2013-2014 APPIC (internship) interview thread

[InNae]

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Thoughts about "heads up" between applicant & program:

So I really want to send my top choice(s) a polite, relevant, gracious email stating explicitly that my interest remains in the same area stated on my application despite the possibility of several other training possibilities available at their site...having learned of the varied options during the interview/OH.

What do others' think? Is this violating APPIC? I'm not giving them my rank order - just explicitly stating where I see myself in their 4-6 (let's just say...) available positions.

Or should I leave well-enough alone and chill?

Not a violation if you don't give them specific ranking information (i.e., where you plan to rank them). If however, you want them to know that you think you "fit better" in Track A than in Track B, you're walking a fine line.

I'm not sure how contacting them will help you? If each of their tracks or whatever has a separate APPIC number, then they'll rank you as they like for each possible track. You rank their tracks in order of your preference, and theoretically the algorithm starts with your list.

 

[dasherva13]

So I was talking to a current intern at my practicum, and he espoused the opinion that I should not trust current interns' statements about their hours/work-life balance because they're invested in justifying their choices by painting a rosy picture. Not sure what to make of this. What do you all think? And if they can't be trusted, what else can we use to make these decisions?

 

[psychrat]

I just finished my last interview and really liked the site....this may change my ranking order-- I keep changing 3, 4, and 5 around and flipping 6 and 7. Any suggestions?

 

[cara susanna]

So I was talking to a current intern at my practicum, and he espoused the opinion that I should not trust current interns' statements about their hours/work-life balance because they're invested in justifying their choices by painting a rosy picture. Not sure what to make of this. What do you all think? And if they can't be trusted, what else can we use to make these decisions?

I think it's pretty safe if you ask them how many hours per week they work, which is more of an objective statement.

That being said, some of this will just be kind of a leap of faith. We can't possibly know everything about a site, and there are so many individual differences involved anyway. One intern might love the site and another might not, but that doesn't necessarily mean the site is amazing or terrible.

 

[dasherva13]

I think it's pretty safe if you ask them how many hours per week they work, which is more of an objective statement.

I did ask them their hours, and most of my sites indicated a normal "workday" was 8:30-6 at the outside, with maybe one later day (but never really past 7). That feels totally reasonable to me, but this guy suggested they were really working much harder/longer than they said. I'm just conflicted and worried I'm basing decisions on wrong information.

 

[CheetahGirl]

I'm not sure how contacting them will help you?

To let them know I'm thinking about them and keeping me in their minds. 🙂

Perhaps I'm trying to be strategic where no strategy applies.

 

[CheetahGirl]

I did ask them their hours, and most of my sites indicated a normal "workday" was 8:30-6 at the outside, with maybe one later day (but never really past 7). That feels totally reasonable to me, but this guy suggested they were really working much harder/longer than they said. I'm just conflicted and worried I'm basing decisions on wrong information.

I agree with Cara about the leap of faith. As Greg Keilin writes you must base this on your TRUE preferences. What if that was just a slacking intern group, but you know yourself to be efficient and organized...then, go for it based on your self-awareness and your TRUE preference for the site. Possibly consider all sites removing current interns' opinions as a factor - Do you get the same results? Voila! 🙂

 

[InNae]

To let them know I'm thinking about them and keeping me in their minds. 🙂

Perhaps I'm trying to be strategic where no strategy applies.

If you really want to, go for it (although I would definitely frame it as a reiteration of how fantastic your fit with the preferred slot is, without explicitly stating that you prefer that slot over the others).

Also, if they really liked you (and I'm sure they did 🙂 ), you don't have to worry about them remembering you.

Good luck!

 

[dasherva13]

I agree with Cara about the leap of faith. As Greg Keilin writes you must base this on your TRUE preferences. What if that was just a slacking intern group, but you know yourself to be efficient and organized...then, go for it based on your self-awareness and your TRUE preference for the site. Possibly consider all sites removing current interns' opinions as a factor - Do you get the same results? Voila! 🙂

Well, part of true preference for me has to do with work-life balance. I'm not sure how to assess that other than through interns' report. I'm just struggling to determine true preference right now. Long convo with the best friend is probably what I need. 😉

 

[ClinPsychEnthus]

So I was talking to a current intern at my practicum, and he espoused the opinion that I should not trust current interns' statements about their hours/work-life balance because they're invested in justifying their choices by painting a rosy picture. Not sure what to make of this. What do you all think? And if they can't be trusted, what else can we use to make these decisions?

