Carle Illinois College of Medicine is expanding clinical training for future physicians who will care for the growing number of patients with mental health and addiction problems. The new training offers hands-on experience in caring for patients with psychiatric problems, exposure to emerging treatment methods, and understanding how these problems affect patients’ overall health.
“Mental health crosses all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic status. No matter what discipline our students choose to go into, they will have to know how to care for mental health patients,” said Dr. Suzanna Kitten, a clinical associate professor and the director of CI MED’s psychiatry clerkship. She cites statistics from the World Health Organization indicating the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The need to treat these patients becomes higher and higher each year and we need well-trained physicians to do this,” Kitten said.
Starting in March 2025, CI MED students will have the opportunity to pursue clinical training and exposure to addiction medicine by working in an outpatient setting, under the supervision of board-certified addiction medicine Drs. Kira Reich and Elise Wessol at Carle Health. “Training in addiction medicine is a necessary and important part of medical school education because of how common it is,” Kitten said. In 2021, about 107,000 people died of drug overdoses; in 2020, more than 40 million Americans had a substance use disorder, according to U.S. government statistics.
The new clinical training expands the psychiatry clerkship completed by all students during their major clinical year. Medical students are based either at the inpatient clinic at OSF Healthcare or work through Carle Health’s psychiatric consults. “The psychiatry clerkship, which was started by Dr. Benjamin Gersh, offers many unique clinical experiences such as going to drug court, working with a forensic psychiatrist and a forensic psychologist, and rotating through the interventional psychiatry clinic, including Transmagnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Esketamine (nasal ketamine) treatments. Students also have the opportunity during their inpatient psychiatry rotation to participate in Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT),” Kitten said.
CI MED will also offer a new clinical rotation opportunity, expanding students experience with the unique mental health needs of people in rural areas and patients with legal problems. “Given the nature of our location in central Illinois, we provide care for a huge population of patients, most of which are considered ‘rural.’ Training in rural medicine and psychiatry is needed to support this patient population,” Kitten explained. During this additional clinical opportunity, students gain real-world experience in forensics by attending court or visiting jails with providers – an experience they most likely will not find anywhere else.
“Our future physicians from the College of Medicine will help this field and others flourish and grow even more,” Kitten said.