Academic Activity

The Department of Psychiatry undertakes the responsibility of teaching and training the medical students in psychiatry embracing the principles in mental health and psycho social fields. Medical students are expected to do four weeks of Pre-professorial clinical appointment and eight weeks of Professorial clinical appointment before sitting for their final MBBS examination.

Pre-professorial appointment

  • Held for 4 weeks.
  • Mainly covered by the extended faculty teachers.
  • Students are expected to be in the clinical settings from 7.30 am to 11.30 pm.
  • It covers a total of 96 hours of clinical exposure.
  • At the end of appointment, students are assessed by the relevant trainers.

Continuous assessment

A pre-professorial OSCE in Psychiatry is conducted as part of the continuous assessment.

Professorial appointment

  • The professorial clinical appointment is held for 8 weeks.
  • It covers a minimum of 384 hours of clinical exposure.
  • The main teaching-learning exercises are conducted at Base Hospital Tellipalai.
  • Outpatient clinic experiences and liaison psychiatry exposure are given at Teaching Hospital Jaffna.
  • In addition, students are exposed to residential rehabilitation facility for the mentally ill, residential rehabilitation services for alcohol users, a center for neurodevelopmental disorders, and a peripheral mental health clinic.
  • Students are expected to be in the clinical settings in all the days except Sundays.
  • The concepts of family medicine is integrated within the professorial psychiatry appointment, and is being taught and discussed by family medicine expert/s.
  • Teaching-learning activities include clinical exposure, bed-side teaching, case presentation, problem-based discussion, role-plays, student seminars, Zoom-based sessions, audio-visual aids, and regular feedbacks.
  • Pre-test, mid-assessments, post-test, and in-course assessments are carried out during the appointment.