Opinions on the West LA and Long Beach VA

[AlmostThereNow]

I am currently trying to figure out my rankings for postdocs in preparation for the UND. I really liked both the West LA VA and Long Beach VA and am having trouble deciding which I prefer. All things are mostly equal in terms of what is most important to me. I am curious if any of you have opinions on the caliber of training at each site. Also, does one have a better reputation in the field than the other? I would like to position myself to be as marketable as possible when I am on the job circuit.

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[AbnormalPsych]

What specialty track/area?

I don't know either site personally, but I know people who trained at both (~5-8 years ago) and they both turned out alright. Anecdotally, I hear the West LA VA is a bit more pretentious, if that's your thing. Both quality sites from what I gather and both clinicians were sought after post training.

 

[PsyDr]

I’ve heard there’s so much drama in Long Beach, California.

 

[attitudelikeasunrise]

I am currently trying to figure out my rankings for postdocs in preparation for the UND. I really liked both the West LA VA and Long Beach VA and am having trouble deciding which I prefer. All things are mostly equal in terms of what is most important to me. I am curious if any of you have opinions on the caliber of training at each site. Also, does one have a better reputation in the field than the other? I would like to position myself to be as marketable as possible when I am on the job circuit.

You would likely get good training at either site. Within California specifically, West LA VA is generally considered to be a more prestigious site than Long Beach VA by most people familiar with the programs. However, those opinions are subjective in nature, and outside of California the distinction between the two seems to be minimal.

 

[AlmostThereNow]

Thanks everybody. That's very helpful.

 

[MiniLop]

I’ve heard there’s so much drama in Long Beach, California.

Yet somehow, someway, they keep doing funky-ass symptom checklists like every single day.

 

[SportsNeuroPsych]

I can't comment on either of those sites from a training perspective but if everything is equal, you may want to consider cost of living as a deciding factor in your rankings? West LA is going to be more expensive in general (rent, etc) than Long Beach. Not sure if that matters in your decision making, but just a thought. Good luck!