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Visiting Fellowship In Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

Description:

The ECT Visiting Fellowship offers practitioners a one week intensive training in the clinical delivery of ECT at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). This 40 hour course offers both didactic and practical instruction covering theoretical and clinical aspects of ECT treatment including: demonstrations of technical procedures; faculty presentations; case conferences and consultations; audiovisual materials; and self-instructional material and readings. Enrollment is limited to four physicians for each scheduled program which is offered quarterly each year. Specific clinical areas include medical management of high-risk patients; anesthesia; treatment in special populations; medical legal issues; informed consent; acute and continuation treatment; stimulus dosing and titration; electrode placement; seizure monitoring; outpatient mode of delivery; outcome measures; and quality control.

Prerequisites:

WPIC offers the Visiting ECT Fellowship course to practicing psychiatrists, post graduates, and trainees from psychiatric residency programs with appropriate clinical credentials.

Educational Objectives:

Upon completion of the fellowship program, the participants should be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the following:

  • Clinical indications, relative contraindications, side effects, and adverse risks of ECT;
  • Clinical evaluation and management of ECT patients;
  • Clinical and technical aspects of ECT administration;
  • Techniques in lead placement, stimulus dosing, and seizure monitoring;
  • ECT anesthesia procedures;
  • Informed consent and legal aspects of ECT;
  • Clinical implications for special populations;
  • ECT acute and continuation treatment;
  • Resources for advance ECT devices.

Course Director:

Petronilla Vaulx-Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Electroconvulsive Therapy and
Comprehensive Care Division
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

Faculty:

Roger F. Haskett, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Paul Soloff, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Robert S. Dealy, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Mukesh Sah, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Carol E. Rose, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Adele Towers, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry
Vice Chair, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Carole L. Wiskeman, R.N., M.S.N., C.R.N.P.
Program Coordinator, ECT
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

Amy Dolan Strano, Esq.
Corporate Legal Department
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Jack Cahalane, Ph.D.
Chief, Adult Mood and Anxiety Services
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

Meryl Butters, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Audrey Koerner, R.N.
ECT Program
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

Donna Ludwig, BSN
ECT Program
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic

Lalith Kumar K. Solai, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

We encourage participation by all individuals. If you have a disability, advance notification of any special needs will help us better serve you. Please notify us of your needs at least two weeks in advance of the program.

The University of Pittsburgh, as an educational institution and as an employer, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital, veteran, or handicapped status. This is a commitment made by the University and is in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations. All relevant programs are administered by the Office of Affirmative Action, 901 William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Students, employees, or applicants should contact the Office of Affirmative Action immediately in all cases where discrimination is alleged. For more information call: (412) 648-7860.

Registration Form:

Click here for the registration form in Adobe PDF format

Accommodations:

Holiday Inn at University Center
100 Lytton Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 682-6200/(800) 864-8287

When making reservations, identify yourself as a participant in the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic “Visiting Fellowship in ECT” to receive a reduced room rate.

Tuition Includes:

  • Registration
  • Course Materials
  • Refreshments
  • Continuing Education Credit

Full tuition must accompany registration form. Please return your registration form 3 weeks prior to selected fellowship start date. A $100 administrative fee will be deducted from all refunds for cancellations. No refunds can be issued once the program has begun.

Please make your check payable to WPIC and send it with the registration form to:

Attn: Donna Mahaffey
Room 1070
Electroconvulsive Therapy Services
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
3811 O’Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Continuing Education Credit

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as part of the Consortium for Academic Continuing Medical Education, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.

The Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences designates this continuing medical education activity for a maximum of 40.0 hours of Category 1 credit towards the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

In accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education requirements on disclosure, information about relationships of presenters with commercial interests (if any) will be included in materials which will be distributed at the time of the conference.

This program does not certify an individual’s competency in the administration of ECT.

Schedule and Activities

WPIC offers the Visiting ECT Fellowship course quarterly each year during the months of January, April, July and October. The course convenes Monday through Friday with hours varying between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for a total of 40 hours. The course activities incorporate both didactic and practical instruction for the administration of electroconvulsive therapy services.

Additional Information

For more information contact:
Petronilla Vaulx-Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
Electroconvulsive Therapy Services
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
3811 O’Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Telephone: (412) 246-5063 or FAX: (412) 246-5065
E-MAIL: vaulx-smithpm@upmc.edu

 
 

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