Psychiatry Residency

About The Program

Our program aims to educate residents to become exceptional psychiatrists that care for patients in a wide variety of clinical settings, including underserved and under represented populations. The program prepares residents for the broad practice of contemporary psychiatry. The 4-year program builds on the understanding that a person is a composite of mind, brain, and environment. Our residency is a co-joint venture between the Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) facilities and the Ponce Health Sciences affiliated hospitals and clinics. 

Our main site for the first 2 years of training is the VACHS.  The Psychiatry Residency offers and General and Rural Track. Residents can expect to attend seminars, and teaching conferences and be supervised by Psychiatrists certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN).

In addition, we offer 3 Fellowship Subspecialties (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry) that residents who have completed General Psychiatry can apply. The PHSU Psychiatry Residency Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since 2002.

Mission

The PHSU Psychiatry Residency Program is dedicated to training compassionate psychiatrists who use a patient centered approach to transform mental healthcare. This mission is carried out through rigorous clinical training, research opportunities, and a focus on treating diverse populations. 

We are committed to continuously developing the program's aims and curriculum. As a graduate medical program, the vision of the PHSU Psychiatry Residency is to shape the future of mental healthcare through its trainees. The program aims to create psychiatrists who are equipped to improve health outcomes and serve diverse populations

General and Rural Track Options

The educational experience in the General Psychiatry Residency’s outpatient clinics takes place in a multidisciplinary outpatient setting. Residents work with a diverse patient population across all age groups—from children and adolescents to adults and geriatrics. Patients include all genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Training is provided at the Ponce Health Sciences University Wellness Clinics, the primary outpatient site within the sponsoring institution. The interdisciplinary care team includes board-certified psychiatry faculty, nurses, social workers, psychologists, case managers, support staff, general practitioners, and other specialists.

PHSU's Rural Psychiatry Residency Track is designed to improve access to mental health services in underserved rural areas of Puerto Rico.This new program component offers residents the opportunity to train in rural settings officially designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)—areas where the need for psychiatric care is high and mental health resources are limited. The main difference from the traditional program is that Rural Track residents spend over 51% of their clinical training in rural underserved areas. All other training and supervision remain the same. This initiative reflects PHSU’s commitment to preparing skilled psychiatrists dedicated to serving vulnerable communities.

How To Apply

Eligibility Criteria

• Graduated from a U.S. or internationally accredited medical school (LCME for U.S. schools and ACCM for international schools; ECFMG certification required for international graduates).
• USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores:
  • Competitive scores preferred
  • Pass on first attempt preferred
• At least one year of hands-on clinical experience in the U.S. healthcare system (for international medical graduates).
• Completion of at least clinical rotation in psychiatry.
• Professional English and Spanish language proficiency (oral and written)
• Organizational Skills
• Excellent Clinical Skills
• Leadership Experience
• Community Service Experience

Application Process

We are an ERAS Match participating program. The deadline to apply using the ERAS system is May 31, 2026. Interviews are by inviation only. 

Apply with ERAS

Faculty

The PHSU Psychiatry Residency has 45+ faculty members with certifcation in psychiatry, subspecialties such as: addiction, geriatrics, child and adolescent, consultation and liason, forensic psychiatry, traumatic brain injury, and other medical specialities. In addition, we work with 20+ psychologists and 40+ social workers, nurses and other affiliated health professionals. 

Teaching

• Our residents participate in teaching other health professionals. 
• Internal and family medicine residents
• Psychology fellows and interns
• Social work interns
• Medical Students
• Nursing students

Research

PHSU is involved in a wife range of research including, but not limited to basic sciences, translational and clinical area. The faculty and residents and numerous publications in well-known peer reviewed journals. 

Benefits

• Salaries in the competitive range among residencies in Puerto Rico and U.S.A.
• 4 weeks vacation and 15 days sick leave each year.
• Residents in good standing are encouraged to participate in educational activities (national meetings, APA events etc.)

Fellowship Opportunities

PHSU is proud to offer 3 additional Psychiatry Residency Subspecialty opportunities. Residents who have completed a General Psychiatry Residency may be eligible to apply. Select a specialty below for more details.

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Addiction Psychiatry
• Consultation and Liaison Psychiatry

About the Program

Our excellent faculty has different backgrounds, training and clinical experience, thus contributing to a small, yet diverse educational resource to our trainees. In doing this, we strive to provide high quality, state of the art psychiatric services to children and their families. In addition, we are deeply committed to further develop academic activities, including clinical and translational research, that would help in this endeavor.

Our main training site is the PHSU Wellness Center, the only academic, university-based, multi-service health clinic located in Ponce, Puerto Rico’s fourth largest city, that serves patients from the southern & western region of the island. The clinic is a main site for training of medical students, psychiatry and pediatric residents, child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, addiction psychiatry fellows, psychosomatic psychiatry fellows, social work and nursing students and psychology trainees. It is also the main site of clinical research.

It has specialized child psychiatry clinics, including pediatric psychiatry substance abuse, consultation-liaison, and trauma services. It also attends referrals from public and private schools, courts, hospitals and clinics.

Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship

Vision

To be a leader in Addiction Psychiatry training by cultivating psychiatrists who excel in clinical care, teaching, research, and advocacy. The fellowship envisions producing specialists who address the challenges of substance use disorders with innovation, cultural humility, and a holistic approach — improving outcomes for patients, families, and communities.

Mission

To provide advanced graduate medical education and training in the knowledge, clinical skills, and clinical judgment necessary to provide addiction psychiatry subspecialty care in our community with empathy and compassion.

About the Program

The Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship is a one-year subspecialty training program available to physicians who have completed an accredited psychiatry residency. The fellowship provides comprehensive exposure across multiple care settings, including inpatient, consultation-liaison, domiciliary, outpatient, pain, and substance use treatment programs.

