Statement of the APA Board of Directors o Internship Imbalance Problem

[Annakei]

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This was posted on the APAGS listserv in June 2009, any updates?


Statement of the APA Board of Directors on the
Internship Imbalance Problem

Growing internship imbalance needs urgent attention; APA is working with other psychology groups to address the issue.

2009 internship match day saw almost one in four psychology graduate students seeking an internship fail to match to an available position during the initial matching phase administered by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). During this
year’s match process 2,752 applicants matched to an internship position; 846 applicants were not matched. While the APA Board is confident that some of these unmatched students will be able to find internships through the clearinghouse process (299 slots were not filled during the match
process) the fact that a larger and larger proportion of students seeking internship are not matching to slots on match day is a growing and serious concern. Of even more serious concern is the reality that the number of students seeking internship is greater than the number of
available accredited internship positions thus forcing some students to complete their internship requirement in a non-APA accredited internship and as a result possibly limiting their future career options.

The current imbalance between students who need an internship to fulfill their degree requirements and the number of available accredited internships position is unacceptably high and presents a burden on those students who fail to acquire an internship during the match or
clearinghouse process. Those students who fail to match find themselves at a crisis point in their efforts to complete their professional training and pursue a psychology career. The lack of a sufficient number of accredited internship positions will also present a critical challenge for the
future of the profession if it has the effect of discouraging students from psychology as a career choice or steers them toward unaccredited internship positions.


Steps the Education Community is Pursuing in an Effort to Address the
Imbalance Problem

Although this year’s proportion of students who did not match has been exacerbated by the current economic downturn, the problem of an imbalance between the number of students seeking an internship and the number of available internship positions has been a serious issue
for a number of years, i.e. the number of internship applicants has grown at a faster rate than the number of new internship positions. For example, the number of internships available in 2009 was seven fewer than was available in 2008. However between 2007 and 2008 the number of
internship positions grew by 243; in other words, there were the beginnings of a growth pattern in the number of internships that the current economic conditions has reversed; the hope is temporarily.

In response, APA through its Board of Educational Affairs (BEA) and the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) has taken a number of actions, including maintaining close communication with the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and the five training councils representing the different areas of doctoral education and training in professional psychology. APA has two critical concerns: making sure that there are sufficient internship positions for every qualified student and that those internships meet quality training standards.

Truth in Advertising/Better Educate Potential Students – APA requests and publishes programs’ internship placement rates in Graduate Study in Psychology, the largest compendium of information about graduate education in psychology. In addition, those programs that are
APA accredited are required to make publicly available their internship placement information on their website. APA, along with the other education and training organizations remains committed to disseminating information to potential students regarding career paths in
psychology.

Workforce Analysis – In 2006, the APA Council of Representatives authorized the
establishment of a psychology workforce analysis capacity. In addition to conducting
environmental scans, psychology needs more and better data on the number of psychologists
currently working in particular service delivery sub-fields of the discipline and the number of
psychologists needed to meet consumer needs in those areas. Although these efforts are still
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gearing up, they will be fundamental in providing useful information to psychology’s education
and training community as well as policymakers.
Federal Advocacy for Funding for Education and Training. APA continues to work
for increased funding for psychology education and training programs and student support. In
2002 APA was instrumental in establishing the Graduate Psychology Education program in the
Bureau of Health Professions, the only federal program solely dedicated to the education and
training of psychologists, including internship programs. All members of the psychology
community should lend their voice to efforts to advocate for increasing federal funding for
education and training in professional psychology and educate policy makers about the need for
psychologists to meet health needs in currently underserved communities.
Other pathways promoted by the education and training community include steps which, when
taken together, represent actions that could lead to improvement in the imbalance issue:
Innovation – The field needs to identify and share new and innovative ways to create and fund
additional internship positions in accredited programs.
Assist New Programs/Support Program Growth – Develop tools that will help start-up
internship programs become accredited or existing accredited internship programs grow.
Changes in Match Program – APPIC is in the process of exploring a proposal that would allow
only students from APA accredited programs to participate in the match program. While APA is
not a part of this decision-making process, APPIC’s decision will impact the match imbalance
issue.
Department Responsibility – Individual graduate departments should assume more
responsibility for their student match rates. One proposal currently being studied is a plan by
which departments with match rates lower than some agreed upon percentage would have the
responsibility to either find or create internships for any unplaced students or reduce their future
enrollment by that number.
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Advice to students
Before selecting a graduate department, be sure to obtain its internship placement rates through
Graduate Study in Psychology, the program’s website, or the APPIC website on match statistics.
Also inquire about programs the department has in place to mentor students through the
internship match process. For many students information about a program’s match statistics
comes too late, as the student is approaching internship, to help them make an informed decision.
Students applying to graduate school need to ask about match rates before selecting a program.
Students will greatly increase their chances of being placed on match day if they remain open to
placements at internship sites across the country. Be as flexible as possible in your planning.
Also be sure to apply to programs that reflect your training interests, allow ample time to write
and edit your essays, be sure your curriculum vitae reflects your experiences well, and practice
your interviewing skills.
The problem of too few accredited internship opportunities was not created in a short time and it
will, unfortunately for today’s cadre of students, not be resolved in a short time; but it must be
addressed. APA is committed to working with other leaders within the field and graduate
departments themselves to address problems and will continue to communicate with students and
departments in an effort to collaborate. Doctoral departments must also assume greater
responsibility for ensuring that the students they accept will be able to complete their
professional training.
(June 2009)

