Research-focused Internship Sites (+Postdoc?)

[Stannis]

Hi all,

Long time follower, first time poster. I've seen a few other threads on this but I thought I'd ask it again. If it has been asked recently, I apologize.

Where are the (current) research-focused internship sites? I'm applying this fall and have a list already. But, maybe I missed a few. Some say they do 4-6/hrs protected time, some a day, and some are deceptive about it. I'm guessing for some the "protected time" is a fantasy. Anyone with firsthand experience? Which ones are legit?

So far, this my list (correct me if I'm wrong). I've intentionally skipped over a few places that I wouldn't want to live.

Brown
Yale
UCSF (w/ attached postdoc)
Mississippi
UIC
Univ of Washington
Albert Einstein

Also, how about research-focused postdocs that are affiliated with the internship?

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[cara susanna]

There are a lot of previous threads about this if you do a search. You may also want to look at research-friendly VAs like Salem (Virginia) VAMC, Portland (Oregon) VAMC and the Ann Arbor VAHS. From my experience, academic medical centers and VAs affiliated with academic medical centers tend to be pretty research-friendly. I applied to all of the research sites plus research-friendly VAs and I ended up matching to a site in the latter category.

Also, be aware that even some of the research-y sites are still heavy on clinical work. Some of them expect a lot of clinical work during internship and then post-doc is when you get to delve into research.

 

[Ollie123]

Only a few to add beyond the above. You can carve out a fair amount of research time at UAB - it ended up far higher on my list than I expected. Plus, Birmingham was actually quite nice in case the location was deterring you. No one has mentioned U Chicago either - its certainly not one with lots of research time, but does draw in research-oriented students and there are some opportunities. Same with UCSD - its a very clinical-heavy internship that likes research-focused students. U Maryland/Baltimore VA is also solid. I wouldn't describe any as research-heavy, but they are places where opportunities exist.

I'm sure it varies by track, but I was horribly disappointed with Boston Consortium and would not consider them remotely research-oriented, despite the reputation. Coupled with cost of living in Boston, I ended up ranking them 16th. Perfectly nice people and if I wanted to be a VA staff psychologist it would have been one of my top choices, but a career dead end for me. If you study PTSD though, I hear there are way more opportunities. I interviewed at most of the places mentioned this past cycle and will say a lot will depend on your field of study. Many folks in my cohort got very different vibes from the same places. Just like grad school, two students can have very different experiences based on who their mentor is (or what track they are on). Even the classically "research-heavy" places like Brown, you won't get much research time during internship. They do try not to overload you on clinical work though so you can at least do research outside your regular hours (unlike the places that expect 60 hours of clinical work). Its more about a respect for research and opportunities to connect with well-known researchers, leading to publications down the road and post-doc opportunities. From interviews, the places where I think I'd have had the most research time "during" internship were UIC, U Miss, and UAB. Yet I still put others above them because either the caliber of the research in my field was higher and/or post-doc opportunities were better. I might have been able to get out an additional publication during the internship year at UAB relative to say, Brown, but there is really no question that Brown would have been better for my career in the long-run.

 

[Stannis]

Thanks. Wow, UAB looks great! I can't believe it was overlooked; it's not far from me. I forgot to put MUSC. They're definitely in my top five. McLean and Mass General look good too. I've stayed away from VA's because I'm a generalist who leans towards child work. My friend at Palo Alto liked it and had plenty of research time. Brown is amazing. I used to work there with interns/postdocs/faculty before grad school. A great training environment (and Providence rocks!). I'm also thinking about Emory, given their generalist training, and from what I've heard, research opportunities.

The combination of applying for internship, moving, internship, my partner finding a job, moving again, postdoc, employment, research research research, LOANS, all in the next few years is causing me mass anxiety. I thought getting into grad school was the hard part?!

 

[DynamicDidactic]

WPIC has a good research rep but internship is mostly clinical work everywhere you go.

FWIW, I have heard not the best about UCSF.

Also, the problem with captive post docs is you rarely get a salary increase. I would look for internships with separate post docs at the site that are research orientated and thus provide a pay bump.

