Not Getting the Internship you Want/Need

[neuropsyance]

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Hey all, as many of you who've I've had the pleasure of conversing with know, I'm primarily interested in a career in clinical neuropsychology. As you also likely know, to be certified in clinical neuropsychology you need to complete a clinical neuropsychology internship. My question is:

If I, for whatever reason, fail to secure a clinical neuropsychology internship, but secure another internship, is it alright to decline that internship, then reapply the next year?

I realize this may sound like a dumb question, because some of you may be thinking, "Why would he apply for a non-clinical neuropsychology internship if that's not what he wants?" I'm just curious in general I guess.

neuropsyance

 

[zzzz2]

internship match is binding. if you ranked this non-neuropsych internship and got matched there, you are going there.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

While you should receive neuropsychological experience in your internship if you later plan to be boarded, it is not necessary to attend a neuropsychology-specific internship site in order to be eligible for board certification. Per the Houston conference guidelines on pre-doctoral internships:

The purpose of the internship is to complete training in the general practice of professional psychology and extend specialty preparation in science and professional practice in clinical neuropsychology. The percentage of time in clinical neuropsychology should be determined by the training needs of the individual intern. ​

Internships must be completed in an APA or CPA approved professional psychology training program. Internship entry requirements are the completion of all graduate education and training requirements including the completion of the doctoral dissertation.

Thus, the amount of actual neuropsych experience required during internship is dicated "by the training needs of the individual intern."

Oh, and as zzzz2 mentioned, internship matching results are indeed binding. Per APPIC's website (I'm in a quoting kinda mood today):

The results of the Match are absolutely binding upon all parties. Applicants agree to accept the internship program to which they are matched. Similarly, internship sites are obligated to accept the applicants with whom they are matched.

 

[erg923]

AGREED. Dont rank a place if you dont want to go there, cause if you match, you're going, unless someone dies or something similar.

I would also add that unless you have a generous income stream guaranteed for that first internship year you skip, your desire to wait yet another year will most certainly be different by that stage in the game. Trust me, you will want out. You will want to be done. You will want income and you will want to spend time you wife/husband, family, friends, kids, whatever,.... and actually live a normal life. This is advisable as well, as there will always be ways to get into npsych if you want to bad enough. However, there is never a guarantee of getting an internship the next year......so you might as well go and get it over with and figure out an alt plan from there.

 

[erg923]

"Why would he apply for a non-clinical neuropsychology internship if that's not what he wants?" I'm just curious in general I guess.

Actually, no not at all. As i was saying before, at that stage in the game...the emphasis is on getting out and getting ph.d after you name. Even the heaviest npsych people at my program are encouraged to also apply to quality non 50% neuro intenship positions. We are not applying to college counseling centers of anything, but you get the idea. This is simply do to the competitive nature of the process (npsych in particular) and the belief that if you match to a quality apa approved internship, just take it!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

AGREED. Dont rank a place if you dont want to go there, cause if you match, you're going, unless someone dies or something similar.

This should be the first consideration when ranking. I know two people who match at their 7th (or lower) ranked sites. They both were happy to have matched, though one struggled with moving to a very different part of the country, because she didn't think it would actually happen. Every year there are some people who match to sites far down on their list. Here are the statistics from the most recent match:

Rank Number of Applicants
1 1,295 (46%)
2 614 (22%)
3 373 (13%)
4 201 ( 7%)
5 135 ( 5%)
6 80 ( 3%)
7 52 ( 2%)
8 25 ( 1%)
9 14 ( 0%)
10 or higher 34 ( 1%)
Total 2,823 (100%)

125 matched to their 7th or lower ranked site (~4.4% of the total matched participants). Obviously it is a small percentage, but it does happen, so make sure every site that is ranked is somewhere you could train for a year.

I would also add that unless you have a generous income stream guaranteed for that first internship year you skip, your desire to wait yet another year will most certainly be different by that stage in the game. Trust me, you will want out. You will want to be done. You will want income and you will want to spend time you wife/husband, family, friends, kids, whatever,.... and actually live a normal life. This is advisable as well, as there will always be ways to get into npsych if you want to bad enough. However, there is never a guarantee of getting an internship the next year......so you might as well go and get it over with and figure out an alt plan from there.

