Deceptions of psychiatry residents

This article examines deceptions on the part of psychiatry residents with respect to their training programs and program directors. Two clinical case vignettes are presented in an attempt to explore deceptions of commission and deceptions of omission as well as the boundary between a resident's right to privacy and a program's need for disclosure of personal information which impacts upon patient care. Residency training programs are the gateway into the medical community and residency directors are responsible for ensuring the competency of their residents. The two clinical vignettes will demonstrate the ways in which this is no small task when a resident makes the decision to deceive.