Medical Student Education
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is strongly committed to medical student education. We believe that our active involvement with medical students helps to develop physicians who are compassionate and effective interviewers, and who consider clinical issues from a broad biopsychosocial perspective. The integration of psychiatry into all levels of medical student education also provides excellent preparation for students who might want to pursue a career in psychiatry. The percentage of UC Davis medical students who enter psychiatry has been consistently above the national average.
Student-Initiated Activities
Student-driven projects in the field of psychiatry contribute greatly to the rich experiences offered at UC Davis School of Medicine. Medical students at UC Davis have designed programs to provide advocacy for the mentally ill and education about mental illness, written grants and received funding for mentoring programs, and given presentations about their work at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting.
Student exposure to and involvement in the field of psychiatry begins at the very start of medical school at UC Davis. Students can attend workshops and lectures on psychiatric topics or take part in the shadowing program sponsored by the Psychiatry Student Interest Group (Psych SIG). Summer stipends to work with child and adolescent psychiatrists are available through the Klingenstein Fellowship Program (KFP).
Electives in Psychiatry
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences offers medical students a number of psychiatry electives. The core clinical electives are tailored toward fourth year medical students. These experiences range from inpatient acting internships at community, VA, forensic, and private hospitals to outpatient experiences in community, child, combined medicine-psychiatry, and cultural psychiatry settings. Students also meet weekly with the electives program director in small group discussions that focus on clinical skills building, leadership, and professional development.
How to apply for our psychiatry electives
UC Davis Medical Students - Please apply via eFlight. UC Davis medical students interested in doing a rotation at an outside institution should apply via the Association of American Medical Colleges' Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) to complete your off-campus elective registration. Once you have been accepted with the outside institution, it is very important to contact the Department's elective course coordinator, Hillary Brown (habrown@ucdavis.edu) at least two weeks prior to the start of your rotation in order to receive credit.
Please note: If the Department's elective course coordinator is not notified prior to taking the away elective, you will not receive credit.
Visiting Medical Students - Please apply via VSAS –note that applicants should upload their USMLE and/or COMLEX scores to the “departmental requirements” portion of the application, where applicable. For more information on the visiting student application process, please visit the UC Davis School of Medicine website.
International Medical Students - Due to the faculty and staff demands of accommodating UC Davis medical students and visiting students from around the nation, we are unable to accept students from international medical schools at this time.
Core Clinical Electives
PSY 414 Psychosomatic Medicine
PSY 418 Unspecified Off-campus Clinical Elective
PSY 419 Combined Family Medicine/Psychiatry
PSY 420 Acting Internship in Inpatient Psychiatry
PSY 421 Combined Internal Medicine/Psychiatry
PSY 488 Acting Internship in Inpatient Psychiatry (Away Rotation)
Contact information
Hillary Brown
Elective Course Coordinator
Phone (916) 734-2614
Fax (916) 734-3384
E-mail: habrown@ucdavis.edu