APPIC fees - where does that money go?

[fusilly]

after seeing that my peers and i are paying $600-800 for appic application fees ($130 also for match), and that institutions/programs pay fees to be listed on appic, i’m finding myself curious where all that money goes? my program’s cohort alone must be sending $6k in appic fees. what overhead costs is appic paying for? is it just staff? am i wrong for thinking this is a little bit of a scam? or want appic to post more transparently where those fees go?

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[WisNeuro]

I think you are significantly underestimating the manpower and logistics go into the match process, which is only a small portion of what APPIC does. There's plenty of gouging going on in the field and healthcare in general, but APPIC isn't it.

 

[Sanman]

Honestly, does it matter? What is your plan if you are being ripped off? No participating in the match?

I agree with @WisNeuro on this. However, it is also something that is a bit of a moot point. If you think APPIC is a waste of money, wait till you are hit with mandatory CEs on dumb topics. However, if you want to be a licensed psychologist, you complete them and renew your license. Same with paying taxes and obligatory charges to get them done. Best to focus one's energy on things you can change rather than being angry about things that are unlikely to ever change.

 

[PsyDr]

You're right to be curious, but misinformed about the lack of transparency. Non-profits are required to publish this information every year on IRS Form 990. You can search that for any org you want.

Association Of Psychology Postdoctoral & Internship Ctrs - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica

Since 2013, the IRS has released data culled from millions of nonprofit tax filings. Use this database to find organizations and see details like their executive compensation, revenue and expenses, as well as download tax filings going back as far as 2001.

projects.propublica.org

 

[WisNeuro]

You're right to be curious, but misinformed about the lack of transparency. Non-profits are required to publish this information every year on IRS Form 990. You can search that for any org you want.

Association Of Psychology Postdoctoral & Internship Ctrs - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica

Since 2013, the IRS has released data culled from millions of nonprofit tax filings. Use this database to find organizations and see details like their executive compensation, revenue and expenses, as well as download tax filings going back as far as 2001.

projects.propublica.org

FAR less in executive pay and wages than I was expecting, actually.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I figured a decent chunk of it went toward paying for use of the matching service itself, and it doesn't seem that's too far off.

 

[Spydra]

It is nice to see how little of the money goes to executive salaries. I too found the expense of the match frustrating and still wonder if there's a way to lower the cost to applicants.

 

[WisNeuro]

It is nice to see how little of the money goes to executive salaries. I too found the expense of the match frustrating and still wonder if there's a way to lower the cost to applicants.

I mean, we could do away with the portal and just have everyone run off paper copies of everything and send large packets by mail to sites. You could also lobby APPIC to stop other programs, such as it's TD mentoring program and other training initiatives, but you're likely causing more negative than positive there. But, really, the only real feasible way would be to try and get grants and training subsidies to cover some of the costs. And, in the coming climate, I wouldn't expect much traction for such things.

 

[Sanman]

I mean, we could do away with the portal and just have everyone run off paper copies of everything and send large packets by mail to sites. You could also lobby APPIC to stop other programs, such as it's TD mentoring program and other training initiatives, but you're likely causing more negative than positive there. But, really, the only real feasible way would be to try and get grants and training subsidies to cover some of the costs. And, in the coming climate, I wouldn't expect much traction for such things.

The young folks will never know the joy of driving to the USPS mail sorting facility to get your application postmarked on the proper date after the post-office closed. Ahhh the memories.

 

[WisNeuro]

The young folks will never know the joy of driving to the USPS mail sorting facility to get your application postmarked on the proper date after the post-office closed. Ahhh the memories.

I had the APPIC portal for internship, but did not have APPACAS for postdoc. I do remember the mailing fees to be hefty for those huge packets.

 

[ClinicalABA]

The young folks will never know the joy of driving to the USPS mail sorting facility to get your application postmarked on the proper date after the post-office closed. Ahhh the memories.

I'm old enough that I first had to drive to Kinkos to print out all the copies on a somewhat decent printer on the "good paper."

Matching costs are high. Flying to interview was (or  is- are in-person interviews still the norm?) the much bigger expense, and I only had to fly to one interview.

 

[Sanman]

I'm old enough that I first had to drive to Kinkos to print out all the copies on a somewhat decent printer on the "good paper."

Matching costs are high. Flying to interview was (or  is- are in-person interviews still the norm?) the much bigger expense, and I only had to fly to one interview.

I just printed out my applications at the university library in the computer lab. Kinkos and Panera were bigger players in my dissertation. Someone should study the importance of pastries and coffee on the mood of dissertation committees.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I'm old enough that I first had to drive to Kinkos to print out all the copies on a somewhat decent printer on the "good paper."

Matching costs are high. Flying to interview was (or  is- are in-person interviews still the norm?) the much bigger expense, and I only had to fly to one interview.

I believe that since COVID, many (possibly most) sites have largely switched to virtual interviews, although I could be wrong. I personally enjoyed the interviews themselves and felt being there in person helped me get a better feel for each site, but yes, it was expensive (primarily in time for me, since I drove to all but 1 or 2 interviews).

I'd say of all the psych-related organizations out there, APPIC is probably the one I'd least want to "go after" for a reduction in fees. Having interacted with them on the training site end, I can say they really do provide a lot of support all around.

 

[SomeGreatNotion]

It is nice to see how little of the money goes to executive salaries. I too found the expense of the match frustrating and still wonder if there's a way to lower the cost to applicants.

The national register for health service psychologists offer $1,000 scholarships for internships to defray internship costs. I believe they handed out 80 scholarships last year.

Internship Travel Scholarship for Doctoral Students - National Register

Applications are open for $1,000 Internship Travel Scholarships from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. Apply by Monday, April 10, 2023.

www.nationalregister.org

 

[RxPsych]

The national register for health service psychologists offer $1,000 scholarships for internships to defray internship costs. I believe they handed out 80 scholarships last year.

Internship Travel Scholarship for Doctoral Students - National Register

Applications are open for $1,000 Internship Travel Scholarships from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. Apply by Monday, April 10, 2023.

www.nationalregister.org

That's great, thank you for this resource!

 

[SomeGreatNotion]

That's great, thank you for this resource!

You are welcome! I’ve been on the review committee for these. They are competitive (I think I picked 2 out of 18) and the rubric does advantage students that are making longer distance moves and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.