Zachary McDonald, M.D.
Welcome to The University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine Psychiatry Department and thank you for your interest in our program! As chief resident, I am honored to share with you some of the amazing opportunities at our residency program. Our program is both community-based and university-affiliated, thus offering the best of both worlds in psychiatric training. Academically, our faculty have a wide range of interests and are committed to high standards of practice and education. There are many opportunities for research and residents often enjoy new opportunities offered at the world-class Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR). Psychotherapy is emphasized in our program and there is excellent training in CBT and Psychodynamic modalities by experts in those fields. We train in a diverse setting of inpatient and outpatient facilities allowing for greater knowledge of real-world practice and available resources. During your time here, you will be seeing patients from all sorts of backgrounds ranging from social-economic standings to ethnicities. Newly, we have improved the resident experience and patient physician relationship by going to a 2&2 system for the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years, alternating the outpatient clinic experience with other core requirements and electives every two weeks over the two years. In the end, this training prepares residents for adult general psychiatry and/or for specialization. Our residents have consistently matched to the fellowship of their choosing all over the country and we are excited to offer a Child and Adolescent Fellowship since 2015.
Our program places heavy emphasis on work-life balance for residents. OU Tulsa offers counseling services for residents free of charge and completely confidential. Our department has a comprehensive wellness curriculum focused on increasing psychological, physical and professional satisfaction. The psychiatry department (including the OU Psychiatry Clinic) is located at the University of Oklahoma's Schusterman Center in Tulsa, which provides us with easy access to departmental research opportunities, the university library, 24-hour fitness center and the GME office. Tulsa is a great place to live with short drive times, many hiking and biking trails, restaurants, outdoor/indoor concerts, festivals, and cultural events. It has many of the opportunities available in big cities without the hassle of lots of traffic.
At the OU School of Community Medicine, we (i.e. residents, faculty and staff) are a diverse group of individuals who constantly strive to form close bonds of care and camaraderie. We encourage team building and participation in a variety of activities. Our residents are well-represented on many university committees. We are involved in the education of medical students during clerkships and each year our department sponsors an ethics conference for the third-year and fourth-year medical students. We have an institution-wide research fair, a clinical vignette symposium, and many other opportunities for academic participation.
Please browse our program website to find out more about the program. Additionally, make sure to read why our current residents chose OU School of Community Medicine for their psychiatry training.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email at Zachary-McDonald@ouhsc.edu
