Director: S. Pirzada Sattar, M.D.

Address: Substance Use Disorder Program (116A4) Omaha VAMC, 4101 Woolworth Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68105

Phone: (404) 346-8800 x4306   •   Fax: (402) 977-5684   •   E-mail: Syed.Sattar@med.va.gov

Level: PGY-5   •   Positions: 2   •   Accreditation: ACGME

The Addiction Psychiatry Residency Program is a one-year program. The Addiction Psychiatry resident must have satisfactorily completed an ACGME-accredited General Psychiatry residency prior to entering the program. Upon completion of the 12-month residency program, and board certification in General Psychiatry, the resident will be board eligible in Addiction Psychiatry. Training in Addiction Psychiatry that occurred during the general residency training will NOT be credited toward the one-year requirement. Training is best accomplished on a full-time basis. If it is undertaken on a part-time basis, the 12-month program must be completed within a two-year period.

To determine the appropriate level of education for a resident who is transferring from another residency program, written verification of the previous educational experiences and a statement regarding the performance evaluation of the transferring resident must be received prior to acceptance into the program.

Residents train at the Creighton University affiliated hospitals and affiliated sites. Residents receive direct supervision in evaluation and treatment of men and women of different ages, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds with addictions to all of the major classes of addicting substances. Residents participate in three main rotations: VAMC substance abuse treatment program (6 months); University of Nebraska Medical Center (3 months) ; and a split rotation at Immanuel Alegent Health Medical Center (3 months) and the University Drug and Alcohol Program. Residents receive supervised training in performing patient evaluations, managing rehabilitation and detoxification, and treating psychiatric co-morbidities. They participate in clinical supervision and formal didactic training of general psychiatry residents and medical students. Residents also follow outpatients for individual psychotherapy and medication management throughout the year.

Wednesday morning seminars cover specific reading assignments based on the topic areas covered in the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology examination and requirements of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education. Didactics address neurobiology, diagnosis and treatment of all the major classes of addicting substances, pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, and related topics including public policy, ethics, and medications development.

A more detailed description of our program can be requested by calling Dr. Sattar, at 402-346-8800, ext. 4306.

Omaha VAMC – Program is a 6-month rotation in outpatient intensive rehabilitation, opioid agonist therapy, and consultation. Patients are evaluated in consultation on Surgery and Medicine inpatient units, in the Methadone Clinic, and as outpatients. Residents supervise and teach PGY-2/3/4 General Psychiatry residents as well as medical students.

Intensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Unit: 20 hours/week

Inpatient Consultation: 6 hours/week

Outpatient Follow-up: 6 hours/week

1. Residents will be able to recognize and address the signs and symptoms of intoxication and withdrawal from major categories of psychoactive substances.
2. Residents will be competent in managing inpatient and outpatient detoxification from all major categories of psychoactive substances.
3. Residents will be able to evaluate patients to determine the most appropriate level of care for addiction treatment using standard criteria such as ASAM.
4. Residents will be able to identify the signs and symptoms of psychoactive substance use and dependence and psychiatric co-morbidities.
5. Residents will medically manage psychiatric co-morbidities including post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders.
6. Residents will be able to confront and intervene with unhealthy defense mechanisms.
7. Residents will be able to lead multidisciplinary treatment planning to address individual problems within a bio-psychosocial-spiritual framework.
8. Residents will be able to medically manage patients in opioid substitution therapy.
9. Residents will develop group and individual psychotherapy skills including cognitive-behavioral, 12-step facilitation, motivation enhancement, and psychodynamic methods.
10. Residents will provide consultation to Medicine, Surgery, and Intensive Care units for those patients with psychoactive substance dependence.

Wednesday mornings are reserved for academic activities. Residents participate in Didactics lectures (8:00-12:00) to include small group discussions with experts in Pharmacology, Clinical Care, and Epidemiology. Schedule of lectures for current academic year – along with references to be reviewed before and during lectures – is enclosed in resident handbook.

Residents are expected to spend Wednesday afternoons pursuing scholarly activities. Each resident is expected to complete at least one scholarly activity to include developing a lecture, writing a review paper, a research paper, or other activity approved by the Program Director.

Creighton has a diverse faculty devoted to researching addiction , from Molecular Neuroscience, to Rodent and Primate Animal Models, to Clinical Trials, and epidemiological studies. Residents may elect to pursue research projects in any of these areas.

Addiction Psychiatry faculty currently consists of two full-time addiction psychiatrists who are certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and located at the primary teaching site, The Omaha VA medical Center. Another onsite physician who is certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine is available and involved in the teaching and training of the addiction fellows. In addition, we have one addiction psychiatrist who is responsible for training at the Methadone Clinic. Faculty members in General Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine, and addiction research provide didactic instruction and appropriate clinical research supervision.

Applicants must complete a psychiatry residency program before beginning the addiction psychiatry residency program (PGY-5) and must obtain a Nebraska Medical License. Detailed information about our program can be requested in writing or by calling the program director at the above contact information. A complete packet and application will be mailed to you. Applicants are required to provide three letters of reference (one from his/her General Psychiatry Program Director), his/her Curriculum Vitae, a copy of his/her medical school diploma, transcripts, and a letter from the dean, and USMLE exam scores.

Our goal is to prepare residents for ABPN Board Certification in Addiction Psychiatry. To that end, addiction psychiatry residents must first become certified in General Psychiatry. Each fellow takes the PRITE and participates in mock oral board examinations. These exercises serve to measure skills and knowledge in Addiction Psychiatry while preparing the resident for ABPN certification.

Each resident is evaluated quarterly by his/her attending psychiatrists in the knowledge and practice of Addiction Psychiatry and in the six general competencies for all physicians, as outlined by the ACGME: Patient Care; Medical Knowledge; Practice-Based Learning; Interpersonal Skills; Professionalism; and Systems-Based Practice. Evaluations are based on direct observation of patient care and weekly supervision. Residents evaluate the quality of teaching by clinical attendings and lecturers.

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