The PRITE Fellowship Program
For many years, the PRITE® Editorial Board has welcomed residents as full Members of the Board through the PRITE® Fellowship Program. The PRITE® Fellowship Selection Committee chooses residents to serve at least one year on the Editorial Board. Applications for Fellowships are received from PGY II and III general psychiatry residents and first year child Fellows in residency programs throughout the United States and Canada. In early 2007, the College’s Board of Regents increased the funding for the PRITE Fellowships to include four residents (two General and two Child) to participate on the PRITE Editorial Board.
PRITE® Fellows participate in the question writing process by developing an assigned number of questions and then editing and referencing exam items. PRITE® Fellows must be able to attend the July meeting of the PRITE® Editorial Board where all travel related costs will be covered by The College. Appointments to the PRITE® Editorial Board may be renewed for one year upon the approval of the PRITE® Editor-in-Chief.
If you wish to learn more about the PRITE®/CHILD PRITE® Fellowship prior to being nominated, please contact Kathryn Delk, Assistant Executive Director, at: Kathryn@ACPsych.org or 312.938.8840 ext. 14. Recent former Fellows are more than willing to discuss their experience on the PRITE® Editorial Board so that you can gain a better understanding of all that is involved with this Fellowship.
COMMENTS FROM PRITE® FELLOWS
A Letter to Residents/Fellows thinking about the PRITE/CHILD PRITE Fellowship (from a recent former Fellow)
Working on the PRITE was a fantastic experience that I would recommend to anyone interested in medical education. Creating test questions forced me to think about what is really important for trainees to know, and how to make sure you’re asking the question you mean to be asking. The conferences were a wonderful experience in collaborating with other psychiatric educators and learning about how the experts in the field work together and think about medical education. Finally, it helped me to understand the perspective of standardized test creators, which helped improve my own standardized test-taking skills—this came in handy for the Boards!
David Beckmann, M.D., M.P.H.
2014-2016
Being a PRITE Fellow has been an amazing experience and one of the highlights of my residency experience. It was however, a lot more work than I ever imagined! From the very beginning I was reviewing questions and having to write my own. As someone who is interested in education it has been wonderful to work with so many people who are committed to psychiatric education, and eye-opening to see the painstaking work that goes into the PRITE. There is a real impetus for refinement, with many questions not making the cut, which makes it all the more heartwarming when my questions are accepted.
As a PRITE Fellow, you are a welcome part of the editorial board and my input was not only welcome but actively solicited. They really want resident voices shaping the exam. It has been particularly valuable to be part of this process during a time of great transition. We have had to adapt to DSM-5, the new ACGME milestones, and now consider using video vignettes in keeping with changes to the ABPN Board exams. I would highly recommend the Fellowship to anyone who is interested in medical education and wishes to stretch the limits of their knowledge.
Vivek Datta, M.D.
2013-2015
“I would never have imagined the work and effort it takes to put together a well-written and researched test. I learned more from writing my questions and sitting in the room with others who were doing the same than I ever would have from reading a journal article or a book on my own. Being a CHILD PRITE® Fellow stressed to me the importance of keeping up in our field.”
Eric Williams, M.D.
2003 - 2005
College Member 2010
“The CHILD PRITE fellowship was one of the most formative academic experiences during my training. It was a great deal of work, but it was also greatly illuminating to sit with some of the leaders in our field and think through questions in a collaborative process. Writing the exam requires making choices about what is truly "core" knowledge and grappling with the heterogeneous perspectives that exist in our field - both philosophically and geographically. To take part in debating such matters was educational in itself; to see how the group could do so while preserving our collective sense of humor, equanimity, and camaraderie was an education in professionalism.”
Theodore Murray, M.D.
2010 - 2012
“Becoming a CHILD PRITE Fellow was the most invigorating part of my training. Test construction is an intensely creative process which requires a love of language, science, and precision. I felt like an active member of a community of scholars with a shared passion for education. In addition, the Fellows' voices are respected as our knowledge level is a touchstone for trainees across the country.”
Howard Liu, M.D.
2007-2009
"As a PRITE Fellow, the exercise of question writing undoubtedly resulted in an expansion of my knowledge base and an awareness that, at a time when medicine seems to be rushed and other interests compete with patient care and trainee education, I had an opportunity to see that there exists a group that is uncompromisingly dedicated to resident education and training, thus dedicated to patient care. The meetings were more than just work sessions. They re-focused my commitment to academic medicine, reminding me of the importance of thoughtfully considering what makes us responsible and competent in our care of children, adolescents and their families. Through this Fellowship I gained an incredible amount of factual knowledge, unanticipated and lasting relationsps, and most importantly, an opportunity to better discern my place in child psychiatry."
Emily Goddard, M.D.
2010 - 2012
PRITE® AND CHILD PRITE® FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS
The Program Director from each separately accredited general and child and adolescent training program in the United States and Canada, may submit one (1) nomination.
The nominee must be a current PGY II or III in general psychiatry (PRITE® Fellowship) or a first year child fellow (CHILD PRITE® Fellowship) as of July 1, 2023. Due to the time commitment required, nominations cannot be accepted for those residents who are PGY IVs or second year child fellows.
The recipient must be able to attend the entire meeting of the PRITE® Editorial Board held in July during each of the two (2) years after being named a Fellow. Fellows will also be invited to attend the 2024 and 2025 College Annual Meetings held in February.
