Why UTSW Psychiatry?

At the end of medical school, when I was applying to residency, I didn’t know what kind of psychiatrist I wanted to become. Aside from knowing I was not a future child and adolescent psychiatrist, my interests within the field were undifferentiated. I knew I had interests in interventional psychiatry and adult inpatient psychiatry. I was also somewhat interested in forensic psychiatry, addiction, and women’s mental health, though I had little to no dedicated experiences in these areas to know for sure. I also hadn’t been exposed to consultation-liaison psychiatry, outpatient psychiatry, or psychotherapy to know whether I would take interest in these areas. With all this indecision in mind, I sought a program with a breadth of clinical experiences. More than that, I wanted somewhere that could do it all and do it well. UT Southwestern stood out to me in its ability to meet this need. With its many clinical sites, I knew I would be exposed to a diverse patient population with widely varying needs and pathology. With its varying areas of educational concentration (such as Women’s Mental Health; Mental Health, Policy, and Law; Psychotherapy; Educator), I knew that any passions I developed within residency would be fostered and built upon. With its robust psychotherapy training, I knew that I would have the opportunity to become a competent psychotherapist. And with its multiple clinical fellowship opportunities, I knew I would have options to further my training after graduation, if I wished to do so.

Since becoming a resident, I’ve had medical students ask me for tips for feeling out programs in the age of virtual interviews. I always tell them to take note of the feeling that sticks with them at the end of their interview day, or what I like to call “the vibes.” As I look back to three years ago, I remember my UTSW interview standing out for the vibes I felt after turning off my camera. The program leadership seemed interested in knowing me as Rachel the person, versus Rachel the resumé. My interview with Dr. Brenner was a great example of this, as his questions were deeper and more personal than anywhere else I encountered on the interview trail. I felt that this was a place where people seek to know their colleagues and truly care about one another, and that’s something I wanted in a residency program.

Another aspect of my decision to choose UTSW was personal. My husband is a veterinarian and was already practicing in Texas while I was applying to residency. As he had already agreed to pick up and follow me wherever I landed, I wanted to make the transition easier for him by staying within the state where he was already licensed to practice. Additionally, we are both from Texas and our families are here; residency is challenging and stressful, and I knew having our support systems close would be important for both of us.

I can now say that my expectations for a residency program have been exceeded in UTSW, and I am so grateful to have ended up here. I’ve found forever friends in my co-resident class and am learning from incredibly skilled and knowledgeable faculty. I’m participating in the interventional psychiatry concentration, gaining specific skills in interventional treatments and neuromodulation such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and ketamine-based therapies. This concentration was created by one of my co-residents during our intern year and is a testament to the evolving and growing nature of our program—if something doesn’t exist here yet, you can bring it to life! The diversity of clinical sites in which we work and the patient populations to which we are exposed has helped me hone in my interests. I’m learning the type of psychiatrist I want to become, and I’m becoming her.

Career Goals

After residency, I plan to pursue a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry. I would love to stay in Dallas at UT Southwestern for fellowship—both for the sake of my husband’s veterinary practice and because of our amazing geriatric psychiatry faculty at UTSW. After residency, I would like to work in academic medicine; I enjoy the idea of helping to educate and mentor medical students and residents as they learn and train, and I’m drawn to the collaborative atmosphere that an academic center provides. I’m particularly interested in the new state psychiatric hospital currently being built, The Texas Behavioral Health Center at UT Southwestern, as it would allow me to work in multiple areas of personal interest—geriatric psychiatry, adult inpatient psychiatry, and interventional psychiatry.

Education

Undergraduate: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, B.S. in Nutritional Sciences
Medical School: UT Health Science Center at Houston, McGovern Medical School