UNDr (Non-Neuro) mess -

[aagman01]

Anyone else think this whole UNDr process was a mess? Only a small portion of postdoc sites participated. Some APPIC sites participated, some didn't. Some non-APPIC postdoc sites participated, many didn't. One site originally told me they were following the UNDr policies, but then just changed their mind in March.

I personally did "place", if I can use that word, at a very strong site on Wednesday. However, there were 2 other sites I liked about as well as the position I accepted (and had a better location for me) at leading medical colleges that are still in the process of making decisions.

I sort of just think APPIC should use use a uniform date for all sites, perhaps in a format similar to the match (in some manners). Streamline the APPIC approval for postdoc sites, and bring in as many sites/placements as possible.

Anyone else have any problems-thoughts-dislikes/likes with the UNDr this year?

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[Therapist4Chnge]

You either have to have everyone in it or no one in it. I talked with a DCT a few months about this, and they were very much on the fence about participating. My position is that if you are a top site, why limit yourself? If you don't participate you can still cherry-pick the top people.

 

[RGirl]

I did place to my top choice, but I did feel like the whole process was a bit of a gong show. I know some sites were trying to cajole applicants into making decisions before UNDr, and one of my sites was very casual about the whole thing (e.g., "we'll get back to you sometime on the 14th or 15th").

I also didn't know what type of timeline to expect. One of my good friends got called at 12 EST on the dot, so when I didn't hear back for 20+ minutes, I started to worry... Yes, I know this is in my part due to my own tendency to catastrophize (self-therapy FTW!), but I really had no idea what to expect for the day. It is also a lot to expect us busy interns to block off the whole day to try to communicate with sites. I was able to book off the hour when spots were supposed to call their first choice, but after that, I had meetings and clients, and honestly could have barely taken any calls or responded to any emails. At least with the match, the bandaid was ripped off quickly!

As a total aside, if we are trying to go for some sort of standardized process, it would be nice if sites followed some sort of semblance of standardization re: timelines for offering interviews or rejecting people. I only applied to four sites, and one just never got back to me at all. That seems a little ridiculous at this stage of the game-- I know they didn't get internship level numbers of applications. I was holding off booking flights to hear back from them, but thankfully I gave up before I missed a big seat sale.


Funny, I thought the whole process went okay, but once I started writing, I realized how many problems there were...

 

[3rdWave]

I agree it was kind of chaotic. I was lucky enough to get the afternoon off because there was no way to field offers while seeing patients, etc.

I did get my top site too, but that did not happen until 3pm. One VA site never bothered to contact me at all to say they filled their spot, which I think was unprofessional. I got some offers right after I held my #2 spot, and felt bad that I had not called to let them know I wished to be removed from consideration, but it all happened so fast I didn't have the chance to.

It was a crazy day, but I am glad that it seems all the places I applied tried to fill their spots that day. I would be really upset if my #1 spot decided to drag their feet and make offers the next day. not cool.

 

[irish80122]

I somehow lucked out by applying almost exclusively to programs not participating in the UND by chance. It worked out quite nicely for me, as a received a very strong offer early, which allowed me to turn down several interview offers and withdraw my applications from less-desirable sites. In my mind, this is the way to go, as you can save everyone a lot of time and money by not creating an artificial free-for-all where you feel like you have to go on every interview. I have spoken with my internship training director about it and she said that the TDs are getting a lot of pressure from other sites to participate in the UND. I agree with what others have said, though, it puts you at a disadvantage and a top site would be better served by poaching top applicants early.

 

[Psychstuca]

I somehow lucked out by applying almost exclusively to programs not participating in the UND by chance.

It's really nice to hear that many people got their top choice. Congratulations to all!
I, unfortunately, did not "match" on the UND. Looking back, I kind of relaxed after getting my APA-internship and aparently greatly underestimated the reality, having applied to just a very few highly competitive sites within a narrow geographical area. So, I am starting this fun all over again and am ready to change my priorities, since remaining jobless for next year is just not an option for me.

It seems that people here know a lot about other non-UND openings. I wonder where do you get information about all these non-UND positions? All I see advertised are the positions that were left unfilled after the UND. I have no idea where else to look and I had to do lots of CBT for the past 3 days to alleviate my panic symptoms.
I am currently at a VA but open to other opps as well.
I would so much appreciate any help with leads/ideas. Thank you in advance!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

It's really nice to hear that many people got their top choice. Congratulations to all!
I, unfortunately, did not "match" on the UND. Looking back, I kind of relaxed after getting my APA-internship and aparently greatly underestimated the reality, having applied to just a very few highly competitive sites within a narrow geographical area. So, I am starting this fun all over again and am ready to change my priorities, since remaining jobless for next year is just not an option for me.

It seems that people here know a lot about other non-UND openings. I wonder where do you get information about all these non-UND positions? All I see advertised are the positions that were left unfilled after the UND. I have no idea where else to look and I had to do lots of CBT for the past 3 days to alleviate my panic symptoms.
I am currently at a VA but open to other opps as well.
I would so much appreciate any help with leads/ideas. Thank you in advance!

A few options that immediately spring to mind:

1) Your TD at your VA internship is likely receiving emails about openings for VA postdocs, so if he/she isn't already forwarding those your way, it's definitely worth checking into.

2) The APPIC postdoc listserve is still posting listings post-UND, so joining that would be helpful if you haven't already.

3) Looking into signing up for listserves for professional societies and APA divisions related to your area of practice could be another great possibility.

4) Asking peers and supervisors from your grad program about openings they've heard of, especially if said grad program is located in your geographic region of interest, never hurts.

I'm guessing you've probably done most/all of these things already, but thought I'd throw them out there anyway, just in case.

 

[aagman01]

Here are a few brief suggestions:

Obviously, check out specific divisions, professional orgs, state pschy associations, and other appropriate places. For example, the Iowa Psychological Association posted these openings http://iowapsychology.org/node/245 which were not posted on any national listserves (to my knowledge).

Also, here is a link to a national postdoc blog. Its run by a psychologist in Canada, and has a bunch of postdoc listings. There is some overlap with the APPIC site, but others get posted as well.

http://psychpostdocs.blogspot.com/s...-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=50

Good luck!

A few options that immediately spring to mind:

1) Your TD at your VA internship is likely receiving emails about openings for VA postdocs, so if he/she isn't already forwarding those your way, it's definitely worth checking into.

2) The APPIC postdoc listserve is still posting listings post-UND, so joining that would be helpful if you haven't already.

3) Looking into signing up for listserves for professional societies and APA divisions related to your area of practice could be another great possibility.

4) Asking peers and supervisors from your grad program about openings they've heard of, especially if said grad program is located in your geographic region of interest, never hurts.

I'm guessing you've probably done most/all of these things already, but thought I'd throw them out there anyway, just in case.

 

[Psychstuca]

Thank you, Aagman and Achronym for your suggestions. This is so helpful.