The Emergency Psychiatry Service at Royal Columbian Hospital is a specialized consultation and treatment service based within the Emergency Department. As Fraser Health’s major tertiary and trauma centre, the service provides assessment and management of a broad range of acute psychiatric presentations, supported by 24-hour psychiatric nursing coverage, on-site daytime psychiatry staff, and after-hours on-call psychiatry services.
Residents gain experience assessing and managing psychiatric emergencies across the full spectrum of adult mental health conditions, including acute psychosis, mood disorders, substance-related presentations, behavioural disturbances, suicidality, and psychiatric symptoms arising in the context of medical illness. The Psychiatric Emergency Zone includes dedicated seclusion rooms that support the safe management of patients requiring intensive assessment and stabilization.
Emergency Psychiatry is available as a core PGY1 rotation and as an elective for senior residents, providing valuable experience in crisis assessment, risk evaluation, rapid treatment planning, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The service also serves as an important teaching environment, with residents working alongside nursing staff, learners, and other members of the emergency care team.
Goals and Objectives: UBC Training Objectives – Emergency Psychiatry
UBC Fraser Health Psychiatry 