Psychiatry Residency & Fellowships | Residency Rural Track

Application Information

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Application Information

Rural Track Residency Application Information

Review the Pine Rest Residency FREIDA profile to see how our program compares to others.

Have a question about our Psychiatry Residency Program? We have created a list of FAQs below. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please call us or send us an email.

2023-24 Interview Season

We thank you for your interest in the Pine Rest Psychiatry Residency Program. We hope you find the information below helpful to better understand our program eligibility requirements.

Pine Rest will be conducting all virtual interviews which will be scheduled via Thalamus and conducted via Teams. We will have 12 interview days (10 applicants per day) on Mondays and Fridays between October 16 and January 15. We will offer the number of interview spots that are available and allow 72 hours for a response to the interview offer.

We are offering optional virtual and in-person events as additional ways for applicants to learn more about our program. More details about these optional events can be found below.

Pine Rest is accepting program signals. We may consider signals when making interview offers, but the presence or absence of signals will not be used when developing our final rank list. We encourage students to signal the programs they are most interested in, regardless of their medical school or experience rotating with a program.

Below is a list of our optional events. Not attending an optional event will not impact an applicant’s position on our final rank list.

  • Q&A with the Chief Residents (virtual): Prospective applicants are welcome to attend this session on August 28th at 7pm EST. Visit our Instagram page @pinerestgme to register.
  • Pre-Interview Social Hour (virtual): For those invited to interview, there will be a social hour scheduled from 7-8 EST the evening prior to each interview day. Partners are welcome.
  • Second Looks (in-person): The program is offering second look events to those who have interviewed with our program. These will occur between January 19 and February 16 after interviews have concluded. Participation in these second looks is blinded from those involved with developing our final rank list. Registration is required.

How To Apply

We thank you for your interest in the Pine Rest Psychiatry Residency Program. We hope you find the information below helpful to better understand our program eligibility requirements.

We ask applicants to complete a MD, DO or equivalent medical degree prior to the start date of the residency.

Program applicants are required to show evidence of academic excellence, clinical interest in the field of psychiatry, a high level of professionalism, high ethical standards, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, potential for successful completion of the residency program, and potential for the practice of medicine within the U.S. healthcare system by the following:

Graduate from a Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited medical school within the past five years;

  • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (dean’s letter) attesting to these qualities;
  • Passage of USMLE Step 1 and/or COMLEX Level 1 (within two attempts);
  • Passage of USMLE Step 2 CK and CS and/or COMLEX Level 2 (within two attempts).

Graduates of medical schools within the past five years, not accredited by the LCME or AOA, must also:

  • Be eligible for medical licensure in the state of Michigan.
  • Foreign applicants must be permanent residents or eligible for a J-1 visa.
  • Be ECFMG certified.
  • Have at least one month of U.S. clinical experience.
Applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) for all open positions. The program participates in the ACGME Match (National Resident Matching Program) to fill PGY-1 positions. Applications for PGY-1 positions must be submitted through ERAS and applicants must register with the National Resident Matching Program or National Matching Services. Application materials for PGY-1 should include:
  • ERAS On-line Application
  • Personal Statement
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Medical Student Performance Evaluation (dean’s letter)
  • Three letters of recommendation authored within two years of the start date of the residency program
  • Medical School Transcript
  • USMLE Step 1 and 2 scores and/or COMLEX Level 1 and 2 scores
  • ECFMG certificate for international medical graduates

Decisions regarding candidate selection for the program are made by the Residency Selection and Evaluation Committee, based on the applicant’s academic record; clinical, research, and other work experience; letters of recommendation; interviews with departmental faculty and other staff; and demonstration of personal characteristics that may be pertinent to training in and the practice of psychiatry.

Applicants who meet program requirements will be considered for interview with departmental faculty based on the number of interview slots available and their academic competitiveness with other candidates.

Following interviews, the Selection and Evaluation Committee will review candidates’ application materials and comments of faculty and staff who have interacted with the candidates to assess their potential for the program.

FAQs

We received full accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in May 2015. We also have ACGME-accredited fellowships in the following subspecialties: addiction psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and geriatric psychiatry.

• Typical work hours are from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for most residents. There will be occasions when residents are required to work outside of the basic schedule, including while on the Psychiatric Urgent Care Center rotation. PGY1 residents are scheduled for weekend rounding on the adult inpatient units approximately 10 times during the academic year. Residents will complete one block of night float in PG2/3 year. PGY2 residents will be scheduled for approximately 3 weekends of overnight in-house call and 3 weekends of rounding (admissions). PGY3 residents will be scheduled for approximately 2 weekends of overnight in-house call and 2 weekends of rounding (admissions).

Residents may pursue opportunities for additional income outside of the residency program in the PGY3 and PGY4 years. The close proximity of several acute care hospitals and other medical sites provide a variety of moonlighting opportunities for residents to supplement their income.
Residents receive 18 days of paid time off (PTO) per year. In addition to the PTO, residents receive 5 days off over the Christmas or New Year’s holiday each year. PGY2, PGY3 and PGY4 residents receive 5 additional days of conference time per year. PGY4 residents also receive 5 days off for professional interviewing. All residents receive 20 wellness hours to use throughout the year.
There are teaching opportunities for residents to teach medical students. PGY4 residents will complete a teaching/administrative rotation.
Residents are required to complete at least one research project during residency. Options include case studies, quality improvement studies, utilization data analysis, or participation in clinical trial research. Residents interested in doing research will find many opportunities to pursue this option within the Pine Rest organization.

With over 100 years of behavioral health experience, and one of the largest free-standing behavioral health hospitals in the country, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services offers the resident the opportunity to work within the complete continuum of behavioral health services.

The unique opportunity to work in an inpatient, outpatient, and residential environment all within the same beautiful campus environment is virtually unmatched anywhere else in the country.

Also, the Grand Rapids and west Michigan region provides access to all four seasons in one of the most family-friendly and affordable areas in the country.