 

[cara susanna]

Also FYI, I've heard that McLean is pretty intense with regards to clinical work and intern hours.

 

[CheetahGirl]

In addition to AECOM...Columbia Medical Center, Manhattan VA (although not sure if postdoc extension option, pretty sure you have to still be selected among many great candidates and you state above wanting to stay away from VAs so may not be right for you), St. Lukes-Roosevelt, Beth Israel Medical Center (also both in Manhattan), and NY Presbyterian/Cornell have balanced research/clinical training during internship year with options for post-docs that may or may not be research-related. I believe from recent internship interviews/review of program descriptions, you have the option of maintaining your research-focus at these sites (or not...if that's your choice, but it's nice to have the option available).

Good luck! Great question for pre-planning!

 

[Ollie123]

Forgot to mention its also worth considering what else is in the area and who is in your professional network.

For instance, I applied to Houston VA. Their research opportunities were generally unimpressive compared to most places I was considering. However, there was solid clinical training and VERY reasonable hours. I spoke to a colleague at a fantastic place that was only about a 10 minute walk away and could have basically secured a joint appointment to do research there in off-hours. The fact that they asked more stupid interview questions than every other site combined got it bumped down my list, but if my tolerance for such things was higher I think it would have been a great option, a productive year and a more-or-less guaranteed transition to an extremely solid post-doc the year after.

 

[WisNeuro]

Forgot to mention its also worth considering what else is in the area and who is in your professional network.

For instance, I applied to Houston VA. Their research opportunities were generally unimpressive compared to most places I was considering.

Definitely specialty specific. In neuropsych, we have a heavy research presence with many ongoing projects. Before all is said and done I will have 6 publications, 4 of them 1st author. The other postdoc is in a similar boat, with the addition of a book chapter. We are also starting a treatment trial for PNES that will hopefully score some pub dividends down the road.

 

[Ollie123]

Not surprising, neuro definitely seemed like one of the strengths of the program from what I was able to glean at the interview. No offense was intended and I certainly didn't mean to imply there were no research opportunities there and that one couldn't be productive, just that it was not the sort of place where seemingly everyone you came across had one or more active R01s, endless datasets to play with, had a research-dedicated imaging center, etc.

 

[WisNeuro]

Not surprising, neuro definitely seemed like one of the strengths of the program from what I was able to glean at the interview. No offense was intended and I certainly didn't mean to imply there were no research opportunities there and that one couldn't be productive, just that it was not the sort of place where seemingly everyone you came across had one or more active R01s, endless datasets to play with, had a research-dedicated imaging center, etc.

No offense taken, I just wanted to stick up for my area. It's much different there, more of a problem of not getting too involved with research rather than the other way around.

 

[Stannis]

Thanks

 

[doasisay]

I'm keeping NYC sites in mind, particularly Beth Israel (in addition to Albert Einstein). I am a not-so-secret lover of NYC-friendly psychodynamic therapy (shhhh; CBT's the bomb...) and I have friends/ family nearby, but I've also heard they're impossible to get into if you're not already living in town. And of course, cost. A friend just mentioned Southwest Consortium in Albuquerque. I'm also looking at the Mailman Center in Miami because of a family connection.

Anyone know anything about UVM? They're new, really new, and it looks like they do research in my areas, and some the clinical opportunities seem unique, like working with refugees.

My research focus is pretty broad: prevention science (HIV, substance abuse, suicide) is #1, other community psych stuff (e.g., evaluation), developmental psych and psychopathology, behavioral genetics, parenting and parent-child interventions, LGBT health, multiculturalism, and mindfulness. All my work is with underserved populations.

I am not a neuropsych person. I hate brains. Just kidding... "my best friends are neuropsychology students." Just not a testing guy.

Thanks, this has been very helpful.

The LGBT Health track internship at Northwestern Feinberg has 8 hours/week of dedicated research time. And the training is very psychodynamic friendly as well. Might be a really good fit for you.

 

[Stannis]

Northwestern looks great, thanks!