I think that may be true of some interns, but as a current intern I have been extremely honest about the experience I'm having on internship (which has been great) as well as both the pro's and con's (including weather, things to do, etc.)... I want to see people match at my site who will be happy about it. If people misrepresent, are they not thinking about how easily that would be discovered (albeit, after match day)?

 

[IceBoxWoman]

Etiquette question here! So I applied to a site that doesn't do a mandatory on site interview, but holds an open house if you're interested. I opted for a phone interview, and am very satisfied with that, and also I'm very interested in the program. I emailed the TD, as I was instructed to, to let him know that I'm still interested after all my interviews, and it's been about 2 days and I haven't heard back. That's all well and good, except I would like some sort of confirmation that he received my email. One of the emails I sent him early on to request a phone interview went into his spam folder, and I would hate for that to happen with this and for them to potentially not rank me because they didn't think me interested. Any advice for this overly eager applicant?

 

[dasherva13]

I think that may be true of some interns, but as a current intern I have been extremely honest about the experience I'm having on internship (which has been great) as well as both the pro's and con's (including weather, things to do, etc.)... I want to see people match at my site who will be happy about it. If people misrepresent, are they not thinking about how easily that would be discovered (albeit, after match day)?

Thank you for this. I suppose it's possible they've been misrepresenting, but I do believe the interns I've spoken with (both in groups and individually) have been pretty honest. I try to ask specifically about pros and cons. I think this process just calls up all my anxiety about how little control I have here. Then again, I am the dauntless optimist type, so I am sure I will be very happy wherever I end up (especially since I really do seem to have a lot of excellent choices).

 

[ClinPsychEnthus]

Thank you for this. I suppose it's possible they've been misrepresenting, but I do believe the interns I've spoken with (both in groups and individually) have been pretty honest. I try to ask specifically about pros and cons. I think this process just calls up all my anxiety about how little control I have here. Then again, I am the dauntless optimist type, so I am sure I will be very happy wherever I end up (especially since I really do seem to have a lot of excellent choices).

I am the same way- that will be a great attitude for your learning!

 

[Ollie123]

Thank you for this. I suppose it's possible they've been misrepresenting, but I do believe the interns I've spoken with (both in groups and individually) have been pretty honest. I try to ask specifically about pros and cons. I think this process just calls up all my anxiety about how little control I have here. Then again, I am the dauntless optimist type, so I am sure I will be very happy wherever I end up (especially since I really do seem to have a lot of excellent choices).

Nothing is certain and just like we are trying to put our best foot forward I'm sure programs (and current interns) are generally doing the same, so interpret things within that context. That said, I think deliberate and extreme exaggeration is probably somewhat rare, though that is little consolation if one of those rare instances happens to be your program.

I think the best way to find our for sure is to connect with people who have been there that you know personally. At a majority of my sites I have SOMEONE I can talk to for a confidential opinion who I know is going to give me a realistic view (interns, post-docs, faculty, collaborators, etc.). Most programs have pretty substantive overlap across years in places that people apply to, so use that to your advantage.

For what its worth, the times I've spoken with these contacts it has almost always confirmed what the interns were telling me anyways.

 

[SRSpsych]

CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ---AND---WIN AMAZON GIFT CARD!!!

• Please help us paint an accurate picture of the 2013-2014 APPIC applicant pool
• Fellow applicant part of research tem 🙂 Your support and participation are much appreciated!!!
• Research announcement has IRB approval as well as approval from SDN administrators for posting

You are being invited to voluntarily participate in a research study investigating the qualifications of applicants applying for APPIC or APA accredited internships focused on the provision of services to children and/or adolescents. Students meeting these criteria are eligible to participate.

