Psychiatry Residency Program

Mission and Program Aims

The fundamental goal of our program is to train competent, qualified, caring and sensitive physicians who are mindful of the significance of their role in the diagnosis and treatment of disease, the alleviation of suffering, the prevention of ill-health and the empathetic support of those directly or indirectly afflicted with psychiatric illness. Our four-year educational program is geared toward a preparation in psychiatry and board certification. Our residents should be competent to practice in both in- and outpatient settings as well as be able to pursue fellowship training if desired. We are dedicated to training physicians who will effectively work in the current and future health care systems. Our residents enjoy training at a state-of-the-art community-based program, DHR Health GME Psychiatry Residency Program, along with its participating site, Hope Family Health Center. The DHR Health GME is an ACGME-accredited sponsoring institution affiliated with the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine (UH COM) in Houston, Texas. We endorse a team approach to patient care, while recognizing that residents must have opportunities for individual critical decision-making and patient responsibility as defined by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Our program, as all others, follows the goals and objectives of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, where the curriculum is based around the six core competencies. • Patient Care • Medical Knowledge • Professionalism • Interpersonal and Communication Skills • Practice-based Learning and Improvement • System –based Practice. Our competency-based curriculum and its design allow for an individualized educational experience that corresponds to the career objectives of each resident. We are committed to a strong resident education and to serving our community and the larger Rio Grande Valley population in providing acute and chronic disease health management, preventive care and a longitudinal relationship between our residents and their patient population. Graduates of our program fulfill the requirements of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. The residency program in Psychiatry includes participation in patient care, teaching rounds, organized clinical discussions, didactic conferences, grand rounds, journal club, among others. UH COM provides an on-line medical library as well other academic teaching resources available, which are accessed by the faculty and residents from their home, and there are UH COM medical libraries online and at both participating sites that are accessible by the residents. Residents encounter patients with a variety of psychiatric disorders and conditions representative of all major psychiatric disorders in the current standard diagnostic statistical manual. Clinic patients as well as those admitted to the behavioral hospital include a wide demographic and ethnic mix from the greater RGV region as well as Mexico. There are also a wide variety of socioeconomic situations. This mix provides the residents with a stimulating and enriched training experience with broad diagnostic and challenging opportunities. We believe in training leaders in Psychiatry. Scholarship and discovery are essential components of academic medical leadership, and this is reflected in the curriculum as longitudinal research and QI sessions during the clinic weeks as well as during formal didactic lectures dedicated to scholarly activity.

Program Aims

• To produce competent, independent practicing psychiatrists who have the ability to lead interdisciplinary teams in all clinical settings
• To produce psychiatrists that are competent in medication management and multiple types of psychotherapy
• To prepare residents to be competitive applicants for fellowship and have the opportunity to improve the profession and their community through scholarship, education, advocacy and leadership
• To train residents to have a basic understanding of quality improvement and patient safety
• To produce residents with expertise in treating the variety of patient populations in our community with a particular understanding for the underserved
• To develop socially well-adjusted residents through a focus on physician well-being so that as emotionally healthy physicians they will be more resilient and better able to deliver high quality care Our overall goal is to train thoughtful, compassionate, well-prepared physicians who are ready to make a difference.
  
  

Application and Interview Process

The Psychiatry Residency Program at DHR Health (4004800006) accepts applications through the internet-based ERAS program. The same application process applies to all Residency Programs. 

Documentation submitted through ERAS must include:

• Completed Application Form
• Recent Photograph
• CV and Personal Statement
• Dean's Letter
• Transcript
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Results of USMLE/COMLEX examinations, Steps 1 and 2

Criteria for all medical school graduates: 

• Passing of USMLE/COMLEX examinations on the first attempt.
• Graduation from medical school within the last 5 years.
• Graduates of medical schools outside of the U.S. and Canada must hold a current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).  
• Meet requirements for J-1 Visa sponsorship (if applicable)

Contact Us

Nicole Castaneda

Faculty

• Jose Igoa, MD – Program Director / Addiction Medicine /Addiction Psychiatry; Forensic Psychiatry / Geriatric Psychiatry / Psychosomatic Medicine / Psychiatry
• Delisa Guadarrama, MD – Core Faculty / Child & Adolescent Psychiatry / Psychiatry
• Adrian Agapito, MD – Core Faculty / Psychiatry
• Roberto Cruz Saldana, MD – Core Faculty / Neurology
• Frucutoso Irigoyen, MD – Core Faculty / Psychiatry 

Our Curriculum

Learn more regarding our Psychiatry Residency Program below.

Benefits and Stipend

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

DHR Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. We know that diverse and inclusive teams have a positive impact, by generating varied perspectives and in turn better ideas to solve complex problems. We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views, by ensuring fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all residents, faculty, and staff. We strive to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups, due to race, ethnicity, language, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status, physical or mental disability, and others.

We appreciate the unique abilities and perspectives of our diverse workforce and community. By creating an environment where faculty, physicians, residents, fellows, and staff can be their true selves at work without fear of judgment, we aim to foster creativity, raise productivity, and improve organizational performance. We believe that all our faculty, physicians, residents/fellows, and staff play the critical role in the overall success of the organization and the vision we have for our community. We create a sense of belonging at the workplace, where employees are appreciated for their unique contributions, recognized for their accomplishments, supported in their career goals, and have a sense of connection to how they are positively impacting their community.

Through community partnerships, we generate transformation within our institution as a means of advocating for better care for our patients, creating a more diverse physician workforce, and serving our community. We strive to promote social justice by advocating for equitable health care, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, social status, or ability to pay. We are committed to an organizational culture that will connect our residents and fellows to the organization; encourage collaboration, flexibility and fairness; and leverage diversity throughout the organization, so that all residents and fellows will be able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

DHR Health recruits resident/fellow applicants underrepresented in medicine (UIM) for advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DHR Health GME Diversity Committee is included in all planning phases of faculty and resident/fellow recruitment, selection, and retention and includes hospital leaders, GME representatives, and residents/fellows.