Inpatient + outpatient psychiatry training at Tufts Medical Center in Boston

Our psychiatry residents train in a wide variety of clinical settings across Tufts Medical Center and our partner sites. You'll care for people of all ages and backgrounds, gaining experience with the full range of psychiatric conditions and treatment approaches.

Clinical training includes:

• 6 months on our adult inpatient psychiatry unit
• 4 months on the consult and liaison psychiatry service
• 2 months in addiction psychiatry
• Rotations in child and adolescent, geriatric, forensic and public psychiatry
• Ongoing outpatient work starting in PGY-2, with a full outpatient focus in PGY-3 and PGY-4

You’ll manage your own panel of outpatient therapy and medication management cases, including long-term psychotherapy. Some residents follow their patients for up to 3 years, building strong therapeutic relationships and continuity of care.

We combine strong supervision with growing independence, helping you become a confident, capable psychiatrist. Our training prepares you for general practice, academic roles or fellowship in any subspecialty.

What kind of psychiatry training will I get at Tufts Medical Center?

At Tufts Medical Center, our psychiatry residency gives you the skills, support and experience to succeed in any area of adult psychiatry. You'll work across inpatient and outpatient settings, with training in addiction, consult and liaison, child and adolescent, geriatric, forensic and public psychiatry.

We offer a collaborative and inclusive environment where you’ll grow as a clinician and a leader. Our residents take on increasing responsibility as they advance, while building close relationships with faculty and peers. Leadership development is a key part of our program, and there are opportunities to mentor medical students and junior residents.

If you're planning to pursue a fellowship, including child and adolescent psychiatry, we’ll help you meet ABPN certification requirements during your residency. We also offer a Triple Board Residency Program for those interested in training in pediatrics, general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. Many of our graduates go on to fellowships and academic careers, fully prepared for the next step.

Leading psychiatry forward: A message from the chair at Tufts Medical Center

Our clinical services at Tufts Medical Center include consult-liaison psychiatry for inpatient, emergency room and primary care settings, an independent addiction consult-liaison psychiatry service, inpatient units for medically and psychiatrically complex adult patients, and emergency and outpatient services for all age groups, including children and adolescents. We also have vital training, teaching and clinical care partnerships with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, where our faculty staff one of two forensic psychiatric hospitals and a long-term inpatient public mental health facility.

Tufts Medical Center is the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine, and our department serves as the primary academic home for the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. In addition, the Tufts Medicine system includes an affiliated network of hospitals and physicians caring for thousands of patients each year at major medical centers in Massachusetts and Maine, while training hundreds of medical students, residents and fellows.

Psychiatry is in a unique period in its long history. The complex, often misunderstood and stigmatized illnesses we treat are beginning to yield to advances in clinical investigation, including genetics and neuroimaging. New treatments — psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacologic — are being assessed in clinical trials and effectiveness studies. There is growing recognition of the large illness burden psychiatric disorders impose on quality of life, disability, mortality and co-morbid medical conditions. Our faculty and trainees are engaged as public citizens as well, providing care and donating their time across our city and around the world. From China to Haiti, Serbia and Tanzania, Tufts psychiatry faculty bring their expertise and compassion to communities in need.

In today’s often tumultuous political and social climate, we remain mindful of the long history of systemic racism and discrimination affecting so many of our patients, trainees and faculty. We are devoted to serving our diverse and vibrant communities and committed to continuously evaluating and addressing these issues as we work toward ending health disparities.

This is a unique time to train in psychiatry, and we are honored to advocate for our patients, communities, trainees and the future of our field as a whole.

Brent Forester, MD
Dr. Francis S. Arkin Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine
Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Tufts Medical Center

Psychiatry residency program at Tufts Medical Center: Expert training + mentorship in Boston

Our Psychiatry Residency Program continues Tufts Medical Center’s tradition of educational excellence by offering a supportive and diverse learning environment. Residents benefit from close mentorship, a strong balance of clinical experience, and opportunities to teach medical students and junior residents. The program emphasizes comprehensive psychiatric care across inpatient and outpatient settings, focusing on medical and hospital-based psychiatry, psychotherapy and physician leadership.

Residents gain experience caring for a wide range of patients through rotations in multiple clinical settings, including inpatient units, outpatient clinics and specialized services. Outpatient work begins early and grows to become a core part of training, allowing residents to follow patients long term and develop lasting therapeutic relationships. This broad clinical exposure prepares residents for board certification and successful careers in psychiatry.

We also support residents interested in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry fellowships by offering flexible rotation options that meet certification requirements. Many graduates continue their training in our specialized fellowship or other programs nationwide.

Explore psychiatry residency training in Boston at Tufts Medical Center

Our Psychiatry Residency Program at Tufts Medical Center offers a welcoming, supportive environment where residents grow into confident, compassionate psychiatrists. Based in the heart of downtown Boston, our program combines strong academic training with hands-on clinical experience in diverse settings—from a major academic medical center to community health clinics and state hospitals.

We’re proud to offer three unique training pathways: our general adult psychiatry residency, a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship, and one of only a few Triple Board Programs in the country. No matter which path you choose, you’ll learn from leading experts, care for people from all backgrounds and develop the skills to shape the future of mental health care.

Highlights of our program:

• 4-year ACGME-accredited adult psychiatry residency
• Dedicated faculty with expertise in neuroimaging, addiction, trauma and more
• Strong mentorship and research opportunities
• Rotations at Tufts Medical Center and affiliated community and state facilities
• Emphasis on equity, advocacy and global mental health