INSTRUCTIONS BELOW...THANK YOU!!!!!!!

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete a survey about the internship programs you already have or are planning to apply for and about your various pre-internship experiences. You will also be asked to upload a pdf copy of your basic APPIC application onto the survey website or by emailing the primary investigator, Emery Mahoney, Ph.D. ([email protected]). Your participation in this research is expected to take 10-15 minutes. You may choose not to answer some or all of the questions. In addition, the AAPI lists identifying information. You may choose to provide a scanned de-identified copy of the basic application which would require you to black out any identifying information, scanning the document and uploading it on the survey site linked below or emailing it to the primary investigator. You may also choose to leave this information in. This information will not be distributed or used in any way except for purposes associated with this research project. Identifying information will not be used in any way for this research. We would like to extract the following information from your application:
· professional certifications, publications, presentations, history of disciplinary action in program, history of legal action, academic program (clinical, counseling, school) and degree type working on (Psy. D./Ph.D./Ed.D), GPA, program accreditation status, training model used (scientist practitioner/scholar practitioner/other), dissertation research type (collecting own data/using established data set), date of completion of coursework, date of completion of comprehensive exam, date of completion of master’s thesis (if applicable), status of dissertation, number of practical hours (including assessment, intervention, supervision and support) and broken down by population, setting, modalities (individual, family therapy etc.) and tests given, anticipated number of hours to be accrued after application submitted and internship start date, previous supervisors’ credentials (allied professional or licensed psychologist), and primary theoretical orientation (psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, etc.)

Participants who provide their basic application will also be contacted in March for a follow-up survey about their match results. This follow-up survey is estimated to take approximately 5 minutes. Any questions you have about this research can be answered by contacting Emery Mahoney, Ph.D. ([email protected]); you may withdraw from the study by choosing not to complete the survey while in progress or within 3 weeks of survey completion if identifying information is provided, by contacting Emery Mahoney, Ph.D. While many precautions are taken to protect the privacy of information, those students who upload their application with identifying information on it risk confidentiality being breached and their identifying information and information from their AAPI being revealed. This could impact the ability to gain employment and potential consequences to the individual’s reputation could occur. If such a breach occurs, you will be contacted if contact information is listed.

Those individuals who follow the survey link and either agree or disagree with the terms of the subject disclosure form and provide a name and email address will be entered into a drawing to win one of ten $5 Amazon gift cards. No other direct benefits from your participation are expected. There is no cost to you except for your time. The survey is expected to take 15 minutes or less. Only the principal investigator and co-investigators will have access to the information that you provide.

You can obtain further information from the primary investigator, Emery Mahoney, Ph.D. If you have questions concerning your rights as a research subject, you may call the University of Arizona Human Subjects Protection Program office at 520- 626-6721.

By responding to the survey and uploading your AAPI, you are giving permission for the investigators to use your information for research purposes.

http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/1035856/Qualification-of-Internship-Applicants

Thank you.

Emery Mahoney, Ph.D.
[email protected]
The University of Arizona

 

[Grad-slave]

Hi All,
Just wanted to wish you all luck and thank those who gave me feedback throughout this process. I did want to mention that some UCC's are letting you know if they will be ranking you or not. I have found that helpful as I get my rank list together. Unfortunately, I got an e-mail from Michigan State UCC yesterday stating that they will not be ranking me. Although, to be honest they were pretty low on my list, I suppose we both did not feel a good match.

 

[cara susanna]

Sorry to hear that, Grad-slave, but at least they told you. I don't know, maybe others disagree, but I'd much rather have a site tell me upfront.

 

[Grad-slave]

Sorry to hear that, Grad-slave, but at least they told you. I don't know, maybe others disagree, but I'd much rather have a site tell me upfront.

Thank you, I prefer it as well. Now, I can put some other sites higher on my list.

