in love with the field. I appreciated getting to know my patients and their stories in figuring out a treatment plan involving therapy, medications, and family support. I was also heavily involved with the Wellness Qlinic, a free student run mental health clinic for LGBTQ adults in New York. Through that experience, I was able to help lead a DBT group and work in the outpatient setting, which I really enjoyed.

Why I Chose Yale

During the residency interview season, I was really drawn to Yale for its emphasis on community psychiatry. I especially appreciated the opportunity to rotate at Connecticut Mental Health Center and that residents can complete a fellowship in community psych during PGY4. Yale psychiatry residents also work with such a diverse patient population from New Haven and surrounding areas. I also appreciated all the opportunities to engage in scholarly work for all residents (not just those in the research track)!

My Schedule

I’m currently a PGY-1, so my year is a mix of off service (Medicine and Neurology) and on service (Psychiatry!) rotations. So far this year, I’ve done mostly off service rotations, including medicine floors, nights, clinic and the neurology consult service. These rotations can be a bit tougher so I’m happy to have a good chunk of them done. Also, it’s really nice that as interns we get outpatient medicine experiences because we tend to learn how to manage things our psych patients may experience.

This month, I’m rotating on LV-2, the adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit at the Yale Psychiatric Hospital. Every intern does either one or two months of this experience.

I typically wake up at 7 AM, get ready for the day, pack my lunch, give my cat (Suki) a kiss, and head to work. I get in a few minutes before 8 AM usually, get sign out from the overnight resident, and do a quick chart review on my patients. At 8:15 AM, we have morning report with nursing, social work, occupational therapy, and the medical team, during which we discuss what’s going on with each patient on the unit, aftercare plans, and any relevant changes in their medication. Afterwards, we see our patients as a team (usually me, the attending, the medical student +/- social worker). This usually takes an hour or two depending on the day. By 11 AM, I return to the resident workroom and start on tasks for the day, including writing notes, calling families, and putting in orders.

Depending on how busy the day is, I either eat in the workroom or try to sit outside (also depending on weather!) with co-residents rotating at the psych hospital or the main hospital. I try to bring lunch, but I am often tempted by the smoothie/bowl place right next door or all the food carts on Cedar Street. After lunch, I finish up tasks, check in with patients, and finalize the plan for each patient with the attending. Around this time, we also find out if we have any admissions (usually between 0 and 3), which we divvy up between the two interns on LV-2. If completing an admission, I chart review, do a full psych interview, call family for collateral, and write my note. This takes about an hour or two depending on how complex the patient is. By 5 PM, we’re usually done with our work and get ready for sign out to the night resident.

After work, I usually head home and try (key word try!) to go to the gym. In the evenings, my partner and I usually cook dinner together, hang out with Suki, watch TV or read, and head to bed. Usually once a week (or more!) I hang out with co-residents. We alternate between going out to eat, getting ice cream, or watching a movie. This past week, though, the evenings were a bit busier! We had a PGY-1 Friendsgiving potluck over the weekend, our residency wide “Rices of the World: Decolonizing Thanksgiving” event on Monday, and a forum with our new program director on Tuesday!

Where I Live

I live in East Rock, a cozy, residential neighborhood in New Haven. There’s a lot of ~young people~ around (residents and grad students mainly) and I’m walking distance from cafes, delis, and cute little shops. I also have a short commute to work, and can easily get to downtown, Wooster Square, and surrounding towns.

My Favorite Things to do In/Around New Haven

My ABSOLUTE favorite place in New Haven is Elena’s on Orange, a soft serve ice cream place that has creative seasonal specials every week. Some stand outs include their sweet basil, paw paw and iced latte flavors. I’m also a huge fan of East Rock Breads, a bakery that’s sadly only open 4 days a week. I also really appreciate how much coffee shops New Haven has to offer. Other great food spots in/around New Haven are Mecha Noodle Bar, Lumi Asian Fusion, and Natural Kitchen. (Hot take is that I’m not THAT into the pizza around here).

