Professional Implications for extended time off in early career?

[Precontemplator]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are both recently graduated clinical psychologists and completing 2 year fellowships (1 year done). We recently had our first born and my wife very much would like to be a stay at home mom for the first 2-3 years. Obviously, this would involve leaving a rehabilitation psych fellowship after one year and not entering the job market for several years. She will have passed EPPP and have enough hours for licensure in most states. We do not know anyone who has done this at this stage of the career. I am hoping to get feedback on what implications this may have for her ability to get a job, particularly in the VA (She has trained at multiple VAs for 6 years, including APA accredited internship at a 1A facility), when she returns to the workforce. We recognize she would not be eligible for ABPP in rehab by leaving early. Has anyone done something similar or know people who have? What was their experience?

Thank you for the feedback! We are having a tough time sorting through the pros and cons of the situation.

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[smalltownpsych]

The timing is better at this point than others because some states have a time limit between grad and postdoc hours. Time off will always set you back, but so long as she gets licensed, it's not like she would have to start over. Anyone who would hold that type of choice against you in some way isn't really someone you would want to work for anyway. When I was doing hiring if I saw that choice made, I personally would have seen it as a plus. Now if the time off was to serve out a prison sentence, different story.

 

[Sanman]

Should not hole her back too much as long as,she is licensed. Not finishing post-doc may affect getting some more prestigious rehab jobs, but may not have huge effect at many places. As for the VA, is she open to non-rehab positions there? It depends on the market and how large the VA is that you are applying to. The jobs are competitive overall, but often knowing people is more important than than anything.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Leaving the rehab fellowship isn't advisable. She may not be board eligible, which could be a big deal if she wants to work at a hospital. Why not finish the fellowship and take off after completion? Leaving a year early can also impact funding. Recruitment takes time away from multiple faculty and may also complicate coverage/research efforts/etc. As a faculty member who is involved in recruitment, I'd be annoyed bc the fellow committed for two years, but I know life happens.

FWIW...I'd only consider applicants from a 2yr fellowship, but maybe others are more flexible.

 

[WisNeuro]

More and more positions in neuro and rehab are requiring ABPP eligibility. It won't be an automatic dis qualifier, but it will definitely close a decent amount of doors. At least at the VAs I've been at recently, this is especially true.

 

[psychstudent5]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are both recently graduated clinical psychologists and completing 2 year fellowships (1 year done). We recently had our first born and my wife very much would like to be a stay at home mom for the first 2-3 years. Obviously, this would involve leaving a rehabilitation psych fellowship after one year and not entering the job market for several years. She will have passed EPPP and have enough hours for licensure in most states. We do not know anyone who has done this at this stage of the career. I am hoping to get feedback on what implications this may have for her ability to get a job, particularly in the VA (She has trained at multiple VAs for 6 years, including APA accredited internship at a 1A facility), when she returns to the workforce. We recognize she would not be eligible for ABPP in rehab by leaving early. Has anyone done something similar or know people who have? What was their experience?

Thank you for the feedback! We are having a tough time sorting through the pros and cons of the situation.

I was not in your wife's exact situation, but I stopped doing clinical work for 4 years. I spent that time doing a research only postdoc and had research positions in non-academic settings. As someone getting back into clinical work, it is difficult because many jobs want you to have recent clinical experience. If I were on fellowship, I would not leave. I think she'd be better off by finishing her 2 year fellowship and getting licensed, and then taking time off. However, during that time off, I would advise that she still do clinical work part-time, perhaps 5-10 hrs/wk. She can take a few months completely off here and there during the 2-3 years, but not totally abandon it. It's easy to underestimate, but the job market is saturated with psychologists. It'll be very easy for employers to pass her over in favor of hiring someone with more recent clinical work and who is board certified, despite her being licensed.