Generalist internship, neuro postdoc?

[nnh789]

Moving for an internship (and then AGAIN for a postdoc) poses some serious issues for my family because I have kiddos. The concern I have is that the only internship available in this city is very generalist. It is assessment-heavy, but there are little to no neuro opportunities.

In grad school, I've done 2 true neuro practicums and one ASD practicum that included a lot of neuro testing. If I do the generalist practicum will i be SOL for a neuro fellowship?

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[WisNeuro]

Not necessarily, it may depend on your experiences in grad school. Are there ANY neuro opportunities on that internship, any boarded neuropsychs on staff? If not, definitely not great and the rest of your will need to significantly compensate if you want to be competitive for some of the good postdocs in neuro.

 

[nnh789]

Nope - no one is boarded, and the most neuro thing on the internship is an ADHD assessment OR some competency exams on some forensic rotations. So, no neuro. Can you share how one would compensate?

 

[WisNeuro]

Nope - no one is boarded, and the most neuro thing on the internship is an ADHD assessment OR some competency exams on some forensic rotations. So, no neuro. Can you share how one would compensate?

If one had pretty stellar neuro experiences in undergrad, with well-known folks, pubs in neuro, etc.

 

[nnh789]

Gotcha, so bottom line I'm SOL 😂

 

[WisNeuro]

Gotcha, so bottom line I'm SOL 😂

Not completely SOL, but if you go that route, it will definitely be harder, and those with solid neuro experiences on internship will likely have a solid advantage over you.

 

[WisNeuro]

Alternatively, I might suggest an internship in a location that also has several neuro postdocs, increasing your chances of only having to move once, particularly if that internship also has a neuro postdoc program.

 

[nnh789]

That's the other route I'm considering. I'm having to balance that with the odds of not matching to those internships, given they are in more geographically desirable locations (and my program typically doesn't match people to their top spot for neuro), and that my partner will need to find a job very quickly if we move because internship salaries just will not support our family.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

That's the other route I'm considering. I'm having to balance that with the odds of not matching to those internships, given they are in more geographically desirable locations (and my program typically doesn't match people to their top spot for neuro), and that my partner will need to find a job very quickly if we move because internship salaries just will not support our family.

You may be able to track down some spots is less-popular locales that have neuro-focused postdocs with internships that are either neuro-focused or may at least offer neuro opportunities. There are a lot of neuro postdocs in TX (and particularly in/around Houston), there's the Memphis VA, multiple neuro fellowships in OH, some fellowships in MO and MN, and a couple neuro fellowships in AR.

Mind you, I'm not saying all those areas are unpopular locales, but they aren't CA or NY, and I believe each should have nearby internships available.

Other things you could do to try to make yourself more competitive: try to get some additional neuro research experience, even if it's continuing to participate in something at your grad program while on internship; take one of the NAN online courses (e.g., neuroanatomy); get as much neuro coursework in grad school as you can (if you haven't already); and on the more extreme end, considering extending your time in grad school a year to get even more neuro experience there.

 

[nnh789]

Thank you both for your replies! This is all helpful information.

 

[PsyNeuro37]

I’ve found that VAs especially are more willing/likely to keep their interns on for postdoc. You can definitely ask during your interviews with each site how common it is for neuro interns to stay on for fellowship.