How should we teach psychopharmacology to residents? Results of the initial experience with the ASCP model curriculum

There is now more information to assimilate in clinical psychopharmacology and newer ways to acquire this information. Educational materials should be designed for and targeted to meet the diverse needs of such groups as medical students, psychiatry residents, clinical practitioners, industry and federal scientists, and clinical research organizations. As a starting point, the authors developed, in 1997, a model curriculum for psychopharmacology residency programs. The curriculum consists of 1) overview, 2) learning and educational objectives, 3) what and how to teach, 4) how to evaluate, 5) how to organize a psychopharmacology program, and 6) an investigative psychiatry curriculum. There are 31 lecture outlines and hard copies of 1,500 slides, comprising basic and advanced courses. A 1-year follow-up evaluation of users' experience found that 62% rated the curriculum, to varying degrees, as improving the teaching of psychopharmacology in their programs.