Help picking a job

[bcliff]

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[fallen625]

I would keep the job you have, and try to do everything in your power to get a job as a research assistant, preferably in the area that you want to do research in college. Many people should be leaving soon as they hear about graduate school acceptances, so hopefully there will be opening soon.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

The new position sounds like it could offer much better benefits, so I don't think anyone would fault you for switching over to them.

I agree with the advice to look for RA positions if you're wanting to strength your application to clinical psych PhD programs. Doing that would help you much more than either of the jobs being discussed. And being in a university setting could allow you to be readily meet psych professors who're looking for help in their labs. Plus, as you've mentioned, the tuition remission would be significant if you elect to take all of your pre-med coursework there.

 

[PHD12]

I would keep the job you have, and try to do everything in your power to get a job as a research assistant, preferably in the area that you want to do research in college. Many people should be leaving soon as they hear about graduate school acceptances, so hopefully there will be opening soon.

RA jobs typically pay between 25-35K and would be more relevant to your career goals.

Keep in mind that if you decide to go the clinical psychology route, the typical salary for your full-time internship (last year of graduate school) is only 25K . I was paid more as an RA many years ago than as an predoctoral intern. I thought I'd mention this since you find 20K abysmal with only a BA degree...so I'm not sure how you will feel after 4-5 years of graduate school. Post-doctoral salaries are between 25K-45K. Psychiatry route is way more lucrative obviously.

 

[bcliff]

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[PHD12]

The reason I refer to the $10/hr as being abysmal is because a.) I need to save for grad school/internship/post doc, and because b.) the job I just interviewed for pays $10,000/year more to file paperwork, and I've heard that the national average for bachelor's level psychometrists is roughly $30,000/year, so I feel like I'm being underpaid. I recently moved from Atlanta to Baton Rouge for personal reasons, and in Atlanta I was earning roughly $15/hr for a research position, and I've been trying to find a similar position in the New Orleans-Baton Rouge area, but I have not had any luck.

I hear you. I agree that you are being underpaid.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Could you take the new job and still work like 10 hrs/wk for your old job? That would help you keep a foot in the door with something more psych-related (as well as bring in some additional $). Just a thought.

Dr. E

 

[bcliff]

Maybe, but I'm wary of letting my current employer know that I'm considering other options. I'd rather just have a clean break than start negotiating hours and responsibilities and all of that.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Maybe, but I'm wary of letting my current employer know that I'm considering other options. I'd rather just have a clean break than start negotiating hours and responsibilities and all of that.

So it sounds like you don't have a great relationship with your current employer? If that is the case, that needs to be factored into your decision.

If I am misinterpreting and you do have a decent relationship, I would think your current employer would want to help you further your career and make the best decision for you. S/he knows that you are temporary and not planning to stay forever. In that case, s/he might be very open to PT work.

Best,
Dr. E

 

[JustNoticing]

Uh, they are paying you $10/hr. Give enough notice, and get out. Leaving is understandable, and it doesn't seem like you'd be burning any bridges. And I agree with the others about getting RA experience if you are serious about a psych PhD.

 

[bcliff]

I do have a lot of RA experience (3 labs for 2 years, UG thesis, 4 posters (one international), currently working on 2 pubs), and I feel like the clinical experience (100's of hours of testing administration) will help make me a well rounded applicant. While I'm technically not working in a lab, I am still affiliated with the three I used to work in and am on very good terms. I think I'm going to turn down the position only because I'm applying for a few other positions that are more academically based, and there's a CDC research fellowship that I'm also applying for. All of these positions would definitely pay more than my current position, and I'd rather only have to transition once, rather than transition into a job I don't like but pays more then again into a job that I do enjoy and that pays more.

Am I crazy to think that PhD programs will be impressed to hear that not only do I have experience with research, but I also have a great deal of experience with assessment? Additionally, I've worked extensively in the clinical side and the research side of psychology, and I do much prefer research over clinical work, and I have enough background in both fields to eloquently express why I prefer research over clinical work.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

Am I crazy to think that PhD programs will be impressed to hear that not only do I have experience with research, but I also have a great deal of experience with assessment?

