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Dropping out during internship year?
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I have met two people who quit their doctoral rograms right before the end. One while they were on internship and one who just could not get the motivation to finish the dissertation. Both regret their decisions. From what I hear, internship is often grueling. The question you should ask yourself isn't whether you are burned out, but whether you want to stop right before the finish line?? Do you really want to live with the question that will haunt you forever .... for a lifetime. The question will be "What if??" Even if you hate psychology right now, at least hang in there and get degree out of the way. YOu should not live the rest of your life with regret.
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Hello. 
I've never heard of that happening but I'm sure that it does from time to time. I think though it's likely that most people who would have quit have done it by the time they get to internship.
If it's the internship site that is burning you out (I have heard tons of stories about that!) maybe it will get better once you're done? If you've really decided that the field isn't for you, then dropping out is always an option.
Good luck figuring it out, that's a tough decision.
I've never heard of that happening but I'm sure that it does from time to time. I think though it's likely that most people who would have quit have done it by the time they get to internship.
If it's the internship site that is burning you out (I have heard tons of stories about that!) maybe it will get better once you're done? If you've really decided that the field isn't for you, then dropping out is always an option.
Good luck figuring it out, that's a tough decision.
Wow, from the time of the week you are posting this, it sounds like you may be ruminating about how burned out you are. I just finished internship recently and realize how horribly stressful that year can be. Going to work, coming home tired only to have to work on your dissertation all night. I remember I looked forward to xmas break and weekends because I could stay up all night and work on my dissertation without interruption. What's worse is that you make slave labor wages so you can't go out and do something like take a trip to get your mind off all your work.
Just hold on -- believe me, it gets better. One thing that really helped me was to seek therapy on my own during internship. It gave me a place to vent and, better yet, it was covered by my internship's benefits.
Just hold on -- believe me, it gets better. One thing that really helped me was to seek therapy on my own during internship. It gave me a place to vent and, better yet, it was covered by my internship's benefits.
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Hi. I'm also on internship right now and can sympathize with feeling burned out and discouraged. I agree with EdieB...my friends who are a year ahead of me say that things get better. I'm hanging in there and counting the days until I'm no longer an intern. This is a tough time for us, but I've come too far to quit now.
I hope things get better for you. Are there people in your program you can commiserate with and perhaps get support from? Also, I second Edie's comment about therapy while on internship -- it's been a lifesaver for me, especially because I come home to my family and need to be a wife and mom. There's often no way I can explain what my experience is like to my husband and kids -- my therapist understands and gives me a space that's just for me. It has made things a little easier.
Good luck to you (and to all of us interns).
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Have you spoken to a supervisor, internship DCT, or your school's DCT? Internship is a huge hurdle, and if you only have 6 months left....I'd find a way to get through it.
Can't you go see a physician and get put on medical disability for a few months? There are lots of enigmatic diagnoses available.
Surely the powers that be have policies that are kinder to those who become sick than to those who resign? Heck, there is even a chance they will realize they are driving folks into burnout.
This does not mean "don't switch fields".
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This could backfire. Not everyone is understanding about medical problems, even when they're real. When I told my advisor that I was going home to have more tests done to see if I have cancer his response was "okay but just make sure it's a working holiday."
I do think that there must be a way to make this internship work for you. I mean, you're halfway done. Is there anyone you can speak to about needing to lighten your caseload, cut back on hours, etc? I have learned that as grad students (although you're almost done with that title!) we have to stubbornly stick up for our own self care. They probably won't lighten your load unless you ask, and maybe you'll have to ask repeatedly.
Or maybe you've tried that already and I'm spinning my wheels, haha.
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This sucks; I'd find a way to make the last few months endurable, even if it means dropping some things. It would be an enormous waste to not finish the internship.
Take-home message for others: Same at the phrase my stats prof shouted at us on the last day of our first year of stats courses: "Defend before you leave! Defend before you leave or everyone will die!"
Take-home message for others: Same at the phrase my stats prof shouted at us on the last day of our first year of stats courses: "Defend before you leave! Defend before you leave or everyone will die!"
Talk with your most sympathetic supervisor about how burnt out you are feeling. It is very common to have seriously low period mid year and it is important to treat burn out and figure out what you can do to observe limits and care for your self-worth. If you are this far through, even if you ultimately decided not to complete the degree, it could still be very important to finish out your contractual obligation. And all internships are expected to have a plan for helping students through difficulties (of all kinds) and you should have been offered some details on that policy when admitted. You might need a leave of a week or a month and there is probably a way to ask for that if your need is at that level. It may be helpful to your supervisor(s) if you can identify very specifically what is presenting the greatest difficulty for you currently (eg: time management, testing reports, countertransference to specific patients,....). Also remember that it is perfectly legiitmate to use the internship to define what you do NOT want to do in the rest of your career and learning that you do not want to do (fill in the blank) does not mean you do not want to practice in this field, where many different activities are possible...
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Thanks Docma for the reminder...I'm learning a lot on internship -- about what I both like and don't like in the profession. I keep having to tell myself that it's perfectly okay not to want to do everything and be some sort of "super psychologist". This training is supposed to be for OUR benefit, after all.
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Very well said. The vast majority of psychologists can't be everything to everyone (and probably shouldn't), though they need to at least have some knowledge in their least favorite areas.Thanks Docma for the reminder...I'm learning a lot on internship -- about what I both like and don't like in the profession. I keep having to tell myself that it's perfectly okay not to want to do everything and be some sort of "super psychologist". This training is supposed to be for OUR benefit, after all.
You can head that off at the pass by making sure your medical note places you within the "reasonable accommodation" safe harbor of ADA. Sometimes people just want to get power over you, there are ways to rap their knuckles. Pay an attorney for half an hour of his time to explain the Americans with Disabilities Act to you. It covers burnout situations.
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I'd be wary about doing this still...I think it'd be wiser to talk with the DCT/advisors first about how to get through it before pulling in the ADA requirements. Does the internship have to re-accept you for the next year if you leave for medical reasons, or would you have to re-apply and redo internship entirely? Anyone know?
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+1 This is sound advice.
Most internship programs will let you take a leave of absence if there are good reasons. I doubt that burnout would be one of them.
We have all been through phases where we are burned out and all we can do is stare at the wall and make grunting noises to communicate with others.
However, if the OP drops out now, it will likely be a poorly made decision. You cannot make decisions about your future whenever you are exhausted. That is just your body talking. Making it through a doctoral program will make you go much further than you ever thought you could.
Remember...a doc program really is like a marathon. Marathon runners learn to keep going whenever the body is screaming at them to stop. You need to know how to do that if you expect your patients to do it when they are facing the challenge of their lives.
Just start getting through each day, not the week, and not the month.
We have all been through phases where we are burned out and all we can do is stare at the wall and make grunting noises to communicate with others.
However, if the OP drops out now, it will likely be a poorly made decision. You cannot make decisions about your future whenever you are exhausted. That is just your body talking. Making it through a doctoral program will make you go much further than you ever thought you could.
Remember...a doc program really is like a marathon. Marathon runners learn to keep going whenever the body is screaming at them to stop. You need to know how to do that if you expect your patients to do it when they are facing the challenge of their lives.
Just start getting through each day, not the week, and not the month.
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