Psychology board exam

[Tastebuds]

I finished my Psy.D. program in 2005, including my residency. I did not do a post-doc fellowship because 2 weeks after finishing my residency, I started medical school. Well, I finished medical school and will be finishing my residency in medicine in 6 months. My question is, I want to take the psychology board exam however, I have not done my post-doc. Is this possible? At the time I finished my psych. residency people were questioning whether post-doc will be required in the future in order to take the boards. 2-3 states at that time already got rid of this requirement. How does the rule stand now?
Any help would be appreciated

Thanks!

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[erg923]

I finished my Psy.D. program in 2005, including my residency. I did not do a post-doc fellowship because 2 weeks after finishing my residency, I started medical school. Well, I finished medical school and will be finishing my residency in medicine in 6 months. My question is, I want to take the psychology board exam however, I have not done my post-doc. Is this possible? At the time I finished my psych. residency people were questioning whether post-doc will be required in the future in order to take the boards. 2-3 states at that time already got rid of this requirement. How does the rule stand now?
Any help would be appreciated

Thanks!

Well, as long as you have your degree, you can take the EPPP (I assume that what you meant when you said "board exam"). You wont be able to get licensed in the states that require post-doc hours though (unless you do one)...which is still the vast majority.

 

[Pragma]

I finished my Psy.D. program in 2005, including my residency. I did not do a post-doc fellowship because 2 weeks after finishing my residency, I started medical school. Well, I finished medical school and will be finishing my residency in medicine in 6 months. My question is, I want to take the psychology board exam however, I have not done my post-doc. Is this possible? At the time I finished my psych. residency people were questioning whether post-doc will be required in the future in order to take the boards. 2-3 states at that time already got rid of this requirement. How does the rule stand now?
Any help would be appreciated

Thanks!

If you mean licensure, as stated above, the EPPP exam is available depending on your state.

If you literally mean "Board" exam, those are varied by specialty and almost certainly will require postdoctoral hours in your area of specialty.

Whoa, Psy.D/MD!

 

[Tastebuds]

So I can take the EPPP but can't work in states that require a post doc, right?? If so, do you know off hand what states don't require a post doc? Also, how is the test??

 

[Pragma]

So I can take the EPPP but can't work in states that require a post doc, right?? If so, do you know off hand what states don't require a post doc? Also, how is the test??

You can find a way to take the EPPP, but not all states allow it UNTIL you get your postdoc hours. Some people circumvent that requirement by taking the exam in a state not requiring the postdoc hours first, then transferring it to their desired state once they have accumulated the required hours.

I know WI doesn't require a postdoc but haven't really researched it otherwise.

 

[erg923]

You can find a way to take the EPPP, but not all states allow it UNTIL you get your postdoc hours. Some people circumvent that requirement by taking the exam in a state not requiring the postdoc hours first, then transferring it to their desired state once they have accumulated the required hours.

I know WI doesn't require a postdoc but haven't really researched it otherwise.

The EPPP is notoriously difficult and requires a couple months of careful study even for those fresh out of grad school. I would give yourself 6 months of stufy since you have been out for so long.

I didnt know certain states required that you finish post-doc hours first. I still think in the vast majority of states you can take it if you have the degree confered.

 

[Tastebuds]

Don't worry..I plan on studying for months! I am used to studying months on end for exams(as I did for all 3 of the USMLE exams). It will be a shift in thinking from the hard sciences though. Ok so I looked into it and there are a few states where I can take the exam prior to doing a post doc. The question remains, do I need to do the post doc hours for licensure?? Can anyone help me on this? Once I take the exam and if I pass..can I work as a psychologist or do I have to do the extra training??
Thanks!

 

[erg923]

Don't worry..I plan on studying for months! I am used to studying months on end for exams(as I did for all 3 of the USMLE exams). It will be a shift in thinking from the hard sciences though. Ok so I looked into it and there are a few states where I can take the exam prior to doing a post doc. The question remains, do I need to do the post doc hours for licensure?? Can anyone help me on this? Once I take the exam and if I pass..can I work as a psychologist or do I have to do the extra training??
Thanks!

Well of course you have to be licensed to practice...same as any other profession. If you practice without it, you can't call yourslef a "psychologist"... and idk how you would bill insurance.

 

[Pragma]

Don't worry..I plan on studying for months! I am used to studying months on end for exams(as I did for all 3 of the USMLE exams). It will be a shift in thinking from the hard sciences though. Ok so I looked into it and there are a few states where I can take the exam prior to doing a post doc. The question remains, do I need to do the post doc hours for licensure?? Can anyone help me on this? Once I take the exam and if I pass..can I work as a psychologist or do I have to do the extra training??
Thanks!

Depends on your state. Some states won't let you get licensed to practice independently without the postdoc hours and some states will allow you to get licensed if you pass the EPPP. Some states also have their own exam in addition to the EPPP. You just have to do the research by state.

 

[Tastebuds]

Well of course you have to be licensed to practice...same as any other profession. If you practice without it, you can't call yourslef a "psychologist"... and idk how you would bill insurance.

Well, I have noticed that the rules for psychology licensure can be a bit shady. Some states just require a certain number of clinical hours (which can be done during rotations and internship). So then I'm assuming if u have completed those hours, then u don't need to do a postdoctoral. But I can't find hard evidence on this. Medicine is clear cut...gotta pass 3 boards, finish a residency and you are licensed. That is why I'm kind of confused about what to do and if its even worth it to take the EPPP

 

[edieb]

Yes, I am wondering what is the motivation to get licensed as a PhD if you are licensed as an MD

 

[Tastebuds]

Yes, I am wondering what is the motivation to get licensed as a PhD if you are licensed as an MD

I worked hard for my degree and I still like like psychology. The job I am starting in medicine, I work half the year--one week on and one week off (still considered full time). So I was thinking of working part time as a psychologist as well.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Well, I have noticed that the rules for psychology licensure can be a bit shady. Some states just require a certain number of clinical hours (which can be done during rotations and internship). So then I'm assuming if u have completed those hours, then u don't need to do a postdoctoral. But I can't find hard evidence on this. Medicine is clear cut...gotta pass 3 boards, finish a residency and you are licensed. That is why I'm kind of confused about what to do and if its even worth it to take the EPPP

You will need to take the EPPP to be licensed in any state as a psychologist, of that much I'm certain. Beyond that is where the variability starts to come into play. I believe a few states no longer require supervised post-doctoral hours (of which I think Alabama might be one); to the best of my knowledge, once you pass the EPPP and any possible jurisprudence exams in those states, and complete the application for licensure (e.g., verify degree and completion of internship, etc.), you can practice.

Other/most states require somewhere around two years of supervised practice, of which one can be your pre-doctoral internship year. To the best of my knowledge, no states as of yet require a formal post-doc. However, as I mentioned, most will require somewhere around one year (1500-2000 hours) of supervised post-doctoral practice. The reason many people choose to go the formal post-doc route (other than if it's required for boarding or if they want more focused training and/or research time) is that it makes verification of the appropriate amount of supervision during your post-doc year (usually 2-ish hours/week, I think) much easier. If you complete an "informal" post-doc (i.e., you practice under another psychologist's license and they supervise you), then that individual will need to document/sign off on your licensing application forms, or something like that.

Doing an every-other-week schedule, I'm guessing you plan on focusing primarily on assessment? I would imagine licensing could make sense in that case. Otherwise, I believe you could practice psychotherapy without a license in psychology, given your MD and assumed medical licensure.