Didn't you post about this before and get replies? I think the consensus is that, as a BA-level technician, the work experience you have can't be attributed to more than just exposure to clients. You can't be trained in testing with a UG degree, so there is no interpretation, report-writing, etc., that equates to graduate-level experience. Exposure to clients, yes, but that's about it, *if* the program even cares about practical/clinical (although I wouldn't classify your experience as truly clinical) anyway.

 

[bcliff]

I haven't started any threads about this specifically, but I did follow one that discussed what role a BA/BS level psychometrist should play in a private practice, but my question is that I'm employed full time in a *clinical* position (As clinical as you can get with a psych BS - testing administration, a lot of work with insurance providers, testing authorizations, some scoring, etc), and I am still presenting data and working on manuscripts. I feel like this situation would be at least as impressive as someone who was working full time as an RA. Not only am I demonstrating a global interest in the field, I'm also demonstrating that I can juggle research projects while working full time in a *clinical* environment, which I'm sure is an admirable trait to have. Not only is my 9-5 consumed with psych evals and reading through testing manuals, but my evenings and weekends are filled with hours of running stats and revising drafts.

Over the past 6 months I've become incredibly familiar with the DSM, and while working with my boss I've started noticing some of of the features that differentiate subtypes of certain disorders. I'm likely not going to be applying to many clinical-science programs, and will be applying to PhD programs with a strong clinical emphasis in their curriculums, so I can only imagine that any exposure/experience with the clinical side of psychology would be beneficial in the application process, especially considering that I have a decent research background as well with a concise focus.

Like I said previously, I would be the first person to jump ship and take a full time RA position if it presented itself to me, but currently there aren't any available, and I just can't leave a psychology position for an administrative job simply because of the difference in pay.

 

[cara susanna]

When I interviewed at even clinically-focused PhD programs, they did not care at all about my clinical experience.

 

[Pragma]

FWIW Briarcliff, I had a clinical job and kept my lab affiliation as a volunteer when I applied 8 years ago. Worked for me...although as others have mentioned, no one asked me about my clinical experience. We talked about my publication record and interests.

So long as you are publishing I think you are in good shape. But it seems more competitive in recent years. I wouldn't bank on the clinical experience being a difference maker unless your lab wants you to do standardized assessments. But I also think it is better to have some relevant clinical job as opposed to some job unrelated to the field.

Also, be aware there may be a small subset of clinical faculty that prefer you to be more "green" clinically so that you don't have bad habits. But your experience will likely be viewed as more of a plus than a minus.

 

[ResearchGirlie]

I interviewed at clinical science and few more balanced programs and none of them asked about clinical experience. I think many programs assume that if you make it through the interview without raising alarm bells and your letters of rec are strong then you'll be able to be trained for clinical work. Not saying that's accurate but it's my sense of how things go.

 

[dumbledoresgirl]

I interviewed at clinical science and few more balanced programs and none of them asked about clinical experience. I think many programs assume that if you make it through the interview without raising alarm bells and your letters of rec are strong then you'll be able to be trained for clinical work. Not saying that's accurate but it's my sense of how things go.

This. I was never asked about my clinical experiences--the closest thing I've been asked was to elaborate on my clinical interests, and that was asked by a grad student. It might not work against you (probably won't) but I definitely don't think it's going to put you above someone who has held an RA position full time.

 

[Doctor Eliza]

Agree with the others. For them to be "impressed" it would have to be something they cared about. I had very little experience with true clinical populations when applying to "balanced" programs. It was never an issue and I had lots of success getting interviews and offers.

Are you planning to apply next year?

Best,
Dr. E

 

[bcliff]

Agree with the others. For them to be "impressed" it would have to be something they cared about. I had very little experience with true clinical populations when applying to "balanced" programs. It was never an issue and I had lots of success getting interviews and offers.

Are you planning to apply next year?

Best,
Dr. E

I'm going to apply for programs that start in Fall of 2015, which means I'll be sending out applications in 2014, so there's still time for me to get a 9-5 research gig. I agree with everyone that a fulltime research job would be the ideal choice, but like I said none are available.