What makes someone competitive for an AMC internship?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

cara susanna

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
7,490
Reaction score
6,599
Hi all,

Since we have so many SDNers who work at AMCs and/or have completed AMC internships, I was wondering if anyone had any input as to what might make an applicant competitive for a internship at this type of site.

Thanks!

Members don't see this ad.
 
Hi all,

Since we have so many SDNers who work at AMCs and/or have completed AMC internships, I was wondering if anyone had any input as to what might make an applicant competitive for a internship at this type of site.

Thanks!

If you get the HPSP, or take a Direct Commission pending graduation, you match in their system.
 
Sorry, I should have clarified: I meant academic medical center internships, not military internships.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Not exclusive to AMC sites, but always a good variable: progress on dissertation. Being beyond data collection or done is ideal.
 
Solid training in EBTs, research productivity (articles, presentations, etc), and some experience in a medical setting. Progress in the dissertation is key bc sites don't want their interns stuck in ABD Hell.
 
Thanks, T4C and docma.

T4C: Is it a dealbreaker if you don't have prac experience in a medical setting?
 
Last edited:
I mentioned this in another thread but I'll reinforce it. I would say that the elements that make you appealing to a VA are going to be very much the same characteristics that appeal to an AMC. I think you just need to underscore your strengths and find a way to make that appealing for every site. It never hurts to have had experience/practica in that setting but I think its rarely a requirement.
 
You can convince faculty of your fit without specific prior experience if you convey how well you get what their setting requires and can convey how your prior experience has developed relevant skills--but you want the particular opportunity that their site offers. So think about what the setting demands and then how you can generalize from skills you have already developed. No one gets a chance to work in every kind of setting prior to internships. But you can convey that you know about the needs/demands of an AMC and convince them you will be successful there.
 
Ime: research things that are outside of psychology, volunteer to do some research in the amc with someone from a nonpsych department, publish pretty regularly, after a few years tell your PI or Co-I that you need an internship or job or that you will have to leave, go on one of the most pointless interviews of all time and then have the psych department hate you.

Worked twice for me!

Your results will undoubtedly vary.
 
Thanks for the feedback, everyone! It was very helpful :)
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I don't know too much about AMCs. Could those of you have experience and/or know a lot about them explain what psychologists tend to do there? I have heard it is a good mixture of research and clinical work, but it seems like research is a much larger priority. Are AMCs the same as med schools and consortia? Thank you!
 
I don't know too much about AMCs. Could those of you have experience and/or know a lot about them explain what psychologists tend to do there? I have heard it is a good mixture of research and clinical work, but it seems like research is a much larger priority. Are AMCs the same as med schools and consortia? Thank you!

They are academic medical schools that train MDs. Typically psychologists are within the psychiatry department though neuropsychologists often collaborate more with neurologists and in some cases, neurosurgeons.

It's a unique setting since it tends to be fast paced and referrals often are very specific - i.e. characteristics of suspected aphasia that may be impacted by a scheduled tumor resection, lateralization and functional deficits of known seizures, presurgerical rule out of dementia, depression, etc. Batteries can be limited in scope.

Typically psychologists at AMCs maintain their position through a mix of clinical work and grant-funded research. Therefore, demonstrating research productivity, particularly within medical/neurological psychiatric populations, can be useful.
 
They are academic medical schools that train MDs. Typically psychologists are within the psychiatry department though neuropsychologists often collaborate more with neurologists and in some cases, neurosurgeons.

I've seen neuropsychologists and rehabilitation psychologists work in Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. There are other options, though they seem the most common. Collaboration happens with all different physician specialities. One of our faculty members does pain evals, so she works w. the two neurosurgeons who to stimulator implants. Another faculty member works primarily w. neurologists to do assessment and consultation for patients s/p stroke. In PM&R the physiatrists work closely w. a faculty member to consult on TBIs, SCIs, etc. We have a faculty member who covers the burn unit (which I believe is part of the Emergency Dept?)

There are definitely some nice opportunities out there, though most are uber-competitive.
 
Program reputation and networking can help you out a lot, especially if your alumni are located throughout the country.
 
Thanks!

Can anyone else comment on what one's work tasks are at AMCs and/or med schools?
 
In response to the OP, it also helps to check whether there are any sites where at least a few students from your program have matched in recent years.
 