Fellows receive structured training in:

• Diagnosis and management of substance use and co-occurring psychiatric disorders
• Evidence-based psychotherapies including motivational interviewing, CBT, relapse prevention, and group interventions
• Medication-based treatments including buprenorphine initiation and management, methadone (if available), medications for alcohol use disorder, and smoking cessation
• Interdisciplinary and team-based care with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, addiction therapists, and recreational therapists
• Opportunities for scholarly projects, teaching, and professional development
• The fellowship prepares graduates to become leaders in addiction psychiatry who can thrive in academic, clinical, and community roles.

Program Highlights

• 100% Addiction Psychiatry board pass rate.
• Training modality: 90% face-to-face and 10% telemedicine.
• Rotations include Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Domiciliary for adolescents and adults,
• Substance Use Clinic (New Beginnings), Pain Clinic, Inpatient Psychiatry, Intensive Outpatient Program, and — if available — a Methadone Clinic rotation through ASSMCA.
• Expert training in buprenorphine initiation and management, plus medications for alcohol use disorder and smoking cessation.
• Strong mentorship, scholarly projects, and teaching opportunities.
• Benefits: No on-call duties, weekends and holidays off, moonlighting opportunities available within the VA hospital, 1 month of paid vacation annually, Wellness retreats, peer support gatherings, mentorships, long-term career planning

Rotation Settings

• Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: SUD assessments, safe withdrawal management, liaison with multidisciplinary teams.
• Domiciliary Programs: Age-tailored group therapy, family engagement, and relapse prevention.
• Substance Use Clinic – New Beginnings: Offers interdisciplinary treatment, integrating the expertise of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, addiction therapists, recreational therapists, and dual-diagnosis specialists. Includes buprenorphine initiation and ongoing management, medications for opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and smoking cessation, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, relapse prevention strategies, and group/individual interventions.
• Intensive Outpatient Program: Provides structured, step-down care with group and individual therapy.
• Core programming features spirituality groups, anger management skills, hypnosis for SUD, relapse prevention, recovery skills, wellness-focused interventions, and continuity of care with family involvement.
• Pain Clinic: Training in opioid stewardship emphasizing safe opioid prescribing, risk assessment, tapering protocols, and integration of non-opioid treatments. Fellows also learn buprenorphine use in chronic pain and behavioral strategies.
• Inpatient Psychiatry: Safe withdrawal pathways, dual-diagnosis treatment, and trauma-informed care.
• Methadone Clinic (ASSMCA, if available): Fellows may rotate through methadone programs to gain direct experience in methadone initiation, stabilization, and maintenance, including multidisciplinary care and long-term recovery planning.

Curriculum at a Glance

• Didactics: ASAM-aligned curriculum, toxicology, psychotherapies, ethics & policy.
• Longitudinal Threads: Outpatient panel, QI project, teaching opportunities.
• Assessment & Feedback: Quarterly CCC, direct observation, board prep.

How to Apply

Interested applicants may contact our Program Support Assistant or Program Director for details on the application process:

• Migdalys Carrasquillo-Parilla, Addiction Psychiatry Program Coordinator: carrasquillo-parilla@va.gov
• María Chiques-Amador, Acting Program Director: Maria.chiques-amador@va.gov

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Completion of an ACGME-accredited psychiatry residency
• Proficiency in English and Spanish (oral and written)
• Submission of 2–3 letters of recommendation, including one from a psychiatrist and one from the Program Director
• Interviews by invitation after application review.

Consultation & Liaison Psychiatry Fellowship

Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry is the discipline encompassing the study and treatment of psychiatric disorders in patients with medical, surgical, obstetrical, and neurological conditions, particularly those with complex and/or chronic conditions.

Physicians specializing in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry have expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders in complex medically ill patients. The practice requires comprehensive assessment of:

• Patients with acute or chronic medical, neurological, or surgical illness in which psychiatric morbidity affects their medical care and/or quality of life.
• Patients with somatic symptom disorders or with psychological factors in which psychiatric morbidity affects a physical condition.
• Patients with a psychiatric disorder that is the direct consequence of a primary medical condition.

Mission and Vision

To develop bilingual, ethical and well-balanced clinical educators in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, who provide compassionate and culturally competent mental and behavioral healthcare to patients with co-morbid physical and mental health conditions through a wide variety of clinical settings.

Graduates will become leaders in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, advancing patient care, education, and research across diverse healthcare settings.

About the Program

The fellowship is a one-year post-Psychiatry Residency Training Program for Psychiatrists to gain advanced expertise in treating patients at the intersection of psychiatric and medical illnesses. It prepares Psychiatrists for subspecialty board certification by providing comprehensive training in evaluating and managing complex psychiatric conditions in medically ill patients across hospital and outpatient services. Fellows work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment, providing consultations for medical and surgical teams.

Training emphasizes:

• Assessment & treatment
• Ethical considerations
• Navigating complex healthcare systems
• Pain, palliative care, transplant psychiatry, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology substance use disorders, and collaborative care models

Successful completion satisfies requirements to sit for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) subspecialty certification examination in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Graduates are equipped to become leaders in clinical and academic settings.

Rotations:

• Organ Transplant On-call
• Rehabilitation Ward
• Trauma Clinics
• Hospice Unit
• OBGYN Women’s Ward On-call
• Primary Care Mental Health Integration Clinic
• Community Living Center
• PHSU Psychosomatic Medic Outpatient

Clinical Sites

• VA Caribbean Healthcare System
• Ponce Health Sciences University
• University District Hospital

How to Apply

We are an ERAS Match participating program. The deadline to apply using the ERAS system is May 31, 2026. Interviews are by invitation only.

Apply with ERAS