AMC Hiring Timeline for Clinical Neuropsychology Positions?

[NoPonsIntended]

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Hi everyone,

I'm a rising second-year neuropsychology postdoctoral fellow and am hoping to secure a predominantly clinical position at an academic medical center after fellowship.

I've started keeping an eye on job postings, but they seem relatively sparse compared to what I was expecting. I'm wondering if this is related to funding/budget uncertainty. Most of those I have come across have also been pediatric focused (which I am not).

For those of you who have gone through this recently (or who are involved in hiring):

• When do AMCs typically have a clearer sense of their budgets and know whether they'll be able to hire for the upcoming academic year?
• How far in advance did you secure your AMC position? (e.g., 6 months, 9 months, 12 months before fellowship ended?)
• If there's an AMC I'm particularly interested in, is it appropriate to cold email the neuropsychology division chief or service director to express interest and ask about potential upcoming openings, even if nothing is currently posted? Or is it better to wait until positions are advertised?
• Were you hired into a posted position, or was the position developed after you expressed interest?
• For those involved in hiring, how early do you prefer candidates reach out? Is there such a thing as contacting a division too early (e.g., a year before fellowship ends), or is it generally appreciated?

I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who have recently been on the job market or who are involved in faculty hiring. Thanks!

 

[PsyNeuro37]

I went through this process a little over 2 years ago. Interviewed at a mix of AMC, VA, and non-academic public/private hospital systems for neuropsych. This is purely my n=1.

I am not sure about the budget timeline, but I know I fairly consistently saw positions pop up over the course of the year. It did not seem from my outside perspective that there was a time when this happened more or less frequently, but I could be incorrect here.

I ended up accepting a job at a non-academic hospital. Everything was signed and finalized near the beginning of May during my 2nd year of fellowship for an October start date. I have known people who have finalized their position both earlier and later than this. I had an AMC offer me a job in March for an October start date.

I did my postdoc at an AMC. The advice I got from supervisors at the time was that it was appropriate to reach out to AMCs I was interested in. I did this once. Got a friendly response, but they didn’t have any positions available. All the places I interviewed with, including the AMC, were posted positions.

You might already be aware, but the job banks through NAN/AACN/INS are a good way to find posted AMC positions. For non-academic positions, I also found a lot more just by googling “[location] neuropsychology jobs” and sorting by past month on Google Jobs.