 

[BoilerBoy]

Etiquette question here! So I applied to a site that doesn't do a mandatory on site interview, but holds an open house if you're interested. I opted for a phone interview, and am very satisfied with that, and also I'm very interested in the program. I emailed the TD, as I was instructed to, to let him know that I'm still interested after all my interviews, and it's been about 2 days and I haven't heard back. That's all well and good, except I would like some sort of confirmation that he received my email. One of the emails I sent him early on to request a phone interview went into his spam folder, and I would hate for that to happen with this and for them to potentially not rank me because they didn't think me interested. Any advice for this overly eager applicant?

I asked earlier about freaking out over lack of response to thank you notes/expressions of interest in sites, and the consensus seemed to be that you shouldn't expect a response to thank you notes or interpret a lack of response. Did your email ask for any sort of response? I just imagine that TDs are potentially getting 50+ emails/physical thank you cards and in the stress of organizing internship interviews some of them are probably finding it easier just to not respond.

Another thought is that if I were a TD, I would not leave applicants off my rank list just because I perceived they might prefer other sites to mine or wasn't totally sure about their interest. If I genuinely liked their application and I believed they would be a good fit and a good intern, why not rank them? If they don't rank my site, the algorithm will just skip on to the next person on my list. I may be way off. It just seems to me like filling out an application for a site conveys SOME level of interest/enthusiasm.

 

[BoilerBoy]

This is a silly question, but if a site is accredited, does it automatically mean that all of the specific tracks associated with the site are accredited?

 

[cara susanna]

So, I remember hearing back in the day that you can write off internship application expenses on taxes. Is this true, and if so, does anyone have any experience with it? Thanks!

 

[erg923]

The move expenses to internship location is deductable, yes.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Before 7am

Yep. I just checked, and my notification (from a few years ago) came in at what would've been 5:55 am Pacific time.

 

[thewesternsky]

Thank you, I prefer it as well. Now, I can put some other sites higher on my list.

You sure can! Of course, the way the match algorithm works, it won't make a difference at all. 🙂 (That is, including a site that won't rank you on your list, even first, does not impact your chance of matching at the other sites on your list).

 

[WeDoItOnTheCouch]

So thankfully I know what my top site is…and pretty sure about #2… although I am absolutely torn between #3 and #4.. I've tried making a rubric, tried weighing the pros and cons…and still flip flop every minute. HELP!

 

[LightBulb]

So thankfully I know what my top site is…and pretty sure about #2… although I am absolutely torn between #3 and #4.. I've tried making a rubric, tried weighing the pros and cons…and still flip flop every minute. HELP!

You could: draw straws, set up a dart board, flip a coin, turn a card, roll dice, draw from a hat, wish on a star, drive down the road looking for a sign, etc and second guess yourself forever. You might have someone pick an order and enter it and then just not even tell you. Most of all, you just have to find peace with yourself no matter what happens. If you would be equally happy at either place, it doesn't really matter which one is listed first, right? 😵

 

[463951]

So I just read this under the FAQ on the APPIC Match:

"Some programs want their internship class to represent a variety of qualifications, experiences, and/or interests. In that regard, some programs provide instructions to the Match that limit the number of students they are willing to accept from any one school or university. Thus, if you ranked a program that matched to one or more other students from your school, and that internship program established limits in the Match as to how many students could be matched from any one school, it is possible that this resulted in your not being matched to that program."

How does this work? Would the site still rank all of the applicants they liked from a certain school, but then provide instructions to the Match saying, "we only want one person from X University?"

 

[cara susanna]

siamesekitten: That is my impression, yes. Funny, I just read that FAQ 😉

 

[CheetahGirl]

siamesekitten, that is my impression too...that sites would rank their folks, then add their restriction (say 2 from university X, to remain optimistic) and the match algorithm will try to match everyone to their highest and best choice but the restriction will make sure they only receive two from university X per the site's restriction.

So I just read this under the FAQ on the APPIC Match:

"Some programs want their internship class to represent a variety of qualifications, experiences, and/or interests. In that regard, some programs provide instructions to the Match that limit the number of students they are willing to accept from any one school or university. Thus, if you ranked a program that matched to one or more other students from your school, and that internship program established limits in the Match as to how many students could be matched from any one school, it is possible that this resulted in your not being matched to that program."

How does this work? Would the site still rank all of the applicants they liked from a certain school, but then provide instructions to the Match saying, "we only want one person from X University?"

