Psychiatry Residency

Welcome to the Psychiatry Residency Program at Hackensack Meridian Health's Jersey Shore University Medical Center, located in Neptune, New Jersey—your gateway to a premier psychiatric training experience in a top-tier healthcare setting. Recognized for our dedication to clinical quality, patient safety, and educational excellence, our program is designed to cultivate the next generation of psychiatrists in a supportive and dynamic environment.

Our program, accredited by the ACGME for four years of postgraduate training, emphasizes a balanced approach to psychiatric education. Residents engage with a curriculum that integrates the ACGME’s six core competencies: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. This comprehensive framework ensures that our residents emerge as skilled and compassionate doctors.

Clinical exposure is broad and varied at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The inpatient psychiatric unit, known as Rosa 2, features 30 beds, including 26 voluntary and 4 involuntary beds. Our residents manage a diverse patient population afflicted with a range of psychiatric disorders. Treatment modalities include psychopharmacology, individual and family therapy, as well as specialized therapeutic interventions such as creative/expressive arts therapy, recreational therapy, and occupational therapy. Additionally, our program offers unique opportunities in child and adolescent psychiatry, a bustling geriatric service, consultation and liaison psychiatry, psychotherapy training, and an intensive psychiatric emergency room. The neuromodulation service, providing cutting-edge treatments like ECT, esketamine, and Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, is a highlight for those interested in advanced therapeutic techniques.

At the core of our residency experience is a profound commitment to resident well-being. Recognizing the intense demands of psychiatric training, our program proactively supports residents through various wellness initiatives. Wellness resources include a monthly newsletter, wellness stipends for resident-driven events, integrative medicine options, and planned social gatherings. Moreover, the schedule incorporates 20 PTO vacation days, 5 additional PTO- wellness days, and 5 PTO- sick days annually, ensuring that our residents have ample time to recharge and pursue interests.

Join us at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where you will not only train to meet the challenges of modern psychiatry but also grow in an environment that values your personal and professional development. We look forward to hearing from you!

Program Director’s Introduction

Welcome to the Department of Psychiatry at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, a vital part of Hackensack Meridian Health. Since receiving ACGME accreditation, our program proudly welcomed its first class in July 2018, continuing the rich tradition of graduate medical education at Jersey Shore. We are dedicated to training psychiatrists who excel in delivering compassionate, evidence-based, patient-centered care. Our program is designed to nurture residents' individual interests, equipping them for diverse career paths in specialties like child and adolescent psychiatry, neuromodulation, research, academia, or community psychiatry.

Our residency program offers a comprehensive clinical experience in a university hospital environment. This setting ensures tailored faculty supervision and mentorship. Our academic strengths include an outstanding grand rounds program, a dynamic clinical research department, dedicated teaching faculty, and a firm commitment to physician wellness. Program highlights feature cutting-edge neuromodulation services, pediatric consultation experiences at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, and an enriching psychotherapy program. Additionally, our residents benefit from our strong affiliations, particularly with the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, which enhances our education programs.

Our residents are active contributors to the field of psychiatry, regularly presenting at local and national conferences, publishing in respected academic journals, and teaching medical students. They give back to the community by organizing an annual community mental health fair, serving Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Many of our residents pursue prestigious fellowship opportunities, while others choose to step directly into attending psychiatrist roles, fully prepared to lead and innovate in their practices.

Situated in scenic Monmouth County, New Jersey, our center is only two miles from the vibrant Asbury Park downtown and its famous beaches and boardwalk. The surrounding area offers a tranquil countryside, rich with horse farms and parks. Both New York City and Philadelphia are within easy reach, enhancing both professional opportunities and personal enrichment.

As the Residency Program Director, I am honored to lead this program. I invite you to apply and join us at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where your medical training will be as fulfilling as it is rigorous. I look forward to welcoming a new group of talented residents who are eager to advance their careers with us.

Warm regards,

Rehan Aziz, M.D. (he/him/his)
Program Director, Psychiatry Residency Program, Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Associate Program Director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program, Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine