PhD/PsyD Internship and Post-Doc overlap?

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Member6677

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Hey all,

I am starting my internship next month (sweet!) and am far away from home; internship=Texas home=NJ. I want to go back to the east coast and settle down/start practicing there.

I am interested in college counseling centers and will be completing my internship at one. Generally, they seem to go from August 1st-July 31st. This is concerning to me when I forward-think about post-docs. I intend to continue college counseling; does this mean I will be ending in Texas on July 31st and starting on the east coast on August 1st? That is literally impossible, considering transit, etc.

Are post-docs more flexible? The only option I can think of is to hoard my vacation days and leave my internship a few days early, which I also don't feel great about. I imagine I am not the only person to have ever had this conundrum so I am hoping the nice people of student doctor can help =)


M, MA

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While my post-doc is not a CC, I have the impression that most post-docs can be somewhat flexible with start dates, unless otherwise specified on their program brochures. (I was given a choice between a July to Sept start date...and they agreed to my most desired choice, which I specified during the interview). I would suggest getting on the APPIC POSTDOC-NETWORK listserve soon. I'm still on it (for the fun of it), and you would not be believe the awesome postdocs that are still available long after that 'magic postdoc notification date' this past Spring (you know, that date when most sites notify applicants of offers). Basically, if you don't get your most favored site and everything doesn't fall perfectly into place, no worries because something is always in the midst that may suit you better in terms of training area, location, and start date (per the listserve).

Good luck! :luck:
 
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Postdocs tend to be at least somewhat flexible; mine was able to push my start date back a few weeks. I would still consider saving some vacation time as well, just in case, until you have an idea of just how flexible the postdoc will/can be.

Internships, conversely, aren't flexible. You need to be there a full year. And even if you could leave early, that's likely not something you'll want to have to explain to licensing boards.
 
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Postdocs tend to be at least somewhat flexible; mine was able to push my start date back a few weeks. I would still consider saving some vacation time as well, just in case, until you have an idea of just how flexible the postdoc will/can be.

Internships, conversely, aren't flexible. You need to be there a full year. And even if you could leave early, that's likely not something you'll want to have to explain to licensing boards.

Seconded about internships. Just a quick thing about postdocs though, we had a 2-year postdoc, so it was generally going to meet pretty much any licensing requirements. For those with a one-year requirement for postdoc, just be slightly wary that some state licensing boards may get nitpicky if they require a years' worth of supervised hours and you have less than that. So, if they are flexible with the dates, make sure you still get your year in. It's better to deal with hassle now, than try to make up for it later when you want to get licensed,
 
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Seconded about internships. Just a quick thing about postdocs though, we had a 2-year postdoc, so it was generally going to meet pretty much any licensing requirements. For those with a one-year requirement for postdoc, just be slightly wary that some state licensing boards may get nitpicky if they require a years' worth of supervised hours and you have less than that. So, if they are flexible with the dates, make sure you still get your year in. It's better to deal with hassle now, than try to make up for it later when you want to get licensed,
Agreed about the getting a full year in. I was actually able to get licensed because of sufficient hours after 10 1/2 months, but kept the supervision in place for that last month and a half for this reason. It has also been beneficial for me to join the National Register as it has also helped with portability. It costs quite a bit but it's better than trying to track down clinical supervisors ten years after the fact. ASPBB also has a credentials banking service, but don't know much about that one.
 
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Many states, programs, and schools have specific hours and time requirements for internship (and postdoc). Some states for fulltime want 2000 hrs over 50 weeks with corresponding supervision and specify that as a requirement.

Sites can be flexible so check on the state and site requirements and see what can be worked out. I've allowed interns to take their vacations at the end, but one must be done with internship before postdoc hrs count.
 
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Just to add to what's been said above and clarify my earlier post: I'd strongly recommend having any overlap of internship and fellowship. This can be an administrative hassle (e.g., some organizations won't let you be concurrently paid by some other organizations), and I could see it leading to some significant licensing hurdles.

And like WisNeuro and smalltown mentioned, if you adjust your fellowship start date, be sure that also means your end date will be pushed back accordingly.
 
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Ah thanks everyone! Much help! Glad to hear postdocs tend to be a bit more flex!
 
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