Application Process
PRITE® AND CHILD PRITE® FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION PROCESS
Exciting Opportunity for Residents and Fellows!
If you're a Program Director at a separately accredited general or child & adolescent psychiatry training program in the U.S. or Canada, we want YOU to nominate a standout resident or fellow!
Important things to note:
- The nominee must be a PGY II or III in general psychiatry (PRITE® Fellowship) or a first-year child fellow (CHILD PRITE® Fellowship), as of July 1, 2025.
- Due to the time commitment required, nominations cannot be accepted for those residents who are PGY IVs or second-year child fellows.
If selected, the resident/fellow will:
- Attend the PRITE® Editorial Board meeting in July (Location TBD) as well as the College Annual Meeting in February (Naples, FL in 2026 and in Carlsbad, CA in 2027) during both years of the PRITE/CHILD PRITE Fellowship (a great way to learn, network and make lifelong connections with other fellows and members).
- Attend virtual sessions with the other PRITE and Laughlin Fellows throughout the year, focusing on leadership, career development and work-life balance.
Also Important: Time Commitment
This is a big commitment, but we’ve found that it is well worth the benefits gained through networking with College members, making lifelong friends and being an item writer – to name a few.
Here’s what our Senior Fellow, Captain Rachel Han, M.D. expressed about her time as a PRITE Fellow:
“One of the most rewarding aspects of being a fellow is the opportunity to attend both the annual College and PRITE meetings. These gatherings offer the chance to learn from and connect with leading experts in psychiatry. This year’s annual meeting featured a range of fascinating lectures, including updates on genetics and the integration of technology and AI in clinical practice. Beyond the educational value, these meetings foster meaningful connections with fellow PRITE and Laughlin fellows from across the U.S. and Canada—many of which have grown into lasting friendships. Looking back, I can confidently say that applying to become a PRITE fellow was one of the best decisions I made during residency.”
The Fellowship involves:
- Writing new questions: Around 10 new questions due in early/mid-January (guidance and support will be provided). Each question typically takes about 1-2 hours to write, though some might be quicker or require a bit more effort. This assignment goes out in the early Fall, which allows for enough time to complete by the deadline.
- Mentoring: A Senior PRITE Fellow will serve as mentor to each of the PRITE and CHILD PRITE fellows. The fellows will also have the support of the PRITE and CHILD PRITE Editors, along with Staff and our testing company, Assessment Systems.
- Re-writing existing questions: Making minor tweaks to about 10 questions written by others that weren’t “exam ready” at the time of review. This assignment is also sent out in the early Fall – due in early/mid-January.
- Pre-meeting assignments: A pre-meeting pair assignment will be sent in May, due in late June or early July. This involves reviewing questions written by others and making them "exam ready" for review as a larger group on-site in July.
- Zooms:
- Two Zooms for PRITE Editorial Board work – one in September/October and one in April/May – to make sure everyone’s on the same page with assignments and to discuss on-site meeting expectations.
- Three virtual sessions (with Laughlin Fellows). These are usually around 3 hours each and focus on leadership, career development and work-life balance (topics may change).
Program Directors: An added bonus to your resident or fellow being selected is that their name and your Program name will be listed in the PRITE booklets. In addition to that, the fellow will develop the ability to educate their peers in the program about the exam development process.
TIME COMMITMENT: The Program Director needs to be aware (and be supportive!) of this time commitment and allow for needed time off.
To see how nominees are scored, check out the Scoring Rubric.
Ready to nominate your star resident or fellow? Please do so by the May 15th deadline and reach out with any questions in the meantime.
Senior Fellow Appointment
At the PRITE Editorial Board Meeting in July, the PRITE Editors will select an outgoing PRITE/CHILD PRITE Fellow to serve an additional one-year term on the PRITE Fellowship Selection Committee, act as a mentor to the current PRITE Fellows and help with the Annual Meeting activities for current fellows. (This would be a third year post-PRITE/CHILD PRITE Fellowship.) Their contribution to the selection process will be valuable in selecting the next group of Fellows. The Senior Fellow will also be part of a small group (staff/College Member supported) 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 need to attend an additional Annual Meeting and PRITE Editorial Board Meeting.
Nomination "Packet"
Nominations are now being submitted online. Click the "Nominate Online" button below once you are ready.
1.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 assist the new Child Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director in completing the nomination process, specifically in answering the Training Director questions.
- 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. Program Director to rank the following to support the candidate’s nomination and the Director’s endorsement of the candidate and also provide a brief (500 words) explanation as to why the fellowship woudl be a good fit for the candidate's career goals.
| a. |
Ability to work in teams |
| b. |
Open-mindedness |
| c. |
Academic/Scholarly Activity Track Record |
| d. |
Lifelong Learning (in practice and mindset) |
| e. |
Believes in continuous improvement |
3. Letter/Statement 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. |
This is an educational-focused fellowship and is a good opportunity for those interested in careers in education. Please explain how writing questions for the PRITE/CHILD PRITE fits with your career goals. |
| 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. |
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.
- Please remove all identifying information from the question document as these are scored blindly by the Committee in order to remove any unintentional bias.
6. Sign-off by the candidate stating that they wrote their own questions and did not receive help in doing so. Template provided (if helpful) as part of the nomination process.
7. Sign-off from Program Director that they will allow time off for Fellowship activities (check box on application screen).
Nominations must be submitted online to The College no later than May 15, 2025.
New video, click to watch!
Photo Credit: Liana Lau, M.D.
Submit your nomination online now! (NOTE: Must be submitted by the Program Director or their designee.)
