Number of Residents: How many residents will train in the Idaho-Track?

The Idaho-Track will include three residents per year for a total of four years, equal twelve residents total when the program finishes four years of recruitment from 2020-2023.

First Residents Start:  When does the first Idaho-Track residents start training?

The first class was being recruited during the 2019-2020 interview season and started training on June 24, 2020.  Idaho-Track residents move to Idaho for their final 2 years of training.  The first Idaho-Track residents relocated to the Pocatello area to start their PGY-3 year on July 1, 2022.

Early Idaho Rotation Experience:  Will Idaho-Track residents get any Idaho training during the first two years?

The first two years of training are primarily at current training sites in Salt Lake City, while the last two years of training primarily occur in SE Idaho (Pocatello area) at a variety of training sites.  Interns are scheduled for 4 months of primary care.  The Idaho-Track residents rotate for one month on medicine at Portneuf Medical Center (PMC) in Pocatello as interns, and for one month at PMC doing inpatient psychiatry in their 2nd year of training.  This gives Idaho-Track residents a chance to work with interns and residents from the Idaho State University Family Practice program, and to develop relationships leading to improved sharing of ideas and consultations between both programs.

Housing Support:  For residents or medical students living in Salt Lake City, where do they live when they do a single rotation in Idaho?

The program provides housing for our PGY 1-2 residents who do one rotation per year at Portneuf Hospital in Pocatello, but are living in Salt Lake City. We current contract with an AirBnB host in Pocatello and provide a fully furnished 2-bedroom basement apartment.

Program Administration Location:  Where is the training program leadership located?

Dr. Beth Botts is the first Associate Training Director for the program.  She resides in Salt Lake City and does inpatient child & adolescent psychiatry at Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The Idaho team plans to have an Associate Training Director living/ working in Pocatello in the near future. Dr. Botts and the new training director will work closely together to support the residents in Salt Lake and Pocatello.  The Idaho Associate Training Director reports to the General Psychiatry Training Director.  The Idaho-Track Coordinator is located in Pocatello, Idaho.

Administrative Roles: What are the roles of the Associate Training Director located in SE Idaho?

Separate from their training administrative role, the new Associate (on site) Training Director will need to supervise residents, potentially at more than one training site, until we can grow the faculty and have faculty on site for each rotation.  The Idaho-Track Associate Training Director and the Coordinator will report to the University of Utah General Psychiatry Training Director and Program Manager, respectively.

Malpractice Coverage:  How will malpractice insurance be covered when training in Idaho?

Yes – although the program is open to candidates from across the US, applicants who are “connected” to Idaho will receive priority.  Statistically, having a connection with the rural area where a resident receives training is the best predictor for retaining that psychiatrist after graduation.  Connections could include being born or raised in Idaho, having family in Idaho, spending considerable time in Idaho, attending school in Idaho, or via other relationships.

Student Applicants:  For medical students applying to the program, will students with Idaho connections have priority?

Yes – although the program is open to candidates from across the US, applicants who are “connected” to Idaho will receive priority.  Statistically, having a connection with the rural area where a resident receives training is the best predictor for retaining that psychiatrist after graduation.  Connections could include being born or raised in Idaho, having family in Idaho, spending considerable time in Idaho, attending school in Idaho, or via other relationships.

Didactics:  Will PGY 3 and PGY 4 Idaho-Track residents have a full-day of protected didactics on Wednesdays just like the residents training in Salt Lake City?

Yes!  Having a protected “education day” is a time-honored strength of our program and helps us to attract some of the top medical students to our residency program.  Program rotation sites get the residents “uninterrupted” on the other days of the week, compared with other programs where residents leave each day for lectures.  Rotations pay 25% for a day of resident work, since they fund their proportion of the Wednesday lectures (1 day of clinical work = 8 hours clinical work plus funding for 2 hours of Wednesday’s didactics).

Tele-Didactics:  How will residents training in Idaho get all the didactic lectures they need?

State of the art video equipment is available in both Idaho and the University of Utah.  We use Zoom as the platform for the residents sitting in a group education room in Idaho. s We anticipate, as the Idaho-Track grows and adds faculty, that many lectures and learning experiences will led by Idaho-Track Faculty in Pocatello, and Zoom will be used for specialized areas of psychiatry.

Fellowship Following Residency:  What if an Idaho-Track resident wants to do a fellowship?

We encourage any of our Idaho-Track residents who are interested in applying for a Fellowship to apply.  Nationally, Child psychiatry training typically allows a resident to skip the last year of general psychiatry training to begin child psychiatry training.  The first year of child training can be “double counted” towards completion of general psychiatry.  However, the Idaho-Track is being designed as a 4-year general psychiatry program, so we strongly encourage residents to finish the program before beginning a child psychiatry fellowship.

Primary Training Sites:  What are the primary training sites in SE Idaho for the 3rd and 4th year of Idaho-Track psychiatry residency training?

