Interviewing students for Prac placement

[LadyHalcyon]

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I am beginning the interview process to supervise prac students next year. Are there any questions you like to ask? Any specific strategies (vignettes, case conceptualizations etc)? What do you look for in supervisees?

 

[WisNeuro]

Depends on what positions you are hiring them for. For neuro assessment, we like to get a good idea of what their training has been like within their program thus far. How much time are we going to have to put in to teach them up front things (administration and scoring)? Usually we already have their CVs and know all of the local programs, so we've already weeded out the diploma mills. In general, we want a good idea of where they are, and if they are a fit for our site for their training goals. Additionally, what has their report writing experience been like so far, what kind of time commitment are we looking at, are they interested in pursuing research at all?

 

[Justanothergrad]

I'm a fan of case conceptializations with a clear treatment plan (e.g., do CBT is not enough- tell me what behavioral strategies you will use and why you selected those reinforces, activities, etc or what cognitive distortions you see as a pattern and potential schema underlying the client) for a standard, brief vignette. I dont interview prac but teach therapy skills and knowing this stuff predicts prac performance in my experience

 

[ClinicalABA]

I think it is important to remember that practicum are supposed to be educational experiences for the student and as such should prepare them to better meet some future goal. I focus a lot of my questions on what the student would like to/expects to get out of a placement at my site. Information gained from interviews is a relatively poor predictor of future performance (unless, of course, the main responsibility of the job you are interviewing for is being interviewed😉), and is subject to a lot of bias related to physical characteristics of the interviewee. I would only interview potential students with a documented history of having the necessary skills to learn from what I have to teach during a practicum, so I use the interview more for their benefit- Focusing more on what we have to offer them (vs. what they have to offer us) and using the opportunity to gauge whether or not we make sense as a site relative to their overall training plans and goals.

 

[StellaB]

I have not been in the position to interview prac students, but I if I was, I think I would follow-up a clinical vignette question by asking what specifically the student would do if their supervisor disagreed with their diagnosis / testing battery / intervention plan / etc.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

Thanks everyone. This has been extremely helpful. I definitely wanted to discuss how they would handle certain ethical situations, but after reading these posts I have a better idea of how to approach these interviews.

 

[WisNeuro]

Thanks everyone. This has been extremely helpful. I definitely wanted to discuss how they would handle certain ethical situations, but after reading these posts I have a better idea of how to approach these interviews.

Yeah, I think the big thing is to just adjust level of nuance to their developmental position. We may have similar vignettes that we use for interviews, be it prac, intern, or postdoc, but I obviously expect much different things from them depending on where they are.

 

[erg923]

This is one of the few things I miss about being in a predominately clinician/clinical role.

When I was at the VA, our experience with the Argosy's and other the other Free-Standing Professional Schools of Psychology were NOT good! University-based programs served us much better---this seems largely due to their smaller class sizes, which offered better mentorship and oversight, and of course, have more stringent criteria for admission on the front end. Otherwise, I might be slightly less picky than some on here, actually.

A desire to learn, and no obvious signs of PD or overconfidence for their training level is a good start. I mean, how much can you really conclude based on a short interview? I think any practicum student is a gamble given the variability in training programs out there...thus I knew that some students would require much more "work" than others. Students need to explore...and fail, to some some degree at least. As long as no one is harmed (you should be closely supervising at this level anyway) and the bottom-line isn't effected, I don't think it can/will be that catastrophic.

 

[PsyDr]

After the entire "fashion sweatpants" story; I'd ask what they think is appropriate attire for the work setting.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

After the entire "fashion sweatpants" story; I'd ask what they think is appropriate attire for the work setting.

Ok but yoga work pants are a real thing. I swear.

 

[PsyDr]

Ok but yoga work pants are a real thing. I swear.

I think you’re joking, but if psychologists want to be treated like physicians they need to dress like physicians.

Notice all those physicians wearing yoga pants in the clinic? Notice all those partner bound attorneys wearing yoga pants at the office? Yeah. If psychologists want to be treated like equals, then they should dress like equals.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

https://www.betabrand.com/womens/pants/dress-pant-yoga-pants-collection

Well I don't actually own a pair, but I hace considered buying them. In my defense they look like traditional work pants! However, I agree with your main point. I have been almost appalled by the way some students dress and think business casual should be the bare minimum.

I think you’re joking, but if psychologists want to be treated like physicians they need to dress like physicians.

Notice all those physicians wearing yoga pants in the clinic? Notice all those partner bound attorneys wearing yoga pants at the office? Yeah. If psychologists want to be treated like equals, then they should dress like equals.

 

[GradStudent2020]

I think you’re joking, but if psychologists want to be treated like physicians they need to dress like physicians.

Notice all those physicians wearing yoga pants in the clinic? Notice all those partner bound attorneys wearing yoga pants at the office? Yeah. If psychologists want to be treated like equals, then they should dress like equals.

I know physicians and attorneys (partners even!) that wear betabrand and similar work/yoga pants. Most physicians I know wear scrubs, though. Such a pass in the comfort/fashion department.

 

[GradStudent2020]

I think you’re joking, but if psychologists want to be treated like physicians they need to dress like physicians.

Notice all those physicians wearing yoga pants in the clinic? Notice all those partner bound attorneys wearing yoga pants at the office? Yeah. If psychologists want to be treated like equals, then they should dress like equals.

At one of the internship sites I interviewed at every current intern was wearing some version of yoga pants. I was actually pretty surprised and asked them about it. Given the demographic they worked with (very low SES, children, families, homeless), the director felt that business casual + was inappropriate and created an unnecessary and unhelpful power differential between the client and clinician. It was an interesting perspective.

