A psychiatry specialty is pursued in residency and internship programs after the full 4-year medical school program is completed. Every year, “Resident Physician” ranks the medical specialty psychiatric programs in universities according to the latest available National Institutes of Health research funding. In Florida, the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, the University of Florida College of Medicine and the College of Medicine at Florida State University were ranked the top four in Florida for 2013.

The University of Florida College of Medicine

UFCM offers residents innovative evidence-based programs in a multifaceted format with rotations in diverse units, including neurology, geriatric and pediatric. The psychiatric residency program is well-known for its cutting-edge research at the Evelyn F. & William L. McKnight Brain Institute on campus. MBI-UF is the leading international center of research for brain diseases and the world’s first all-digital medical research institute. Also unique to UFCM is its fellowship training for residents who decide to stay in Gainesville and pursue careers in public psychiatry, addiction medicine, child and adolescent psychiatry or forensic psychiatry.

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

With rotations at the Miami Veterans Affairs Hospital, Jackson Memorial Hospital and University of Miami Hospital, residents are exposed to a multicultural and diverse ethnic population. This exposure offers a unique and collegial experience. Emphasis is on multimodality and multidisciplinary treatment interventions. In addition to the didactic training during residency for psychopharmacology and pharmacogenomics, residents are given advanced training in psychotherapy for the treatment of mental illness. UMMSM also has ongoing clinical studies on bipolar disorder and autism as well as a memory disorders clinic.

The University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

USFCM has its own 15,000 square-foot institute for research, studying the causes of behavioral, mental and addictive disorders. Major research areas include the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease and the molecular biology of mental illness. Many opportunities exist for residents to participate in ongoing projects or develop their own research projects, supported by the Friends of Institute for Research in Psychiatry. Residents can also conduct research at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital for the use of brain scans and electroconvulsive therapy.

Florida State University College of Medicine

The required third-year psychiatry clerkship at FSUCM emphasizes the evaluation and treatment of mental illnesses in a diverse variety of settings, including residential treatment programs, inpatient psychiatry treatment programs, emergency departments and correctional facilities. Students gain exposure to all major psychiatric diagnostic categories, including psychotic disorders, affective disorders, autism and pervasive developmental disorders. The Autism Institute at FSUCM offers pre-professionals partnerships, and students can access the information technology and innovative video at the institute for research related to autism spectrum disorder. FSUCM also has a Center for Brain Repair, where research is done on neuro-psychiatric disorders. Its research programs focus on applied scientific and fundamental approaches, using state-of-the-art molecular, genetic and cellular technologies.