IMPORTANT: Time Commitment Required for PRITE Fellows
The candidate and Program Director should be aware that the PRITE Fellowship is a big time committment. The Fellows will write 15-20 new questions that are due in early January. This assignment is sent out almost immediately after accepting the Fellowship. It also includes a small re-write assignment where you will make minor edits (if needed) to already written questions. A second pre-meeting assignment is sent out in May (due late June/early July) in preparation for the July Meeting. The new Fellows are required to participate in two conference calls (half hour or so each) - one in September/October and one in May/June. The first call provides more detail and instruction related to the assignments. The call in June provides an overview of the July Meeting and discusses the pre-meeting assignment. Here is a timeline of PRITE activities for reference: Timeline.
Typically, PRITE question writers spend about one to two hours from start to finish on each question. Some questions may take longer and some may take less time. The candidate and Program Director should not only be aware of, but also be supportive of this time commitment.
To provide you with a better understanding of how the candidates are scored, here is the Scoring Rubric used to score candidates: Scoring Rubric
PRITE Fellowship Selection Committee/Senior Fellow - Outgoing Fellow Appointment
At the PRITE Editorial Board Meeting in July, the PRITE Editors will select an outgoing PRITE/CHILD PRITE Fellow - Senior PRITE Fellow - to serve a one-year term on the PRITE Fellowship Selection Committee and act as a mentor to the current PRITE Fellows. Their contribution to the selection process will be valuable in selecting the next group of Fellows. This Fellow will also be part of a small group that will create and plan virtual activities for the Fellows throughout the year and also be a part of the planning process for the following year's Annual Meeting in February. This appointment is done alongside a selected Laughlin Fellow. They will attend an additional Annual Meeting and PRITE Editorial Board Meeting.
Compile Nomination Packet
1.Nomination Form - Nominator must be the Program Director. NOTE: Candidates may be nominated for either the PRITE or Laughlin Fellowship, but not both in the same year. Those selected as a PRITE or Laughlin Fellow may not apply for the other Fellowship in future years.
IMPORTANT:
Regarding the CHILD PRITE Fellowship:
- Due to the timing of the nomination deadline, often Child Fellowship Directors haven’t gotten a chance to get to know the new Fellows yet. In order to help provide an opportunity to more child fellow applicants to take part in the Fellowship, The College and the PRITE Fellowship Selection Committee would like to encourage “outgoing” Adult Program Directors to write a joint letter with the new Child Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director.
- In addition, the current Adult Psychiatry Program Director can nominate a current PGY 3 resident (scheduled to begin their Child Fellowship in the coming months) for CHILD PRITE. We will just require a “sign off” as part of the application process from the Child Program Director. Please include a brief statement of support from the new Child Fellowship Director as part of your application submittal.
2. Nomination letter from the Program Director that indicates the reasons for the candidate’s nomination and the Director’s endorsement of the candidate - Suggestions for Nominator's lette
| a. |
Reasons why this fellowship would be a good fit for the candidate career goals. |
| b. |
Reasons why the candidate would be a good fit for the PRITE Editorial Board.NOTE: The focus should be on reasons/accomplishments since residency. |
| c. |
The American College of Psychiatrists is committed to diversity, respectful inclusion, and equity. With this in mind,please explain (if known) how the candidate would promote these values and add to the richness of the experience. |
| d. |
Please address how this activity will be made a part of the expected residency activities/standard workday so that the candidate is supported timewise and through mentoring. |
| e. |
Please answer/elaborate on the following items related to the candidate:
|
- Sample PD Letters
3. Nomination letter from the candidate outlining his/her current interests in psychiatry. Please address:
| a. |
Significant personal accomplishments related to teaching and/or writing. (ex. organizing a study course or specific activities related to PRITE or other examinations or curricula. NOTE: The focus should be on reasons/accomplishments since residency. |
| b. |
Reasons why the candidate would be a good fit for the PRITE Fellowship based on their experience. NOTE: Selected candidates may not write exam questions for any other organization while serving on the PRITE Editorial Board. |
| c. |
Reasons how the PRITE Fellowship/writing questions for the PRITE could influence the candidate’s future career. |
| d. |
The American College of Psychiatrists is committed to diversity, respectful inclusion, and equity. With this in mind, the candidate should explain how they would promote these values and add to the richness of the experience. |
| e. |
Please include a sign off from the candidate stating that they wrote their own questions and did not receive assistance. |
4. Nominee’s curriculum vitae
5. Five original multiple-choice sample questions with answer key, rationale and references. It is strongly recommended that candidates review the "Suggestions for Writing Good Questions". *Please use these guidelines when writing your sample questions.*
- REQUIRED: Two, out of the five original multiple-choice questions must be vignette style questions.
- Be sure to write with a thoughtful application of concepts (versus simple factual knowledge)
- The questions should be independent of one another and should also cover different content areas. For reference: PRITE Content Outline and CHILD PRITE Content Outline
- A different reference source should be used for each question.
- Please submit one question (along with answer key, rationale and reference(s)) per page.
Nominations must be received by The College no later than May 15, 2023*.
How to Submit the Nomination Packet
E-mail all documents in pdf format to: Kathryn@acpsych.org. Please do not scan hard copies of application documents (text quality diminished and difficult to read). Please email ONE complete pdf file of all application documents.
*Nominations received after May 15, 2023 will not be considered. Please DO NOT fax nomination packets.
