Chances of getting a Neuro post-doc with a non-Neuro internship?

[alice_in_neuro_wonderland]

HI all! I would appreciate any feedback about this from anyone who has any helpful information. I have been neuropsychology-focused throughout my doctorate program, and have had several neuropsych practicums. My goal is to eventually become a board-certified neuropsychologist. However, I am considering apa-accredited internships which are not neuro focused, including some which do not have a neuropsychologist supervisor on site (although they do have a strong assessment component, with some neuro exposure). What are my chances of getting a neuro postdoc after doing an internship like this? Is there a chance I could get an "unofficial" neuro postdoc after, followed by an "official" neuro postdoc? Any advice would be much appreciated!

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[WisNeuro]

You don't necessarily need a "neuro" internship, that is, one in which you do mostly neuropsych if you have a strong background from grad school. However, I would recommend looking for sites with a formal neuro rotation with an actual neuropsychologist that can write you a letter. As for getting an "unofficial" neuro postdoc followed by an "official" one, I'm not sure what you mean by that. I wouldn't plan on two postdocs, though. Everywhere that I have been would not take someone who had already done a postdoc.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

100% agree w everything WisNeuro wrote. Additionally, internship should be about rounding out your training and getting your required hours in.

 

[alice_in_neuro_wonderland]

You don't necessarily need a "neuro" internship, that is, one in which you do mostly neuropsych if you have a strong background from grad school. However, I would recommend looking for sites with a formal neuro rotation with an actual neuropsychologist that can write you a letter. As for getting an "unofficial" neuro postdoc followed by an "official" one, I'm not sure what you mean by that. I wouldn't plan on two postdocs, though. Everywhere that I have been would not take someone who had already done a postdoc.

100% agree w everything WisNeuro wrote. Additionally, internship should be about rounding out your training and getting your required hours in.

Thank you so much for your input! That is helpful to know.

My thought for doing an "unofficial" postdoc was essentially just getting some experience in neuro during the year after internship at a private practice, with supervision by a licensed neuropsychologist, to enable me to be more competitive for a more formal postdoc if I was unable to obtain an established neuro postdoc after doing an internship without supervision from a neuropsychologist.

 

[WisNeuro]

Thank you so much for your input! That is helpful to know.

My thought for doing an "unofficial" postdoc was essentially just getting some experience in neuro during the year after internship at a private practice, with supervision by a licensed neuropsychologist, to enable me to be more competitive for a more formal postdoc if I was unable to obtain an established neuro postdoc after doing an internship without supervision from a neuropsychologist.

That kind of "gap" year could still be a turn off for some postdoc sites. Much better off making sure you do internship somewhere with a neuro rotation, and ideally an ABPP supervisor (but not necessarily required).

 

[alice_in_neuro_wonderland]

That kind of "gap" year could still be a turn off for some postdoc sites. Much better off making sure you do internship somewhere with a neuro rotation, and ideally an ABPP supervisor (but not necessarily required).

That’s very helpful to know, thank you for the feedback! Follow-up question: is it possible to create a neuro postdoc with the help of a licensed neuropsychologist at a site that has not previously had neuro postdocs? Or this too complicated a process to embark on while meeting postdoc requirements?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

That’s very helpful to know, thank you for the feedback! Follow-up question: is it possible to create a neuro postdoc with the help of a licensed neuropsychologist at a site that has not previously had neuro postdocs? Or this too complicated a process to embark on while meeting postdoc requirements?

It's theoretically possible, but it'll be a lot of work for the potential supervisors and it's very difficult to do in a short period of time, so it's not something I'd bank on. If the site already has trainees, just not neuro postdocs, it may be a touch easier since there will be other training supports available, but it's still a pretty substantial undertaking. I've been asked to do this a handful of times and have said no, as I didn't feel I'd be able to offer the type of training a neuropsych postdoc requires.

 

[summerbabe]

Follow-up question: is it possible to create a neuro postdoc with the help of a licensed neuropsychologist at a site that has not previously had neuro postdocs? Or this too complicated a process to embark on while meeting postdoc requirements?

I'm not a neuro person but I think this would be both too difficult and a poor training option because a good neuro postdoc should include a ton of didactics, dedicated time spent preparing you for boards, and hopefully clinical training in multiple patient care settings.

Clearing those hurdles without significant resources, planning, and the institutional memory on what adequately prepares people to pass their boards is gambling on your professional future IMO.

 

[alice_in_neuro_wonderland]

It's theoretically possible, but it'll be a lot of work for the potential supervisors and it's very difficult to do in a short period of time, so it's not something I'd bank on. If the site already has trainees, just not neuro postdocs, it may be a touch easier since there will be other training supports available, but it's still a pretty substantial undertaking. I've been asked to do this a handful of times and have said no, as I didn't feel I'd be able to offer the type of training a neuropsych postdoc requires.

I'm not a neuro person but I think this would be both too difficult and a poor training option because a good neuro postdoc should include a ton of didactics, dedicated time spent preparing you for boards, and hopefully clinical training in multiple patient care settings.

Clearing those hurdles without significant resources, planning, and the institutional memory on what adequately prepares people to pass their boards is gambling on your professional future IMO.

That definitely makes sense. Thank you so much for your advice and thoughts!

 

[NewMP]

I completed my doctoral training with a neuropsychology (NP) concentration, at a very strong program. Went to Kaiser Permanente to a non-NP clinical internship but offer my NP skills and psychiatrists liked that I was willing to do testing. Soon, the program director secured a supervisor for me. I was traveling from clinic to clinic (literally driving to the various sites) doing NPs. For my post-doc, I returned to academia for more research training and volunteer at the VA doing NPs (maybe 2x/month) then volunteer at a hospital for 18 months doing more NPs for organ transplant patients, epilepsy, gastric sleeve surgery....just an amazing variety of patients. My salary was covered by research and everyone loves a volunteer who knows their craft. I thought that you may find value in my personal journey, when there is a will there is a way. Best wishes,

 

[alice_in_neuro_wonderland]

I completed my doctoral training with a neuropsychology (NP) concentration, at a very strong program. Went to Kaiser Permanente to a non-NP clinical internship but offer my NP skills and psychiatrists liked that I was willing to do testing. Soon, the program director secured a supervisor for me. I was traveling from clinic to clinic (literally driving to the various sites) doing NPs. For my post-doc, I returned to academia for more research training and volunteer at the VA doing NPs (maybe 2x/month) then volunteer at a hospital for 18 months doing more NPs for organ transplant patients, epilepsy, gastric sleeve surgery....just an amazing variety of patients. My salary was covered by research and everyone loves a volunteer who knows their craft. I thought that you may find value in my personal journey, when there is a will there is a way. Best wishes,

Thank you so much for sharing this!! It definitely helps to hear about others' more non-traditional ways of getting neuro experience at various stages of training, and you've given me some great ideas. Much appreciated!