Deciding to pursue a research postdoc vs clinical postdoc

[Tupelo_Honey]

I am currently making the internship rounds and am starting to think about the types of postdocs I am interested in applying to next year. I am primarily interested in a career working at a VA, and want to settle down somewhere on the west coast. I do enjoy research but I know that I would not want a 100% research/academic career and hope to have a position that would be mostly clinical, but would also allow me to collaborate on research projects.

With those goals in mind, would it be better for me to pursue a research fellowship like a MIRECC for postdoc? I've perused the current programs and have found a few that would be an awesome research fit for me. However, I think my preference would be to complete a one year clinical internship so that I can begin working in the field sooner (I'm an older applicant). However, I know that positions at the west coast VA sites are competitive and I wonder whether completing a MIRECC or another research fellowship would make me a more attractive applicant for future positions that become available.

Anybody able to offer any insight?

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[deuce22]

A lot of APA-accredited postdocs through the VA usually have some type of research component (typically used for program evaluation as that's a core competency for the training year). If a site you're interested in has a MIRECC or other research in your interest area then you could potentially collaborate on those projects during your research time. A big part of the postdoc year is getting hours towards licensure, so I would also consider looking into what state you might want to be licensed in and what their postdoctoral hours requirements are. If you do a research postdoc then you might not be able to obtain enough hours by the end of the year to be licensed, which leaves you potentially needing to obtain additional supervised postdoctoral hours (possibly through another formal postdoc or extra year of fellowship). There's pros/cons to both but I've known postdocs that have productive research years while completing clinical fellowships.

 

[cara susanna]

As someone who completed a research fellowship at a reputable VA on the west coast and is now in a clinical VA job, I don't think it really matters. The only thing with a research fellowship is that you may be able to stay on with grant funding, but it wouldn't be a stable job. I think it's more important to find a post doc at the VA where you want to work someday, although even that isn't a guarantee.

The only thing is that a clinical fellowship would prepare you better for the "real" VA clinical world in terms of required clinical hours, IMO.

 

[deleted343839]

If you’re not going to apply for a CDA or K award after fellowship, I don’t think it matters as much. You do want to take into consideration the overall environment and the kinds of collaborative opportunities that are available to staff psychologists, which are probably more plentiful at a VA affiliated with a MIRECC or HSR&D research center.

 

[Hope4Grad]

I actually would not do the research postdoc. Often they are 2 years, which is another year delay in making real money. While we are not doing this to get rich, it’s a delay in buying a home, having money for your family or future family, retirement, etc. Why delay a year if you don’t want a primarily research career? I did a VA postdoc and several VA practica. I found the following to be true: 1) A lot of your first job placement in the VA system is about who you know. If you have a well-connected Training Director that will take you farther faster than doing that extra year of a 2 year postdoc. 2) West Coast VA’s are competitive in the middle of cities, but if you are willing to go outside of a city a bit you’ll be ok.

I remember leaving my VA postdoc after a year and actually feeling sorry for people who had to stay another year. Just my perspective, not everyone’s. If your main passion is not research don’t do it. If it is research, by all means, do the MIRECC thing.

 

[Tupelo_Honey]

This is all great advice - thank you. I was mostly worried that not having a research postdoc would hurt my chances at getting a staff position at some of the more competitive VAs, but it seems like that shouldn't be a concern. Additionally, I would feel guilty about taking a competitive MIRECC away from someone who truly wanted a research/academic career.