There’s also a lot of great nature in and around New Haven. It’s very easy to do a quick hike up THE east rock, drive 15-20 minutes away for a longer hike, or spend the day at the beach on a nice day off.

Final Thoughts

Application season is very long and anxiety-provoking. Try to take care of yourself and take it one step at a time!

Hey, my name is Ari! I was born in Iran, but my family relocated quite a bit before settling in Atlanta, GA. Growing up, I saw firsthand how supportive communities and access to mental health resources were vital in helping my family process their trauma and rebuild their lives. Witnessing the human capacity for resilience, when given adequate support, initially sparked my interest in psychiatry.

During my time as an undergrad at Rice University in Texas and later during my gap years in NYC (I’ve moved around a lot!), I worked hard to forge my identity and explore my many interests within medicine. Along the way, I discovered a strong passion for LGBTQ+ health, social justice, preventive medicine, and mentorship. When I started medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, I kept an open mind about different specialties, but deep down, I knew where my heart was. By the first week of my psychiatry rotation, there was no doubt that psychiatry was my calling.

What I value most about psychiatry is its holistic approach to understanding patients as dynamic, multifaceted individuals, rather than reducing them to a diagnosis. It’s a privilege to learn each patient's unique story, struggles, fears, and joys; I’m continually inspired by their resilience and courage in the face of profound challenges. The work is deeply fulfilling, also allowing me to draw on my own life experiences—some of which once felt disconnected and senseless—and channel them into a meaningful purpose.

Yale Psych felt like the perfect fit for so many reasons! I deeply value ~vibes~, and the sense of community at Yale was unmistakable. It was clear how much the residents loved and supported one another. From the very beginning, I felt like I was among a group of like-minded individuals where I could authentically be myself. I also appreciated how candid the residents were—they openly shared both the strengths of the program as well as areas for growth, which made me feel they genuinely wanted applicants to make a well-informed decision.

Yale offers incredible opportunities to work with transitional-aged youth, an area I’m particularly passionate about. I was especially excited about the WS3 unit at Yale Psychiatric Hospital (which ended up being my first rotation!), as well as Young Adult Services and the STEP Program (Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis) at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. The program’s focus on advocacy and its flexibility to pursue my diverse interests within psychiatry made me feel that Yale would be the perfect place to grow both personally and professionally.

As a PGY1, I complete a combination of on-service (8 month-long blocks of psychiatry) and off-service rotations (5 blocks of both inpatient and outpatient medicine + 2 blocks of neurology). During the first year, we also have 4 weeks of vacation and a block of PREP, where we have dedicated time to pursue a scholarly project of our choosing.

This month, I’m rotating on Branford Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), a “step-down” treatment option for adolescent patients transitioning from inpatient care. Adolescents in the program participate in structured therapy and medication management four afternoons a week for 6-8 weeks, while still living at home and attending school in the mornings. Through this rotation, I’m gaining hands-on experience with a variety of therapeutic modalities, including group CBT and DBT, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, family therapy, and supportive therapy. I’m also becoming more comfortable practicing psychiatry through both in-person and virtual platforms. 

My schedule at Branford varies depending on the day of the week. On Mondays, I’m primarily in-person and on-site in Branford, CT. *Fun fact*: I don’t own a car and so far have been able to get by without one. I wake up around 7 AM-ish (or my cat wakes me up to feed him before that) and take the 8 AM bus from New Haven to Branford. At 8:30, I join the interdisciplinary staff for a safety huddle, during which we share clinical updates on our patients and debrief from the previous day. I then meet with the social work team to discuss a case using the biopsychosocial model. Around 10 AM, I meet with our amazing APD, Dr. Lekwauwa, to review patient cases and go over the readings from the past week. From 12-1 PM, I take a lunch break. In the afternoons, I assist with new patient intakes. I also check in with my current patients to assess how their medications are working and make adjustments as needed. By 4:30 PM, I wrap up my notes and catch the bus back to New Haven.