 

[AcronymAllergy]

So I just read this under the FAQ on the APPIC Match:

"Some programs want their internship class to represent a variety of qualifications, experiences, and/or interests. In that regard, some programs provide instructions to the Match that limit the number of students they are willing to accept from any one school or university. Thus, if you ranked a program that matched to one or more other students from your school, and that internship program established limits in the Match as to how many students could be matched from any one school, it is possible that this resulted in your not being matched to that program."

How does this work? Would the site still rank all of the applicants they liked from a certain school, but then provide instructions to the Match saying, "we only want one person from X University?"

It'll depend on the site as to whether or not they rank all the folks from University X (and/or whether or not multiple people being from the same program affects their rankings with said program). But yes, ultimately, the algorithm will only match the requested number of people to the site. Although I believe sites can also stipulate if they'd be willing to take multiple people from the same site (i.e., bypass their pre-rank maximum stipulated number) if not doing so means they'll have unfilled spots. So site Y may only want 1 person from University X, but if site Y is going to end up with an unfilled spot otherwise, they may then wind up with 2 folks from University X.

 

[cara susanna]

I'm a little confused about the algorithm, myself. From how I understood it, it sounds like the computer goes through each applicant and tentatively matches them to their top site until they are bumped by a higher ranked applicant. However, APPIC's FAQ also states that the computer will try to match a site with their top applicant. How exactly does that work?

 

[463951]

It'll depend on the site as to whether or not they rank all the folks from University X (and/or whether or not multiple people being from the same program affects their rankings with said program). But yes, ultimately, the algorithm will only match the requested number of people to the site. Although I believe sites can also stipulate if they'd be willing to take multiple people from the same site (i.e., bypass their pre-rank maximum stipulated number) if not doing so means they'll have unfilled spots. So site Y may only want 1 person from University X, but if site Y is going to end up with an unfilled spot otherwise, they may then wind up with 2 folks from University X.

Thank you, this is very helpful! I was wondering if some sites will simply not rank all of the applicants from the same school. For example, a couple of sites that I applied to, two other people from my school also interviewed there. Would the site only rank one of us? Or will they rank all of us (assuming they still liked us after the interview of course!), but stipulate to the Match that they only want 1 or 2 of the people from my school? It sounds like you think it depends on the site, but that most sites will rank all of the students from the same school? Also, you said for some sites, it depends whether or not multiple people being from the same program affects their rankings with the site, what do you mean exactly?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Thank you, this is very helpful! I was wondering if some sites will simply not rank all of the applicants from the same school. For example, a couple of sites that I applied to, two other people from my school also interviewed there. Would the site only rank one of us? Or will they rank all of us (assuming they still liked us after the interview of course!), but stipulate to the Match that they only want 1 or 2 of the people from my school? It sounds like you think it depends on the site, but that most sites will rank all of the students from the same school? Also, you said for some sites, it depends whether or not multiple people being from the same program affects their rankings with the site, what do you mean exactly?

Yeah, it's going to depend on the site; there's no hard and fast rule about it, at least that I've heard. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say most programs will rank all applicants with whom they'd be ok matching, regardless of program. However, there may be some sites that will rank the strongest applicant from a program and not rank any other applicants from that program. There may also be sites that rank the less-strong applicants lower than would normally be the case based on their being from the same program (which is what I meant above, and which I would imagine might happen more frequently with sites that don't tell APPIC to only allow them to match with a certain number of applicants per site).

And cara, to answer your question--I've got no idea as to the specifics, but I've always heard that while APPIC tries to match applicants AND sites to their highest-rated spots, in the end, students are slightly favored. Again, though, I have no clue how that actually all pans out.

 

[Allie1234]

One more interview to go and then all done! Like most of you the stress of ranking is on my mind (and infiltrating my dreams). All but one of my interviews were APA; however, the one APPIC VA I interviewed at was one of my favorites and I want to rank in top 3. The site is planning on having the next intern class come from an APA site but plans sometimes don't pan out. Thinking of my career prospects is important to me when ranking--is it better to go for APA sites that you are less excited about versus APPIC (VA) sites that you love??

