PhD/PsyD practicum decision

[jltpsyd]

Hi all! I need a little help making a decision for my 4th year prac. I will be applying for internship in November so I just want to make myself as competitive as possible for a hospital-type adult setting coming from a PsyD program. I have two practicum offers and there's no way I can do both, so I have to pick. I have no other offers or interviews arranged at this time.

One is with a private practice assessment-only site. I need assessment hours (I have 6 hrs, no batteries) and this site pays (but not that much, obviously). I would still have to work, but an assistantship could probably be enough to get me through. I'm concerned about a private practice not having very much prestige behind it. If I take this, I anticipate about 600 intervention hours and 350 assessment hours, as well as 10+ batteries by the time I go on internship.

The other is with Yale-New Haven Hospital in their DBT-substance use program. In addition to this practicum, I would have to work a lot more since it is unpaid. I've read though that an Academic Medical Center is an ideal placement and the spot is really competitive to get. I have some opportunity for assessment there, but not as much. I anticipate I would have around 750 intervention hours, at least 100 assessment hours, and 5-10 batteries by the time I go on internship.

I'm just hoping for some feedback about which spot might make me the most competitive. Thanks!

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[WisNeuro]

Holy hell, why do you only have 6 assessment hours? Even in more general internship settings <100 assessment hours will not be looked upon favorably.

 

[jltpsyd]

I know it's so scary! My program allows for 2nd and 3rd year prac, with optional 4th year. My 2nd year site told me I would have opportunity for assessment, and I did....6 hours worth. My 3rd year site doesn't offer testing at all. TBH I am not the only one from my program in this predicament. I guess that's why I need to choose between lots of assessment at an unknown place or a little less assessment at a more prestigious place with stronger clinical training.

 

[WisNeuro]

IMO, the assessment piece needs to beefed up. It's the glaring weakness and some sites will knock you down bigly in application review on that one.

 

[erg923]

I know it's so scary! My program allows for 2nd and 3rd year prac, with optional 4th year. My 2nd year site told me I would have opportunity for assessment, and I did....6 hours worth. My 3rd year site doesn't offer testing at all. TBH I am not the only one from my program in this predicament. I guess that's why I need to choose between lots of assessment at an unknown place or a little less assessment at a more prestigious place with stronger clinical training.

Does your DCT know about this? If not, they should and they should not be ok with it.

 

[jltpsyd]

Does your DCT know about this? If not, they should and they should not be ok with it.

I don't know if he knows or sees it as a problem. We had an exceptional match rate last year. Some of the accountability is definitely on me because a few others in my cohort took summer assessment pracs last year and knocked out most of their hours that way. My logic was to focus on getting plenty of intervention because I didn't realize how important assessment was and I thought I could always just get an assessment site for this upcoming summer. But both of these sites would want me to start July 1st. So basically anyone who did not take an assessment summer prac last year or go to a year-long site that offered both assessment and intervention is scrambling the same way I am.

 

[jltpsyd]

IMO, the assessment piece needs to beefed up. It's the glaring weakness and some sites will knock you down bigly in application review on that one.

Thanks for your feedback!

 

[PsychPhDone]

Thanks for your feedback!

What other practica have you done?

 

[psych.meout]

IMO, the assessment piece needs to beefed up. It's the glaring weakness and some sites will knock you down bigly in application review on that one.

This is why I like browsing threads that are about topics far beyond my current stage in the grad school process.

 

[modestmousktr]

I know it's so scary! My program allows for 2nd and 3rd year prac, with optional 4th year. My 2nd year site told me I would have opportunity for assessment, and I did....6 hours worth. My 3rd year site doesn't offer testing at all. TBH I am not the only one from my program in this predicament. I guess that's why I need to choose between lots of assessment at an unknown place or a little less assessment at a more prestigious place with stronger clinical training.

I have no helpful advice, but can commiserate with you on the miserable lack of assessment practicum opportunities in my program! You are not alone (unfortunately, haha).

 

[PhDToBe]

I would do the assessment-heavy practicum. Could you volunteer part-time at Yale to obtain some hospital experience?

If you have other experiences at a hospital setting, I think you'll be fine missing out on another year at one. Based on my very limited experience, I don't think reviewers pay a ton of attention to the prestige of practicum sites, so I don't think a PP would necessarily hurt you or that Yale would help you a ton.

Can you either volunteer somewhere to obtain assessment experience now or consider applying your fifth year to acquire more assessment hours/do a practicum at a hospital?

 

[jltpsyd]

What other practica have you done?

11 months on an inpatient state run hospital unit with people who have substance use and mental health diagnoses, about half court mandated, and then i have been at a job corps now for about 5 months working with ages 17 to 24, both sites have been trauma and substance use heavy

 

[Lola917]

Hi all! I need a little help making a decision for my 4th year prac. I will be applying for internship in November so I just want to make myself as competitive as possible for a hospital-type adult setting coming from a PsyD program. I have two practicum offers and there's no way I can do both, so I have to pick. I have no other offers or interviews arranged at this time.

One is with a private practice assessment-only site. I need assessment hours (I have 6 hrs, no batteries) and this site pays (but not that much, obviously). I would still have to work, but an assistantship could probably be enough to get me through. I'm concerned about a private practice not having very much prestige behind it. If I take this, I anticipate about 600 intervention hours and 350 assessment hours, as well as 10+ batteries by the time I go on internship.

The other is with Yale-New Haven Hospital in their DBT-substance use program. In addition to this practicum, I would have to work a lot more since it is unpaid. I've read though that an Academic Medical Center is an ideal placement and the spot is really competitive to get. I have some opportunity for assessment there, but not as much. I anticipate I would have around 750 intervention hours, at least 100 assessment hours, and 5-10 batteries by the time I go on internship.

I'm just hoping for some feedback about which spot might make me the most competitive. Thanks!

The practicum at Yale-New Haven Hospital seems like it would definitely make you more competitive for internship (prestige of site, training offered, area of specialization, letter writers, etc.) however I would only take this practicum if its possible to secure a supplemental practicum elsewhere (maybe a 1 day a week assessment-only supplemental practicum). Regardless of where you are trained, appling for an APA internship without at least 200-250 assessment hours could really hurt your application.