On Tuesdays, I stay in New Haven and focus on telepsychiatry. I usually do an early workout, attend the virtual safety huddle, and review articles on adolescent psychiatry while also hanging out with my cats. I then attend the lunch didactics at Yale Psychiatric Hospital from 12-1 PM. In the afternoon, I work with Dr. Gunawardana to conduct telepsychiatry appointments and observe a virtual CBT group.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I head to Branford around 11 AM and work with Dr. Yuen for the rest of the day. One of my favorite parts of the rotation is observing a family intervention program founded by Dr. Yuen called CHATogether (which stands for Yale Compassionate Home, Action Together). This initiative is designed to improve communication between children and parents by combining therapeutic techniques with the creative arts.

After work, I work out, hang out with my lovely co-residents, go on ~spontaneous~ adventures in and around New Haven, and spend time with my cats, Mr. Moo and Miss Peach.

I live near Wooster Square, in a very colorful apartment filled with lots of cat hair, plants, and natural light. I’m about a 10-15 minute walk from the Yale Psychiatric Hospital and the main Yale hospital. I’m also very conveniently located by three of the Wooster Street pizza spots (Sally’s Apizza, Frank Pepe, and Zeneli!) as well as multiple coffee shops, dessert shops, and a farmer’s market.

Having lived in NY for the past seven years, I was initially apprehensive about moving to a smaller town. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by just how much there is to do here!

My coresident Sanam and I are Elena’s biggest fans! We go there at least twice a week to try all their rotating flavors. Some of my favorites have been horchata, sweet basil, iced latte, and almond. I’m also a huge Gioia enthusiast, especially their rooftop and gelato! My other favorite places include House of Naan for Indian food, Barcelona for tapas, Mecha Noodle Bar, Nice Day Chinese, BAR and Nolo for pizza, SoBol for açaí bowls, Pistachio Cafe, Atticus Market, Te Amo for happy hour, and East Rock Brewery. Oh also, the food trucks between Yale’s main hospital and the psychiatric hospital have saved my life countless times.

I usually go on runs around East Rock, Edgerton Park, the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, and across Yale’s campuses. I’m also really into hiking! Sleeping Giant State Park, which is about a 15-minute drive north, has 30+ hiking trails I’ve been checking out.

Remember this: You are a star. You’re bringing your unique skills, passions, and perspectives to the table — qualities no one else can replicate. This process is about finding the programs that will nurture and support YOU as you continue to grow personally and professionally. We’re all rooting for you! You’ve already accomplished so much, and I have no doubt you’ll keep making the world a brighter place. Please reach out if we can offer you any help or support along the way!

My Background

I'm a second-generation American from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. I was born in Queens, NY and spent most of my childhood in Upstate NY. I found myself, almost instinctively, drawn back to NYC for part of my adult years and I still like to think of myself as a NYer (although my NYC friends will unwaveringly disagree). I grew up attending significantly underfunded public schools in Syracuse, NY where the hallways were filled with vibrant culture and a comforting amalgam of languages from around the world. Volunteering with local refugee organizations in Syracuse got me interested in ideas of difference and bridging cultural divides within communities. I developed a curiosity for medicine and advocacy while translating for my grandmother at her medical appointments and witnessing the barriers to care she faced while trying to navigate the health system as a non-English speaker. As an undergraduate student at Bard College, I became further invested in healthcare inequities and restorative justice work. After spending time grappling with the severe mental health stigma within my West African community and reflecting on how the lack of school-based mental health resources impacted many of my struggling classmates who were forgotten by our school district (and labeled “troubled”), I allowed myself to explore psychiatry wholeheartedly. Through my academic explorations, I found psychiatry was the perfect field to meld my interest in humanities, advocacy, and medicine. As a medical student I used my interest in creative writing to advocate for marginalized groups through publishing Op-eds and clinical perspectives in academic medical journals. As a future Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, I hope to continue advocating for vulnerable patient populations and help improve access to school-based mental health resources/care for underserved youth.

