PhD/PsyD Clinical Neuropsychology -- How late is too late?

[Chase3557]

I'm currently finishing my second year of a generalist program, and my interest in psychological assessment is growing. Likewise, my interest in neuropsychology asssessment is growing as well. My program has a concentration in neuropsych, but it would be a little difficult for me to switch over to that concentration now.

If the electives I choose are relevant to pediatric neuropsych, but I don't do a neuro-specific practicum, how would my chances be of getting a neuro postdoc later on? Specifically, would I have a decent chance if I worked as an assessment specialist for a few years postdoc and then tried to go back to get my neuro certification?

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[AcronymAllergy]

I'm currently finishing my second year of a generalist program, and my interest in psychological assessment is growing. Likewise, my interest in neuropsychology asssessment is growing as well. My program has a concentration in neuropsych, but it would be a little difficult for me to switch over to that concentration now.

If the electives I choose are relevant to pediatric neuropsych, but I don't do a neuro-specific practicum, how would my chances be of getting a neuro postdoc later on? Specifically, would I have a decent chance if I worked as an assessment specialist for a few years postdoc and then tried to go back to get my neuro certification?

There's really no such thing as a "neuro certification," per se. The current standard in training is to obtain some measure of exposure in grad school and internship, and then to complete a formal two-year postdoc in clinical neuropsychology (and afterward hopefully obtain board certification). Ideally, folks will have some clinical/practicum experience and coursework relating to neuropsychology while in grad school, although the amounts can vary pretty significantly across individuals. In your case, while you may not be able to switch to the neuro concentration (although hey, it never hurts to ask), I'd say you should at least try to get some type of direct clinical experience in addition to taking at least some neuro coursework.

If your grad school neuro experience is on the lighter side, you'll really want to focus on getting an APA-accredited, neuro-focused internship (i.e., one that's going to get you 50+% of your time in neuro activities in addition to offering various neuro-related didactics like neurology grand rounds and neuropsych case conferences). If you end up doing this, then you should still be fairly competitive for neuro postdoc, assuming you've also worked in some research productivity. If both your grad school and internship experiences are very generalist-oriented and have gotten you little neuropsych training, then your ability to secure a formal two-year postdoc is going to be very low. Not impossible, but low. You could opt for an informal postdoc, but those (at least based on what I've seen) tend to offer the least amount of true supported training. And given that you'd have a good bit of ground to make up, I don't know that an informal postdoc would get you there.

 

[Chase3557]

Sound advice. Thanks!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I was a generalist and didn't consider neuropsych as a serious option until my 4th year (though I had a solid background in educational assessment via assessment practica and research involvement). I spent my 4th and 5th years taking related classes, doing research, teaching, etc. I matched to a generalist site for internship, though they had excellent neuropsych mentorship sprinkled throughout the system, so I carved out a 50% experience after a lot of negotiating with my DCT and work on my side to meet the site competencies early. I matched to a top fellowship site and then landed at a great AMC.

So…it is definitely possible, but you will have to do some catchup. Throughout the entire process I had to do a lot of outside reading and studying. During my internship and fellowship years I attended a ton of didactic trainings and seminars to make sure I was comfortable with the breadth and depth of everything. Having to teach and mentor fellows (and lecture the residents) forces me to stay up on the literature.