While I agree there will be a desire to match somewhere, I'd caution making a quick decision that can have lasting consequences. You will feel A LOT of pressure to match. You will want to rank every site, even if one or more of them were not a good fit. Some people will be more particular than others with how they evaluate sites, though I'd recommend that if you want to be a competitive applicant for post-doctoral positions, at a minimum you'll need an APA-acred site, and hopefully one that offers training in your area of interest.

If you have extensive neuro experience prior to internship, I wouldn't worry too much about landing at a "neuro" site. Many sites offer major/minor rotations involving neuro without being designated a "neuro" internship site. If at all possible you'll want to have access to some kind of rotation to keep your skills sharp, but having a strong generalist foundation in addition to your neuro skills is needed at most top neuro sites. You won't really carry therapy patients, but you need to be a good psychologist before you can be a great neuropsychologist.

When I was visiting internship sites, I made sure to ask every site about mentorship from a boarded neuro/rehab psychologist, and also the site's success in placing prior interns at competitive neuro match sites. None of my sites were classic "neuro" sites, though I am sure they would place well in the match. I tried to identify solid generalist training sites that also offered opportunities for solid mentorship. My ranking definitely changed based on the available training and flexibility of each site to meet my needs. In the end I secured a great fellowship and it worked out, and I probably owe most of that to identifying my sites early and really taking the time to find the right fit. By early I mean the summer of your applying year, don't freak yourself out now about it, as much can change in a year, two years, etc.

Actually, no not at all. As i was saying before, at that stage in the game...the emphasis is on getting out and getting ph.d after you name. Even the heaviest npsych people at my program are encouraged to also apply to quality non 50% neuro intenship positions. We are not applying to college counseling centers of anything, but you get the idea. This is simply do to the competitive nature of the process (npsych in particular) and the belief that if you match to a quality apa approved internship, just take it!

Agreed.

 

[neuropsyance]

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Rivi]

Actually, no not at all. As i was saying before, at that stage in the game...the emphasis is on getting out and getting ph.d after you name. Even the heaviest npsych people at my program are encouraged to also apply to quality non 50% neuro intenship positions. We are not applying to college counseling centers of anything, but you get the idea. This is simply do to the competitive nature of the process (npsych in particular) and the belief that if you match to a quality apa approved internship, just take it!

Just out of curiosity, do college counseling centers have bad reputations as internship sites or something?

 

[olychick65]

Just out of curiosity, do college counseling centers have bad reputations as internship sites or something?

Not that I know of, but you're dealing with a different population and set of batteries than other sites- and certainly than a neuro-centric site.

 

[erg923]

Just out of curiosity, do college counseling centers have bad reputations as internship sites or something?

No. But i don't expected to see alot of neurologic disorders, dementia, or TBIs in a college population

 

[neuropsyance]

No. But i don't expected to see alot of neurologic disorders, dementia, or TBIs in a college population

Though I think I'll have some or all of these after this God awful week in school.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

No. But i don't expected to see alot of neurologic disorders, dementia, or TBIs in a college population

This. In the three years I spent doing evals (full- and part-time) at a college clinic, I was referred perhaps four cases that involved anything "neuropsychy," such as possible early-onset dementia and h/o cerebral palsy with head trauma. And even those cases only came through because the involved clients specifically sought out an evaluation from my adviser.

That being said, you will likely get RIDICULOUS amounts of experience in administering psychoeducational batteries and assessing ADHD and LD's. Not a useless skill by any stretch of the imagination, especially if you develop your psychoeducational battery with a neuropsychological leaning.

Edit: Also, one unique opportunity that tends to arise in college clinics is that you'll evaluate a decent number of individuals performing in the low-average to high-average ranges who don't receive any diagnoses. And there's a lot to be said for seeing what a "normal" performance on different assessments measures actually looks like.