Why I Chose Yale

As a medical student I was heavily involved in DEI initiatives and worked to create more opportunities to facilitate discussions about healthcare inequity within my med school’s curriculum. When I was researching Psychiatry residency programs, I specifically looked for programs where I wouldn't be just one of a couple voices advocating for culturally competent and inclusive care. I wanted to be at a program where I would feel comfortable showing up as authentically as my full self. I also wanted to be where I would feel supported in the work I was doing, while also getting excellent clinical training that I could later pour into communities. Yale Psychiatry not only checked off those initial boxes, but also surprised me by the incredible diversity within the residency program! The program also stood out because of its unique opportunity for residents to develop expertise in a particular area of psychiatry and work on an individualized project in the 3 month “CASE” rotation. I also loved the opportunity to get strong community psychiatry exposure while also deepening my experience managing complex patient cases at a busy academic hospital. The Social Justice Health Equity Curriculum (which includes structural competency, the human experience, and advocacy tracks) directly aligned with my passions and it was amazing to see that so many of the residents at Yale were also passionate about similar issues. Being from NY and having family all across the Northeast, I also liked that New Haven was conveniently located just a short drive away from many states in the NE. Lastly, and arguably most importantly, I loved the culture and vibe among the residents and could really picture myself fitting perfectly within the Yale Psychiatry family.

My Schedule

Included in our PGY2 year is 16 weeks of inpatient psychiatry broken up into two 8 week rotations. My first longitudinal inpatient psychiatry experience is at YPH (our main psychiatric hospital) rotating on WS3, our transitional-age youth unit for patients roughly age 18-late 20s. WS3 has been an incredible experience, especially as someone interested in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowship. The day typically starts with interdisciplinary morning rounds at 8:30 am. We have several members on our team, including attending psychiatrists, APRNs, nurses, social workers and milieu staff members. I really enjoy that we all collaborate on every patient case and truly function as a team. I work directly with an Attending and our Chief Resident on the unit. After presenting new patients and patient updates during morning rounds, we typically see all of our follow up patients and new admissions from overnight for the rest of the morning. We also have new admission that come throughout the day. After we finish seeing patients in the morning, I spend the rest of the morning and afternoon writing notes, making collateral calls, re-visiting patients on the unit to diffuse acute situations, and seeing new admissions. We also do spontaneous teaching with our attending throughout the week. On Tuesdays we have a special guest presenter for a noon conference who gives us a lecture on a topic related to clinical practice. On Thursdays, I have protected time for PGY2 didactics from 1-5 pm (great time to catch up with co residents!). The workday on WS3 typically ends around 5 pm.

Where I Live

I live in Wooster Square, very close to some of the most popular pizza places in New Haven (New Haveners really love their pizza! There’s even an annual pizza festival that takes place in Downtown New Haven). I like that my apartment is about a short 5-7 min walk from most of the restaurants and life Downtown. I get to save money on parking, hangout with friends / attend events conveniently, and then return to my quiet neighborhood away from all the noise Downtown. I live a 10- 15 min walk away from YPH and a 17min walk from the main Yale New Haven Hospital so I also get a chance to get my steps in.

My Favorite Thing to do in/around New Haven

I absolutely adore my co-residents! We try to get together every so often for happy hour after didactics or to celebrate each other. I am part of the “Yelp Elite Squad” (basically a group you get invited to if you write enough engaging reviews on Yelp) and it has been a fun way to check out restaurants throughout Connecticut for free and meet people outside of the Yale bubble! I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how diverse New Haven is and how much there is to do here. There are a bunch of great restaurants and bars (with great mocktails) in the area to explore. Apart from eating, I also enjoy going to concerts Downtown (I’ve seen big name artists like Bryson Tiller right in Downtown New Haven) or checking out one of the latest theater productions. There are some really new museums here, beaches just a 10-15 min drive away, and a number of street fairs and festivals throughout the summer and fall. I also enjoy spending time at the cute cafes/ community locations (including a number of Black owned, queer friendly spaces). The various graduate education groups at Yale also host a number of events throughout the year and our PRA hosts several psychiatry specific events throughout New Haven. Lastly, I love that it's so easy to get to NYC via train (or 90 min drive) so I can explore all the things I love about NYC without having to pay NYC rent prices.

