Vinuta Chikkamath.

Voluntary post with a team dedicated towards the cause of improving the quality of psychiatry training in India.

• Involving to contribute to brain storming sessions to come up with innovative ideas related to psychiatry training
• Working with team to carry out academic activities.
• Contribute to TIPPS Psychiatry material.

CLINICAL

• Evaluated patient histories, complaints and current symptoms for adult psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, Child and adolescent psychiatric disorders, Emergency psychiatric disorders and Psychosomatic disorders.
• Integrated findings from history and physical examinations into reasonably ordered differential diagnoses.
• Ordered and executed diagnostic tests and analyzed diagnostic images to further investigate patient conditions.
• Performed initial and ongoing assessments of patients' medical, physical and psychosocial status.
• Assessed patient needs for specialty referrals, diagnostic and in-patient care.
• Prescribed treatments and calculated pharmaceutical dosage and timing.
• Performed rounds thrice a week to discuss patient care plans, review diagnostic studies, communicate with patients and discuss medication lists.
• Provided patient education and counseling, covering health status, test results, disease processes and discharge planning.
• Anticipated patients' needs, conducted discharge planning and created individualized disease management and prevention plans.
• Established collaborative and constructive relationships with patients and families by effectively and sympathetically discussing serious, sensitive and difficult topics.
• Collaborated with care team to develop assessment and treatment plans.
• Performed Electroconvulsive therapy 3 times per week.
• Treated patients undergoing substance abuse treatment, detoxification and recovery in in-patient treatment facility.
• Engaged with other professionals to impart knowledge and discuss best treatment courses through case discussions once a week.
• Dedicated 12 hours per week as on-call physician.

ACADEMIC

• Moderating seminars, journal clubs, case conferences for MD psychiatry trainee residents
• Conducting theory academic classes for MD Psychiatry resident trainees and undergraduate medical students.
• Academic presentations in value added courses involving other departments of the hospital for the benefit of clinicians and students

• Learned to evaluate and manage patients in stressful environments.
• Wrote admissions notes, care plans and chart notes for each new patient.
• Attended patient and teaching rounds ready to contribute and advance knowledge.
• Backed up emergency room staff and acted as first on call to take incoming casualty patients.
• Wrote medical prescriptions, detailing side effects and possible adverse reactions to keep patients informed and alert of potential issues.
• Interviewed patients concerning physical complaints, discussed symptoms, asked questions and suggested treatment options.
• Implemented therapeutic regiments involving medications and other interventions to mitigate symptoms and prevent reoccurrence.

Research Projects:

International level:

1. Vinuta Chikkamath. ‘Assessment of Resilience and Burnout in frontline health care professionals of COVID-19 pandemic- Across-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital’ – Presented as a e-poster from 10-12th December 2020 at virtual World Psychiatry Association Thematic Congress on intersectoral collaboration: Psychological Trauma: Global burden on mental and physical health at Athens, Greece.

National level:

State level:

Vinuta C. Chikkamath. ‘Zolpidem: Dependable or dependence producing? – Presented as a poster on 4th October 2020 the online version of 30th Annual state conference of Indian Psychiatric Society- Karnataka Chapter hosted and broadcasted from BMCH, Chitradurga.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Proposed second author for the study titled “Mental health and coping styles in medical and non-medical students during COVID 19 pandemic” under the guidance of Dr Nishi Guru.