Hi Everyone,

I am reviving this old thread....Can people who have matched to AMC's or who know about matching with an AMC please share the following:

1) what Prac's you had during grad school

2) how many hours you had when you applied

3) how many pubs you had when you applied

Thank you so much!!
 
Hope it helps (I matched to an AMC/VA consortium):

1) Numerous, including community mental health, criminal and civil forensic, private practice (primarily SSDI- and vocational rehab-type assessments), academic medicine, state developmental center, and college psych clinic

2) Good question; maybe 1200-1300 face-to-face, the significant majority of which were assessment

3) Again, good question; pre-internship, I think I had 3 peer-reviewed pubs (one first-authored) and one or two chapters plus maybe a dozen posters/published abstracts
 
1) what Prac's you had during grad school
#1 was child/adolescent assessment (in the uni run clinic)
#2 was child/adolescent assessment and some therapy (in a local school system)
#3 was adult therapy and some assessment (residential treatment)

I worked at #3 for another 1.5yrs running groups, etc. while I finished my research and applied for internship.

2) how many hours you had when you applied
1300-1400? I forget the exact breakdown, though probably 800 F2F, 250-300 sup, 200-250 admin.

3) how many pubs you had when you applied
1 pub, 4-5 posters, 2 invited talks. I was pretty involved w. research, but I took off 2yrs to complete another degree, so it hurt my #'s. I also was at a uni-based Psy.D. so I had a bit more flexibility w. what I was required to do each semester.

I actually matched to a great VA in the Midwest, though I interviewed at many of the top AMCs and was later told I was competitive. I ranked the VA ahead of a number of the AMCs, so that probably impacted where I matched.

*edit to fix #'s. first prac was 5-8hr/wk, second 8-12hr/wk, third was 12-16hr/wk.*
 
Last edited:
1) what Prac's you had during grad school
Departmental clinic only with a range of varied experiences

2) how many hours you had when you applied
If I remember correctly, ~700 face2face, and ~200 assessment

3) how many pubs you had when you applied
2 peer reviewed and bunches of poster presentations

I matched to an AMC in the Midwest and started last year.
 
1) what Prac's you had during grad school
Quite a few different things - department clinic (2 years individual therapy, 2 years neuropsych/LD, 2 years health-focused group therapy, 2 years supervising - some of these done concurrently obviously as I haven't been in school that long!), 1 year VA substance use program, 1 year cognitive assessment in an oncology setting, about 6 months substance use inpatient, 1 year college counseling center. Plus a boatload of experience as a study therapist on clinical trials and research-based assessment experiences.

2) how many hours you had when you applied
~600 intervention and ~300 assessment, plus about 400 supervision. Don't remember my support hours but no one cares anyways.

3) how many pubs you had when you applied
8 peer reviewed (2 first-author), 2 chapters (both first author), with I think 3 more peer-reviewed under review. About 25 posters/talks.

Matched to a top choice AMC in the northeast, got interviewed at pretty much all the typical "research-y" places that I applied to.
 
1) what Prac's you had during grad school
2 years of dept clinic (1 year general, 1 year advanced including neuropsych assessment, participating in a RCT of a new therapeutic approach, and long-term outpatient psychotherapy), 1 year external placement doing a DBT IOP with primarily axis II patients, 1 year of supervising other trainees/completing advanced psychodiagnostic assessments. I also had a great deal of psychodiagnostic & cognitive assessment experience via my research experience for all 5 years of grad school (not all of which counted toward my APPI).

2) how many hours you had when you applied
~1000 intervention and ~300 assessment on my APPI, iirc.

3) how many pubs you had when you applied
just 2... but one was a first author in a "heavy hitter" journal, and I had some under r&r and in prep at the time. 20+ conference presentations.

I'm currently an intern at a pretty great, research-y AMC in Los Angeles.
 
1- child inpatient
2-college counseling
3- AMC
4- adult/child community outpatient

I had about 1000 intervention, 100 assessment, many poster first author presentations and a few panels, 1 paper in prep
 
matched to an AMC/VA consortium, am currently there for 2014-2015:

1) what Prac's you had during grad school
-psychology clinic, psychiatry outpatient clinic at a med center where i did cbt and dbt, med center cancer support services, and neuropsych private clinic

2) how many hours you had when you applied
575 face to face... 475ish therapy, 100ish assessment

3) how many pubs you had when you applied
7, 2 first author, maybe 15-20 posters/presentations (probably 5 1st author)
 
Top