Final Thoughts

The residency match process can be a very stressful time full of uncertainty. Don’t forget to be kind to yourself throughout the application season. You are interviewing programs just as much as they are interviewing you, so be sure to ask questions to determine if a program is a good fit. Lastly, remember that YOU are the prize! Welcome to psychiatry!

My Background

I was born in Mystic, Connecticut and moved around several times growing up, to Canada and to the Midwest. I went to Swarthmore College to study neuroscience, with a fascination in animal (and human!) behavior. While there, I swam for the college swim team, participated in plays and musicals, and served as a resident advisor. I also devised independent research projects studying mating behavior in fruit flies and fetal alcohol exposure in mice. After a gap year studying developmental neuroscience in Madison, Wisconsin, I enrolled in the MD/PhD program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. During medical school I organized a wellness initiative called Mosaic that allowed cross-class cohorts to engage in conversations surrounding mental health, and worked in the persistent symptoms and treatment resistance (PSTAR) outpatient schizophrenia clinic associated with Grady Memorial Hospital. For my PhD, I studied the neural circuitry underlying the power of social influences on decisions in rodents. These experiences drew me to the therapeutic power of social connection, a power I felt was recognized and harnessed most by the field of psychiatry.

Why Yale

Growing up in Connecticut, I knew I wanted to return home for residency. Luckily for me, one of the most flexible yet intellectually rigorous psychiatry residencies existed right down the road at Yale School of Medicine. I was attracted to the ability to further my research interests in social behavior as a member of the Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP). At Yale, I have the ability to form and conduct a full research project alongside pursuing my clinical interests while being mentored by world-class academic psychiatrists.

My Schedule

I am on my consult-liaison rotation at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Today, I conducted follow-up interviews and assessments on my panel of patients, discussed plans with my attending, communicated these recommendations to the primary teams, and wrote my notes. I then attended the weekly NRTP seminar, where we discussed recent journal articles on emerging psychotherapeutics. Thursday afternoons we have PGY-2 didactics, where we had the privilege of having a family member discuss their experience with a loved one's serious mental illness. We then had a Malcolm Bowers Case Conference (MBCC), in which one of my co-residents presented a case on the topic of bipolar disorder, followed by a group discussion of the case with designated experts in the department. My co-residents and I then went out for a social hour after didactics, and I finished the day by going to see a movie to finish out the day.

During PGY-2, we rotate exclusively in psychiatry. My time is split between the Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC), the VA, and Yale-New Haven Hospital. I have rotations in inpatient psychiatry, intensive outpatient programs, consult-liaison services, and 3 months of CASE, a time which will be dedicated to research endeavors. Beyond didactics and the weekly NRTP seminar discussed above, I also have a longitudinal therapy patient that I see weekly for an hour with accompanying weekly supervision.

Where I Live

My first year in New Haven, I lived in Wooster Square, a neighborhood with great pizza close to the hospital. This year, my partner and I purchased a house in Branford, a cozy shoreline town 15 minutes from the hospital. I love Branford because I can still access the culture of New Haven while being able to own a home with a cute downtown strip of restaurants and coffee shops.

Things to Do

I love to go for runs around East Rock, a beautiful park close to a neighborhood with many of my co-residents who often honk as I run by. I also enjoy going to many of the great restaurants in the area, such as Gioia (which has a fun rooftop bar) and Atticus Market, where you can bring some wine, eat some pizza, and enjoy being outside. On weekends, I have gone to see concerts at Westville Music Bowl or College Street Music Hall, and have seen great Broadway Tour shows at the Schubert Theater. My co-residents and I love to go to happy hours around New Haven at Te Amo Tequila or Anchor Spa Restaurant.

