How to be competitive for internship?

[therow]

I am a second-year PhD student. I know thinking about internship is still relatively early but I am wondering about what some things that attract sites? How much is research or publication valued over clinical experience etc. How can I strengthen my application? Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

You'll likely find multiple threads related to this topic in the forum already, although sometimes with specific interests (e.g., neuropsych, forensics, college counseling center) in mind. That said, both research/publication and clinical experience are important.

Having one or more publications will significantly strengthen your application, as not everyone has published. Although if you're applying to very competitive internship sites, you're likely to be competing against other applicants who also have publications. At the very least, you'll want to have multiple poster presentations at regional and national conferences.

For clinical experiences: 1) you want to vary your experience across settings and populations; 2) you want both therapy and assessment experience; and 3) if possible, you'll want experience working with the population(s) and/or in the setting(s) consistent with your career goals. So for an adult neuropsych applicant, for example, I'd recommend working with various age ranges, referral sources (e.g., psychiatry/psychology, neurology, primary care), and disease types. And if you want to work in VA, try to get experience in a VA; same with AMC, college counseling centers, forensic facilities, etc.

Beyond that, it's tough to give specific advice without knowing what your career goals and interests are.

 

[PsyDr]

Keeping in mind that I am a horrible source of information on this;

So much as you are able, begin going to conferences and introducing yourself. When listening to lectures, try to deduce the relationships between authors. Many authors in an area know each other. These relationships create a rather powerful network that can play a role in internship. @GregK refused to say that sites shouldn't talk about students, but he wanted students to not talk about sites.

 

[summerbabe]

I am wondering about what some things that attract sites? How much is research or publication valued over clinical experience etc.

A lot will depend on the site (eg a very prestigious academic medical center will likely prioritize research a lot more than a college counseling center).

Given that internship is considered generalist training, a good rule of thumb is that one stellar part of an application (somebody with 4 first author pubs) won’t negate a clear lack in another area (same person is well below their peers in individual therapy hours).

So most sites like to see some exposure and training in all general areas but you don’t need to be a finished product or a rock star.

 

[SunshinePsych]

One more thing to add. Take the time to look at requirements for perspective sites now. You don't need to look at every site and narrow down to what you are applying to, but pick a few that seem interesting to you. This will help you to set your clinical goals on what you need to meet or exceed.

 

[NHPsy97]

As someone else mentioned, you'll find multiple threads with varying advice on this topic. I'm a fourth-year Psy.D. student at a decent university-based program in a highly competitive, eastern metropolitan area. I went through the process this year and interviewed at 10 sites (out of 15 applications), ultimately matching with my first choice, with what I believe is a relatively average CV. I had zero publications or poster presentations (although two first-author articles were submitted for peer review at the time of applications, and I am presenting at an international conference this summer) and an average number of hours (about 650 intervention, 100 assessment, and 10 integrated batteries).

What I DID have was a range of clinical experience in multiple inpatient and outpatient settings, a LOT of leadership and teaching experience (e.g., teaching two assessment courses, serving as the student rep for my cohort, a peer mentor for 1st-year students, and the clinic assistant for my program's counseling center). I focused my application on weaving these experiences together to present a cohesive narrative surrounding why I was a good fit for each site I applied to. I also received stellar letters of rec. from multiple clinical and research faculty. I also tend to interview well and received generally positive feedback from my interviewers at each site. These elements were FAR more critical, in my experience, than the stats on my CV.

TLDR: Focus on getting the types of training experiences you're most interested in and present yourself as a cohesive applicant with many strengths AND a passion for learning and continuing to grow on internship.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

As someone else mentioned, you'll find multiple threads with varying advice on this topic. I'm a fourth-year Psy.D. student at a decent university-based program in a highly competitive, eastern metropolitan area. I went through the process this year and interviewed at 10 sites (out of 15 applications), ultimately matching with my first choice, with what I believe is a relatively average CV. I had zero publications or poster presentations (although two first-author articles were submitted for peer review at the time of applications, and I am presenting at an international conference this summer) and an average number of hours (about 650 intervention, 100 assessment, and 10 integrated batteries).

What I DID have was a range of clinical experience in multiple inpatient and outpatient settings, a LOT of leadership and teaching experience (e.g., teaching two assessment courses, serving as the student rep for my cohort, a peer mentor for 1st-year students, and the clinic assistant for my program's counseling center). I focused my application on weaving these experiences together to present a cohesive narrative surrounding why I was a good fit for each site I applied to. I also received stellar letters of rec. from multiple clinical and research faculty. I also tend to interview well and received generally positive feedback from my interviewers at each site. These elements were FAR more critical, in my experience, than the stats on my CV.

TLDR: Focus on getting the types of training experiences you're most interested in and present yourself as a cohesive applicant with many strengths AND a passion for learning and continuing to grow on internship.

I agree that being well-rounded is very important.

I would add that in my experience across a few different sites, the interviews generally affected decisions to a much smaller degree than the application materials themselves. Although this can certainly vary by site.