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

*bump*

 

[psychnic]

It looks like these were both posted this year:

http://www.apa.org/apags/issues/index.aspx

http://www.psychtrainingcouncils.org/Documents/InternshipToolkitCCTC.pdf

The first article does point out that 50 new internships were created last year. It's a start, but it does seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the number of unmatched students. I also wonder if creating more internships is the answer to this problem, or whether the APA should consider regulating programs that may be overwhelming the match system with large classes. I am curious what others think about the approach APA is taking with this issue?

 

[deleted176373]

"For many students information about a program's match statistics comes too late, as the student is approaching internship, to help them make an informed decision. Students applying to graduate school need to ask about match rates before selecting a program."

Really, they think the problem is that students don't look at match statistics before hand? Really? No, the reality is that the whole process has become so hyper-competitive and underfunded that this is the natural result. Until the profession as a whole decides to rectify the situation, people who choose to become psychologists will continue to languish in this misguided system.

"Advice to students, before selecting a graduate department, be sure to obtain its internship placement rates through Graduate Study in Psychology, the program's website, or the APPIC website on match statistics."

Brilliant, why didn't we all think of that?!?

As if just getting into a graduate program was so easy that we have tons of programs to pick from.... Not. I was lucky, I had 3 programs to pick from but the reality is that students may (and often do) have ONE program to choose from... The question to them is do I roll the dice and take the program with a 65% internship placement or do I not get my Ph.D./Psy.D. and guarantee myself a 0% chance at an internship.

It's not like this problem just popped up YESTERDAY!

Nope, excepting 2002 & 2008, we see a steady rise from 17% in 1999 to 20% in 2004 to 23% in 2006.... Anyone seeing a trend, do I need to plot a regression line? 2007 was 25%! 2009 and 2010 held relatively stable at 24% and 23% respectively... more than 1 in 5 people are NOT matching and it has been this way since 2004!

That's not acceptable and the profession needs to do something about it soon. Thanks for the advice though... I wouldn't have thought of that myself.

Mark

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

APA has two critical concerns: making sure that there are sufficient internship positions for every qualified student and that those internships meet quality training standards.

The problem of too few accredited internship opportunities was not created in a short time and it will, unfortunately for today's cadre of students, not be resolved in a short time; but it must be addressed. APA is committed to working with other leaders within the field and graduate departments themselves to address problems and will continue to communicate with students and departments in an effort to collaborate. Doctoral departments must also assume greater responsibility for ensuring that the students they accept will be able to complete their professional training.(June 2009)

They are assuming a deficit problem (sites) when in fact there is a surplus problem (students). They then put it off on the psych. departments, instead of taking more responsibility for allowing unsustainable growth without restriction.