Final Thoughts

The match process is a tough one where you have to put all of yourself on a page and ask people to evaluate you. As a medical student I witnessed eight match days, and people tend to end up where they are supposed to be. You are going to be great! Best of luck!

My Background

Hello! I was born on a warm July day in Brooklyn, NY and have five siblings ranging in age from 17 to 40 years. My mother's side of the family is from South Carolina and my dad's side of the family is from Cuba. I am the first doctor in my family on both sides! My husband Rainier and I recently got married and I am a stepmom to two lovely boys, RJ and Ezra. My husband and stepchildren live in Cleveland, OH--which is where I plan to reside after residency.

Academically, I attended Johns Hopkins University for undergraduate where I majored in Spanish Language and Literature. After that I attended the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where I received my MHS degree in Mental Health. I attended Dartmouth Medical School from 2015-2020, initially with the plan of becoming a plastic surgeon, and I entered general surgery residency upon graduating in 2020. I always tell people that life is unexpected and after much deliberation, I changed career paths and decided to embark on a journey into psychiatry. I feel unbelievably lucky to have been selected as a PGY-2 transfer resident to Yale Psychiatry in 2023.

Why I Chose Yale

When I was interviewing in psychiatry there were a few things that stood out to me about Yale. The first thing I noticed was the independence and proactivity of the residents. I learned how supportive the department is of resident endeavors and will offer resources so that you can explore these interests including advocacy, research, creating your own therapy groups etc. I was also drawn to Yale due to the strong clinical training which consists of patient diversity (SES, race, gender identity, psychiatric illness), and faculty who are trailblazers in the field and inspiring.

My Schedule

Across the nation, PGY3 year of psychiatry residency is outpatient, where you start to gain independence as a provider and develop your practice style. My experience so far is that we are provided ample supervision (both peer and faculty) to discuss our patients and given autonomy to make decisions that we think will be best received by our patients. 

In general, our schedules involve splitting our time between our primary outpatient site, electives and other commitments. Midway through PGY2 year we were asked to rank our top three choices and assigned one of these as our primary outpatient site. The choices are --Connecticut Mental Health Center (state hospital located across the street from Yale), Yale Health (services Yale undergraduate and graduate students), the Veterans Affair (VA) and Community Health Center (CHC).   

My primary site is Young Adult Services  (YAS) clinic—a satellite site of CMHC—which services those aged 18-25 with severe mental health and substance use issues. I spend two full days a week at YAS and one day covering CMHC's mobile crisis intervention (MCI) clinic (a clinic that provides referrals and mental health services to those who are uninsured and with severe mental illness).  The rest of my time is filled with (1) two electives at the Substance Abuse Treatment Unit (SATU) and Child Adolescent Services (CAS) (2) approximately 25 shifts in the Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) which is our psychiatric emergency room and (3) providing psychodynamic therapy to my Long-Term Care Clinic (LTCC) patients.

Where I Live

I live in an apartment complex in Wooster Square (which is also known as 'Little Italy'). As a New Yorker I LOVE pizza and so living next to so many pizzerias feels familiar. When I moved to New Haven, I learned that it is quite well known for its specialty pizza places and I've tried almost all of them in my neighborhood. Which is my favorite? This place called Marco Polo because it is the closest to NY style pizza and reminds me of home!

My Favorite Things to do In/Around New Haven

I've lived in several New England states including New Hampshire and Vermont and after doing so, New Haven is the cutest city in my opinion! New Haven is home to so many small businesses, independent restaurants and it has been refreshing living near a college campus where the energy is youthful and full of hope. One of my favorite things to do is take walks or runs at East Rock park. In the springtime you may even catch me putting out a blanket and resting on the grass there. I also enjoy the many happy hours that New Haven has to offer!

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a program with ample opportunities and resources, great research tracks and excellent clinical training then Yale certainly should be considered in your top three! One of the things in common amongst almost all residents in the program is advocacy and a thirst for change and progress in the program. You would fit in well here if you are someone who is extremely self-motivated and willing to go out of your way to pursue your passions and help shape the program for future residents.