Non-accredited internship

[pumpkinsoda]

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Hello all.

Unfortunately, I did not match in either Phase I or Phase II. I am also a 5th-year PhD student, so already advanced in my practicum and academic studies. I have the opportunity to complete my internship requirement by remaining with my current practicum position at a major AMC and moving to full-time work. While I understand there are many downsides to completing a non-accredited internship, this is something I am heavily considering, given the positive reputation of this AMC.

I am child-focused, so I have no interest in ever working for a VA. If you were in my shoes, would you also consider this opportunity, or wait to reapply next year?

 

[R. Matey]

Is it at least listed in APPIC or are we talking an unaccredited, unlisted, ad hoc internship?

I know it really sucks, but I would probably apply next year and stay on as an advanced practicum student if possible to build experience to be competitive. Here it seems the only upside is graduating faster only to face future hurdles later on down the road. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised your program would even let you do something like that. My PhD program did not allow anyone to graduate without obtaining an APA-accredited internship (not sure how common that is though).

The downsides, as you know, are numerous. Top of mind is licensure. Will your state board license you if you were to make this move? What about other states? Similarly, while your AMC dept might be fine with it, if you go out on the top market for other peds positions you will find that many require at APA-accredited internship to meet the basic job requirements. I hated my awful UCC internship, but APA-accreditation did end up opening doors for me, even in unrelated settings.

Provided that this is an ad hoc internship experience, another set of considerations is that your AMC dept is under no obligation to fulfill the training standards for psychologists (i.e., concentrations, didactics, adequate supervision) or compensate you adequately for your labor and time (including benefits). It would be also unclear what protections you have should things go sideways during the training year. Internship is a hassle for sure, but the structure is partly there to protect you as well as the public.

 

[psy.d. 2021]

Might be a good idea to look at the post match vacancy stuff being posted tomorrow. I'm guessing that's already on your radar.

 

[ThatPsyGuy]

From someone that just went through all of this recently and talked to some cohort mates about Match II, I say look at the Post-Vacancy first, then decide after those options are spent.

Accreditation can mean a lot depending on what states/what industries you want to work in.

So set up an alarm for 8AM EST, and get to cooking those cover letters and an email really selling yourself.