 

[Ozzie05]

One more interview to go and then all done! Like most of you the stress of ranking is on my mind (and infiltrating my dreams). All but one of my interviews were APA; however, the one APPIC VA I interviewed at was one of my favorites and I want to rank in top 3. The site is planning on having the next intern class come from an APA site but plans sometimes don't pan out. Thinking of my career prospects is important to me when ranking--is it better to go for APA sites that you are less excited about versus APPIC (VA) sites that you love??

I went through internship last year and had a similar experience to what you describe. I think some of it depends on your career aspirations (I am currently going through APPCN process). I fell in love with a VA that was not APA. I ended up ranking them 2nd and ranking several APA programs below the VA. I thought I could get a postdoc based on the interview with the site and I liked the environment better than other sites. I did end up matching with my 1st choice. However, I do not think I would have changed my rankings based on my experience of looking at postdocs. I think the biggest thing is to rank based on how you think you'd be happy. Hope that helps!

 

[cara susanna]

It depends on your desired career path, too. A non-APA site does limit your degrees of freedom for jobs, and you have to ask yourself if that would be a huge issue for you. Personally, I would not rank a non-APA site, myself.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

A non-APA VA site is in some ways a special circumstance, as so long as the site is essentially "in good standing" and making progress toward accreditation, then you'll still be eligible for VA postdocs and employment. Plus, the VA has a pretty serious amount of resources to devote to training (and a good track record along with a network of training directors with experience in obtaining APA accreditation), so I'd wager that if the site thinks they'll be getting it soon, they probably will. Although as was mentioned, there's no guarantee.

Although it's important to keep in mind that while VA postdocs and staff positions will be ok with a non-APA accredited VA internship, many AMCs may not.

With the specific situation above, I still probably wouldn't rank them in my top 3, but I'd most likely rank them somewhere. But that's just me and based on what my own career goals have been.

 

[ClinPsychEnthus]

One more interview to go and then all done! Like most of you the stress of ranking is on my mind (and infiltrating my dreams). All but one of my interviews were APA; however, the one APPIC VA I interviewed at was one of my favorites and I want to rank in top 3. The site is planning on having the next intern class come from an APA site but plans sometimes don't pan out. Thinking of my career prospects is important to me when ranking--is it better to go for APA sites that you are less excited about versus APPIC (VA) sites that you love??

It is important to remember that many sites will honor the VA grandfathering that occurs for not-yet-APA VA's. I have friends that have secured postdocs at major medical centers, academic positions, and VA's after going to not-yet-APA VA's. IDK if some sites would want to know if the VA is in the process of accreditation yet, though...

One reason why I think that this grandfathering occurs, is that much of the training is streamlined for all VA's (the TMS system provides the same exact training for all VA interns, no matter which VA site they are at), and many VA's share faculty for didactics. The phone and tele- conferences on certain EBP's, sharepoints, etc. are all the same, and the VA certification process for psychologists in the EBP's is the same. Therefore, the main differences are really the division of time and the specifics of the rotations, and whether the site visit has happened yet.

So, I would say that as long as its a VA that isn't yet accredited, it is safe to rank according to your preference.

P.S., I would not rank any other not accredited site, unless you have a specialty area (e.g., forensics)

 

[463951]

P.S., I would not rank any other not accredited site, unless you have a specialty area (e.g., forensics)

I am very curious as to why you say that? Is it possible to do a non APA internship in forensics and not get completely screwed later on?

I am VERY interested in forensics, all of the internship sites I am interviewing at have some kind of forensic rotation, with some sites placing more emphasis on forensics than others. I interviewed at two non APA sites, both very forensic, and to be honest, I actually like these sites a little bit more than 2-3 other sites, mostly because they are so forensic, but for other reasons as well (e.g., I like the psychologists better). However, I am considering doing one of two things: 1) ranking these non APA sites at the very bottom of my list or 2) leaving these non APA sites off of my list completely. I obviously have a lot of thinking to do.