 

[Sanman]

At one of the internship sites I interviewed at every current intern was wearing some version of yoga pants. I was actually pretty surprised and asked them about it. Given the demographic they worked with (very low SES, children, families, homeless), the director felt that business casual + was inappropriate and created an unnecessary and unhelpful power differential between the client and clinician. It was an interesting perspective.

I vaguely recall research stating that you are most effective when wearing clothes one level above your clientele/audience to appear the most relatable. So if they are casual, you are business casual. If there are business casual, you are more formal, etc.

 

[LadyHalcyon]

At one of the internship sites I interviewed at every current intern was wearing some version of yoga pants. I was actually pretty surprised and asked them about it. Given the demographic they worked with (very low SES, children, families, homeless), the director felt that business casual + was inappropriate and created an unnecessary and unhelpful power differential between the client and clinician. It was an interesting perspective.

I had a prac site like that. One time I showed up in business casual and the clients kept commenting on it, I tried to find a happy medium there. But I would never wear just regular 'ol yoga pants. And at a prison I had to dress like a potato sack, yet I still was cat-called.

 

[ClinicalABA]

Given the demographic they worked with (very low SES, children, families, homeless), the director felt that business casual + was inappropriate and created an unnecessary and unhelpful power differential between the client and clinician. It was an interesting perspective.

Anybody know of any research on this? I’m a middle-aged white male with a ph.d. Working primarily with lower SES, young Latina led families with toddlers. The power differential is already huge, and would think it quite disrespectful try to believe I could hide it by dressing down. I literally spend most of my clinical face to face time sitting on floor, playing with toys, bubbles, and plastic ducks. I think it’s sorta funny that I’m doing so in a tie and dress pants!

 

[GradStudent2020]

I vaguely recall research stating that you are most effective when wearing clothes one level above your clientele/audience to appear the most relatable. So if they are casual, you are business casual. If there are business casual, you are more formal, etc.

I’d be interested in reading that!

 

[PsyDr]

@Sanman I can see that line of reasoning completely falling apart when applied to neurosurgery, or attorneys, or farts. So I don't really buy it.

Imagine the median income for psychologists was $200k. That's still less significantly than psychiatry. Now imagine how often you could volunteer or donate with that income. That's what I want for psychology.

I have zero interest in finding out where the bottom is. That could be in finding out how casual I can be with patients. That could be with finding the lowest possible paying patient base.

My interest is in improving my own standing, and hopefully others as well. I encourage others to treat clinical psychology like a business. Do well for yourself, and then give back.

And before people start calling me some greedy SOB: Several years ago, I decided that the income from my clinical work wasn't worth pursuing. So I haven't charged for clinical neuropsychological assessments in several years. Let's call it two neuropsychological assessments a week.

 

[StellaB]

So much of the dress issue is context. When I was a grad student, one of my assistantships was helping run the department clinic and I had to give the younger prac students there a talk about appropriate attire. This entailed telling one person that it's not appropriate to wear soccer shorts while giving parents the feedback that their child has autism (I mean, can you imagine?!). I now work in a forensic setting, so dress for safety and potential mess (jeans, tennis shoes, nice conservative shirt) - I have to be able to run, and my clothes get worked hard, so I'm not going to spend a lot dressing all fancy just to get bodily fluids/rusty water drips/etc on them. That said, my patients are very acute - rarely if ever do they comment on my dress- and the physicians dress like I do. If I were in court, I would be dressed like a lawyer, though.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Agree with much of the above. For practicum students, I primarily look at factors like timeliness, apparent receptivity and openness to supervision and feedback, motivation to learn, and willingness to admit when they don't know something or make a mistake.

I've certainly noticed the appearance/dress trends that have been mentioned above RE: dressing like or unlike physicians. I'm also disappointed when psychologists are members of the medical staff (which is something I encourage trainees to ask about when applying for jobs) but many don't attend medical staff meetings. It's not a good look.

 

[roryportman]

Trainee here- question for training directors (hopefully it's okay on this thread as it's somewhat related). I applied for my first neuro externships this year, and have noticed that (at least in nyc area), there is a lack of any sort of "technical" or therapy questions. It's basically "what questions do you have for me" and "what can I do for you". I understand that it's to assess personality fit and much can be gauged by this kind of interview. But I have had some interviews where I feel like the interviewers hardly got to know me! And some where I feel like they were doing most of the talking- of course I tried to smoothly insert and sell myself, but it wasn't always possible. I did not want to abruptly interrupt anyone and have an actual red flag.

Can anyone shed any light about this popular interview style for nyc neuro practicum sites?

 

[Synard]

This is one of the few things I miss about being in a predominately clinician/clinical role.

When I was at the VA, our experience with the Argosy's and other the other Free-Standing Professional Schools of Psychology were NOT good! University-based programs served us much better---this seems largely due to their smaller class sizes, which offered better mentorship and oversight, and of course, have more stringent criteria for admission on the front end. Otherwise, I might be slightly less picky than some on here, actually.

A desire to learn, and no obvious signs of PD or overconfidence for their training level is a good start. I mean, how much can you really conclude based on a short interview? I think any practicum student is a gamble given the variability in training programs out there...thus I knew that some students would require much more "work" than others. Students need to explore...and fail, to some some degree at least. As long as no one is harmed (you should be closely supervising at this level anyway) and the bottom-line isn't effected, I don't think it can/will be that catastrophic.

I appreciate this line of thinking. Students absolutely need to be able to explore and, in some cases, “fail”. Those are opportunities for growth, which is what training and the associated supervision is all about. A strong work ethic, a sense of professional and educational goals, willingness to learn and be taught, and good attitude would be the minimum for me. I hope to start taking practicum students within the next year or two. It will be interesting being on the other side.