The home base will likely be the VA outpatient clinic, which each resident will do 1-2 full days a week. Other primary sites will include Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello (CL service, and emergency psychiatry), Health West primary care clinics, Idaho State University student health clinic, the Idaho State Hospital, and private practice clinics supervised by faculty.

Electives:  What kind of electives are being developed?

There are a number of elective opportunities. These include the Human Development Center, research, Tele-psychiatry (through VA or Portneuf), Blackfoot (Fort Hall) reservation clinic. Other rotations in development could include the Women’s prison, HIV clinic, Suboxone clinic through Health West, ECT in Idaho Falls. For anything not available in the SE Idaho region, residents may be able to do specialty rotations back in SLC. For 4th years, “Jr. Attending” rotations will also be available. This will likely include both general and geriatric psychiatry. There is also possibly an opportunity to do further rural rotations in other areas of Idaho, and in Montana.

Psychotherapy Training:  How will psychotherapy be organized for the PGY 3-4 years?

PGY3 residents will participate in one of two half day clinics, either at the ISU Counseling and Testing Services, medical student therapy clinic, Portenuf Valley Family Counseling, Indian Health Services, or at the Pocatello VA Clinic, where they will engage in psychotherapy for the full year. In addition, electives at those same sites will be available during the PGY4 year.  Finally, there will be opportunities for virtual psychotherapy electives.

Fulfilling Graduation Requirements:  What must be completed in Salt Lake City during the first 2 years before moving to Pocatello?

All child psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and addiction psychiatry must be completed in Salt Lake City prior to third year. This is due to less availability of board certified CA/ geriatric and addiction psychiatrists in the SE Idaho area. Resident will still be able to have experience in these areas in Pocatello but with general-trained psychiatrists.  Each resident will also be expected to complete a Quality Improvement project during their 2nd year.

Resident Salary/Benefits:  How are Idaho residents paid?

Residents are employed by the University of Utah all four years, and will be paid through direct deposit on the 7th and 22nd of each month.

Salary for the 2025-2026 academic year (typically there are yearly cost-of-living increases)

• PGY-1 salary = $72,841
• PGY-2 salary = $75,529
• PGY-3 salary = $78,371
• PGY-4 salary = $81,865

Total (Salary plus Benefits) (typically add 27% of salary for benefits)

On-Call Duties:  What will “On-Call” duties look like in Idaho for Idaho track residents?

The first two years of training will be similar for general psychiatry residents, regardless of Idaho-Track status. While all Utah psychiatry residents rotate at many different training sites, all Idaho-Track residents will spend some portion of their time (typically 30%) with our partner academic system at the VA Medical Center (PGY 1-2) and CBOC Clinic in Pocatello (PGY 3-4). Current PGY-3 residents in Utah have the requirement of multiple weeks of supervisory call, supervising junior residents. As there will be no PGY 1-2 residents in Idaho, the PGY-3 residents in Idaho take an “equal amount” of call to their colleagues in Utah.  PGY 3 residents work a weekend on the consult & liaison service approximately 1 in every 6 weeks. Like residents who continue to train in Salt Lake City, Idaho-Track residents will take call their 3rd year, but not in the PGY-4 (senior) year.

Funding – Safety Net:  What happens if there is a legislative funding crisis years from now?

We don’t see any funding problems in the future, but let’s say worst case scenario – the program faces closure many years from now:  Leadership at Idaho State University and the University of Utah School of Medicine are committed to make sure that each resident training in the program is supported through graduation.  The training program will continue to fund high quality rotations/education. There may be adjustments to training schedules, but we will not leave a resident stranded in the middle of a residency, even in a crisis.

Health Insurance and Providers:  Can you describe Health Insurance Benefits for residents?

University of Utah health and dental coverage, basic life insurance, and long-term disability insurance will be effective on the resident’s hire date.  Current University of Utah health insurance is with Bluecross/Blueshield.  There are several in-network providers in Idaho.  Residents can go the Regence Bluecross/Blueshield website to identify available Idaho in network providers. 

Benefits Details:  What about other Benefits?

Detailed information about all available benefits will be provided to the residents upon hire, or information may be found on the University of Utah Benefits web site at www.hr.utah.edu/benefits.  

Trainee benefits include the following: 

Paid Leave

• Three weeks (15 working days) of paid annual vacation, and one week (5 working days) of paid annual personal/professional development time which must be scheduled with the approval of the Program Director. Both vacation and personal/professional development time is non‐accruing.

Insurance

• Choice of health insurance plans, including hospitalization coverage - premium costs are shared between the Hospital and the trainee for health coverage for the trainee and family.
• Group dental insurance for trainee and family at a nominal charge per month.
• Group term life insurance up to the salary amount but not to exceed $25,000 at no charge. Additional life insurance may be purchased by the trainee.
• Disability insurance for specialty‐specific occupation with benefit equal to approximately 66.6% of monthly earnings up to $3,000/month (less benefits from other sources) and built‐in cost‐of‐living rider. Basic policy paid by Hospital. Additional individual coverage may be purchased by the trainee.
• Malpractice insurance is provided by the hospital for professional activities that are an approved part of the training program.

Meal Allowance and On-Call Facilities

• Meals will be provided to on-call trainees required to spend the night in any affiliated hospital and part of his/her training program.
• Overnight accommodations are available in the hospitals for on-call trainees. 

Parking Stipend

• All trainees are eligible for a $25.00 per pay period parking stipend.

Education and Professional Development Funds

• All trainees receive an educational fund of $200 per year to be used over their training for educational materials.
• All trainees are encouraged to participate in individual research projects and present at scientific meetings. A portion of the expenses incurred in association with scientific presentations by trainees are paid by the Department. 

Other Benefits

• Utah Medical Association (UMA) membership is provided for all trainees. Membership includes financial counseling and other benefits.
• Other benefits, such as reduced tuition, bookstore discount, athletic event discounts, use of recreation facilities and others as offered to all University employees. Click here for the general University of Utah benefits.
• Trainees qualify for reduced-cost season passes at some Utah ski areas.
• All trainees have access to networked computers, Medline, and email.
• Recognizing that some trainees may experience depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or marital and family stress at some time during their training, the School of Medicine provides preventive, consultative and referral services through the Employee Assistance Program. Many trainees take advantage of the opportunity for their own individual psychotherapy.

Research:  Can Idaho Track residents do research?

Absolutely. The program will allow remote research with professors/ physicians/ researchers at the University of Utah. Research with ISU adjunct professors/researchers may also be available.

Senior Project:  Do Idaho track residents do a senior project?

Yes. Like the general UT residents, a senior project will be required. However, the focus will be on rural mental health and presentation will be made to educate other general physicians in the SE Idaho area.

Resident Supervision:  How will supervision be done?

Per ACGME requirements, residents will be provided at least 2 hours of faculty preceptorship weekly, one hour which will be individual. This will be a combination of in person, tele-supervision, and phone until the faculty in Idaho is sufficient to provide all supervision in person.  PGY 1-2 residents are closely supervised in person, while PGY 3-4 residents always have supervision readily available, but have more autonomy.

Residents as Teachers:  Will there be teaching opportunities with medical students in Idaho?

The plan is to pair medical students with residents to develop “teaching teams” much like rotations in SLC. This will include medical students from the University of Utah as well as potential medical students on away rotations from other universities. Family practice residents from the ISU Family Medicine Residency rotate at Portneuf Medical Center with Idaho-Track psychiatry residents, including an inpatient psychiatry rotation for family practice.  We hope to have a lot of interaction between the Idaho-Track residents, and medical students, and family practice residents, giving ample opportunities for psychiatry residents to teach.

Moonlighting:  Will “moonlighting” be allowed?

We understand the burden of school debt carried by residents.  We anticipate PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents living in Idaho will need to moonlight.  Moonlighting requires the resident to be in “good standing” with the training program (E.g. not struggling with clinical rotations/in-training exams).  Moonlighting opportunities are now being developed in the Pocatello area, first with Portneuf Hospital.  Typically, our general psychiatry program does not have “on-call” duties for PGY-4 residents, which frees up senior residents for job application/interviews as well as Moonlighting opportunities, to reduce school debt.

Resident Evaluations:  How will residents, faculty, and training sites be evaluated?

Evaluations will be done using MedHub, the University of Utah’s electronic evaluation program.  Both residents and faculty will be given logins to access and complete evaluations.  Residents can see review their Training File or request a copy.  The evaluations are the same used by other general psychiatry residents.  Resident input is very important.  Residents evaluate each faculty supervisor and rotation.  Only “group” summary data of many evaluations are shared with faculty, to allow residents some degree of anonymity.

Workman’s Compensation:  What happens in the rare instance of a resident getting injured on the job?

Residents injured outside of University Hospital while at work should seek care at the hospital or medical facility where the injury occurred. The EMPLOYER'S FIRST REPORT OF INJURY form must be completed for worker's compensation insurance.  The University of Utah GME policy states, “Refer to “A” on how to obtain and process form.  (See “A” below)

“A. The residents working at University Hospital should contact the Work Wellness Center or the Hospital Emergency Room (during "off" hours) for care following a needle stick or any other work-related injury. The resident must fill out the EMPLOYER'S FIRST REPORT OF INJURY FORM. This form, necessary for worker's compensation coverage, may be obtained from the Hospital Emergency Room, the Work Wellness Center, or, online at: http://www.hr.utah.edu/forms/lib/E1.pdf. The form should be returned to the Work Wellness Center. NO CLAIMS WILL BE PAID UNLESS THIS FORM IS COMPLETED”

The Idaho Rural Track Training Coordinator, ISU Family Medicine Clinic, and Portneuf Medical Center will also have copies of this form.