I have heard that a person is NOT able to become a board certified forensic psychologist if their internship was non APA accredited. Does anybody else know if this is definitely true?

 

[CSOPP]

I am very curious as to why you say that? Is it possible to do a non APA internship in forensics and not get completely screwed later on?

I am VERY interested in forensics, all of the internship sites I am interviewing at have some kind of forensic rotation, with some sites placing more emphasis on forensics than others. I interviewed at two non APA sites, both very forensic, and to be honest, I actually like these sites a little bit more than 2-3 other sites, mostly because they are so forensic, but for other reasons as well (e.g., I like the psychologists better). However, I am considering doing one of two things: 1) ranking these non APA sites at the very bottom of my list or 2) leaving these non APA sites off of my list completely. I obviously have a lot of thinking to do.

I have heard that a person is NOT able to become a board certified forensic psychologist if their internship was non APA accredited. Does anybody else know if this is definitely true?

No, you cannot become board certified forensic psychologist if you complete a non-APA accredited internship. That being said, I've only met one board certified forensic psychologist in my multiple years of working in the field. He stated there were only a handful of board forensic psychologists at this time. So being board certified in forensic psychology doesn't appear necessary at this time. That doesn't mean that won't change, however.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

No, you cannot become board certified forensic psychologist if you complete a non-APA accredited internship. That being said, I've only met one board certified forensic psychologist in my multiple years of working in the field. He stated there were only a handful of board forensic psychologists at this time. So being board certified in forensic psychology doesn't appear necessary at this time. That doesn't mean that won't change, however.

In addition to this, you're going to want to look into the reqs of the organization(s) for which you think you might one day work. The federal BOP, of course, requires APA-accredited internships, but some state facilities might as well.

This is complete conjecture, but perhaps some of the non-accredited forensic sites mentioned above have had trouble gaining accreditation because they're too specialized? If that's the case, I'd be wary of such sites.

 

[463951]

In addition to this, you're going to want to look into the reqs of the organization(s) for which you think you might one day work. The federal BOP, of course, requires APA-accredited internships, but some state facilities might as well.

This is complete conjecture, but perhaps some of the non-accredited forensic sites mentioned above have had trouble gaining accreditation because they're too specialized? If that's the case, I'd be wary of such sites.

AcronymAllergy - agreed, while BOP is not on the radar right now, it certainly might be some day! Right now I am focusing on hospitals with forensic rotations. And yes, I believe that some sites, definitely the two non APA sites I interviewed with, are too specialized, and are either having trouble with getting accreditation because of this, or do not want to get accreditation, because they will have to change what they do too much. That was the impression I got anyway. I did not ask them about their accreditation status, I thought asking them straight out about it might be too forward (I could be wrong!) but they are definitely not looking to be accredited anytime soon. Sorry for all the questions, but what makes you wary about these sites (other than the fact that they are non APA)? Thanks!

 

[463951]

No, you cannot become board certified forensic psychologist if you complete a non-APA accredited internship. That being said, I've only met one board certified forensic psychologist in my multiple years of working in the field. He stated there were only a handful of board forensic psychologists at this time. So being board certified in forensic psychology doesn't appear necessary at this time. That doesn't mean that won't change, however.

That's what I thought. Yeah, I believe there are like 200 or so in the country. It may be something I never end up doing, becoming board certified that is. I agree, it doesn't seem necessary at this time. But you're right, that could change, and I could decide I want to be certified. I don't want to be barred from getting certified because I did a non APA internship. Ugh. I think I am going to leave the two non APA sites off of my ranking list.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

AcronymAllergy - agreed, while BOP is not on the radar right now, it certainly might be some day! Right now I am focusing on hospitals with forensic rotations. And yes, I believe that some sites, definitely the two non APA sites I interviewed with, are too specialized, and are either having trouble with getting accreditation because of this, or do not want to get accreditation, because they will have to change what they do too much. That was the impression I got anyway. I did not ask them about their accreditation status, I thought asking them straight out about it might be too forward (I could be wrong!) but they are definitely not looking to be accredited anytime soon. Sorry for all the questions, but what makes you wary about these sites (other than the fact that they are non APA)? Thanks!

