The critical incident technique applied to postgraduate training in psychiatry.

Abstract

The authors describe an interdisciplinary mental health team operating out of the Bernalillo County Mental Health Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Psychiatric residents at the University of New Mexico are assigned to teams working in the community. In an attempt to evaluate this educational program a technique describing specific incidents in residents' performance which are judged to be effective or ineffective was used. Everyone had implicit and explicit expectations with the assignment to the treatment team and considerable change took place in the team and the resident. Conflict and breakdown in the usual team function occurred frequently. The lack of role definition and role conflict were serious problems. However, the overall effect was desirable, and this type of program may produce a new and necessary advance in providing services to the population at risk in addition to providing a new educational experience for psychiatric residents.