PhD/PsyD Postdoc at psychology department or AMC

[polarbearscafe]

Hi, I'm debating on whether to apply for research postdocs at psychology departments or academic medical centers. I know this would partly depend on if I want to work in either fields, but right not I am not sure what the key differences are apart from more teaching at department of psychology and more clinical work at AMCS. Thanks!

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[cotn_psych]

I did research postdocs in both settings. AMCs tend to have better infrastructure for clinical work and if the state or states you want to work in require postdoc training for licensure, it seemed like a good way to complete those hours. My postdocs were both 100% research, so either way it was going to be a long road for licensure. It can be helpful to just knock out the hours if your state accepts something like a 50/50 split in clinical/research to get it done in a year at an AMC. There was little opportunity for clinical work at the psych department and I was looking for ways to supplement outside the typical work hours. For research, it depends on your goals, but the AMC was much more cutthroat in terms of productivity and depending on the mentorship, it was difficult to get help. The psychology department was kinder and more collaborative although I didn't have any teaching expectations at the psych department, just mentoring undergrads/grad students. I think it is useful to think about how important licensure is to you and whether you want to simply get it done or can wait. It seems like for a lot of academics it gets harder to complete all the steps for licensure the longer you are gone from clinical work so postdoc can be a nice time to finish the requirements while having time to do your own research.

 

[singasongofjoy]

Good food for thought above - here's my additional 2 cents- I'd consider very closely how quickly you want to get licensed and what that means with respect to postdoc hours in states you might want to work ; many people find it advantageous to try to knock those hours out earlier rather than over a long period of time and make sure you meet the criteria of the stricter of states you'd consider. Still undecided? Consider also geographic location if the idea of moving yet again makes you queasy (postdoc is a great time to network, especially if you land in a spot you might want to stick around for a while - and also if you have a partner and aren't going to want to move AGAIN after a year or two, their job opportunities in various locations might be something to consider). For many folks postdoc is the time to focus on figuring out that work/life balance and building a life outside of work (if you value that separation) if you were not one of those (enviable!) ) folks able to manage that during grad school and it feels easier to invest in that if you know your'e going to be sticking around the area more than a year or two.

 

[Ollie123]

I would make the decision based on specific opportunities offered rather than department. The overlap is going to be substantial and general trends won't say much for your specific circumstances. For instance, "in general" you will find more support for grant writing in AMCs and likely get more exposure to grant writing there. Are there folks in psychology department submitting 3+ R01s every year? Absolutely. Will psychology departments typically be more training-focused? On a whole, I'd say yes. Med schools function more as research institutes these days, education is usually pretty tertiary. That said, I know some med schools that offer fantastic training for post-doc and there are certainly plenty of psychology department where you will get little-to-no training as a postdoc.

I think the <only> exception would be if you are very averse to moving again. It is relatively common to be a post-doc in an AMC and stay on as faculty. It happens, but is very unusual in a psychology department. In part just because they are usually much, much smaller and positions are hard money. That might be a reason to steer towards AMCs. Otherwise, I'd apply to both and decide once you have more info.