The non-APA bit would be one strike against them, and the other would be their being too specialized. Even when you're trying to gain a good bit of expertise in a particular specialty area, you still want to gain training in other areas while on internship, particularly if you didn't have any exposure to those areas while in grad school.

My internship site, for example, is pretty well-regarded for specialty training in neuropsych. However, I still spent almost half my time in other things (e.g., treatment of PTSD and adjustment disorders related to health conditions) because I knew internship would perhaps be the last chance I had to round out my clinical training before diving head-first into my specialty.

 

[dasherva13]

So thankfully I know what my top site is…and pretty sure about #2… although I am absolutely torn between #3 and #4.. I've tried making a rubric, tried weighing the pros and cons…and still flip flop every minute. HELP!

I totally hear you. I was really struggling and then I had a long talk with a friend in the field, and her method was really helpful for me. Maybe it will help you, too. For each given spot on your rank list, look at the programs you are considering for just that spot, and then list the biggest positives of that location (variety, specialty, lots of supervision, location, etc...), just 1-3 for each program, what really makes it special. Then compare the other programs on those things. So if site A is great on X, but site B is only mediocre, and site B is great on Y, and site A is also pretty good...you get the idea. I also tried to list the biggest negative I could find for each site, just 1 for each. Going through it this way really clarified some things for me, and showed me where I was allowing prestige of a site, or confidence that they'd liked me, weigh more than fit with the training I want to receive. It helped a lot. More than the rubrics and pro/con lists. 🙂
Good luck, though, this is a tough decision!

 

[dasherva13]

Oh, and Cara, I think that the way it accommodates both sites and applicants is actually inherent in what you said: we'll be ranked to the programs highest on our list until they fill their spots with applicants they ranked higher. Their rankings determine who stays "tentatively matched" and who gets bumped out. So they're being matched to the best possible applicants on their list who ranked them highly, as are we with sites. Does that make sense?

 

[cara susanna]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking. Thanks for the input! 🙂

 

[ClinPsychEnthus]

This is complete conjecture, but perhaps some of the non-accredited forensic sites mentioned above have had trouble gaining accreditation because they're too specialized? If that's the case, I'd be wary of such sites.

Siamesekitten- What AA said is exactly what I was referring to. For some, being too specialized is a bad thing, but for some it would be a good thing... and this is why doing your homework is so important! I have a clinical focus with research interests in outcomes research, so I really only understand what my friends who are in neuro and forensics tell me (I apologize if I ever state something that is inaccurate). It would be very important to talk to licensed &/or board certified psychologists in your area of interest to make sure that you aren't preventing yourself from pursuing certain avenues in the future.

AA- you're right, I had forgotten about the BOP implications for not doing an APA internship in forensics.

Overall it seems that the theme is for people to not make choices naively, or reassuring themselves that "everything will work out..." because it might not. Rather, we could stand to take these points in our career seriously and think through the implications and "what ifs" in case they happen.

 

[cara susanna]

Does anyone else feel like the lead character of "He's Just Not that Into You," obsessing over whether a site's actions and words are "signs" pointing to their liking you?

 

[463951]

The non-APA bit would be one strike against them, and the other would be their being too specialized. Even when you're trying to gain a good bit of expertise in a particular specialty area, you still want to gain training in other areas while on internship, particularly if you didn't have any exposure to those areas while in grad school.

My internship site, for example, is pretty well-regarded for specialty training in neuropsych. However, I still spent almost half my time in other things (e.g., treatment of PTSD and adjustment disorders related to health conditions) because I knew internship would perhaps be the last chance I had to round out my clinical training before diving head-first into my specialty.

Thank you for your input! You are absolutely right. I want to do forensic evaluations on my internship, but that is not the ONLY thing I want to be doing (which I would pretty much be doing at the two non APA sites). The APA sites I have interviewed at offer rotations in forensic evals and other things (e.g., working with sex offenders, neuropsych assessments), and I would love to get training in these different areas. As you said, it may be the last chance to round out my clinical training! Thank you again, you're very helpful! 🙂