taking EPPP before internship

[bcliff]

In my state, a limited license is conferred to individuals with a clinical masters degree, sufficient hours accrued, and who have passed the EPPP. I’m thinking of taking the exam to gain this midlevel licensure post-comprehensive exam and pre-internship. I was wondering if others who have taken the EPPP before degree conferral can shed any light on barriers (e.g., distraction from dissertation) and benefits (e.g., do internship sites look favorably at having already passed EPPP?) to taking the exam this early?

Also, I had heard from a post-doc I had worked with before entering graduate school that some states limit the number of times you can take the EPPP, is that true?

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[AcronymAllergy]

I can't really speak to any cons, as I didn't take it prior to internship. Pros would be that it's one less thing to have to worry about during/after internship. I don't suspect it would add significantly to an internship application, as it's fairly inconsequential to the internship site whether or not you've passed. Could be a pro for EPPP.

And yes, I believe some states do limit the number of times you're allowed to take the exam.

 

[csmith22]

Briarcliff -- I would also like to take the EPPP before completed my graduate degree and am interested in your progress since your 2017 post. I would greatly appreciate you sharing any information about your progress, as well as information you have found on states which allow students to sit for the test before graduating. Thanks in advance!

 

[PhDToBe]

I would imagine internship sites would care more about your dissertation being finished since independent licensure is not possible until your degree is conferred (which cannot happen until after internship), but it would likely be viewed very favorably by postdocs/initial jobs.

 

[EmotRegulation]

There are pros and cons here, I think. On the pro side, taking the EPPP before internship gets it out of the way when you are "used" to studying for stuff. On the con side, the dissertation should completely take precedence for the EPPP. Also, I went into a faculty job and was able to use startup funding for EPPP prep (since being licensed was a required part of my job) which means I paid faaaaaaaaaaar less than had I done it earlier. Considering that most states still require supervised postdoc hours before licensure (not all!), there's still plenty of time to take the EPPP.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you can swing it and it doesn’t interfere with getting your dissertation defended...I think it’s a great idea. I know a few ppl who sat for it towards the end of internship (similar scenario with sitting as a mid-level) and it was far less stressful than cramming it in during post-doc. They scored high enough to meet the doctoral cutoff, so when they finished their post-docs they could apply for licensure right away.

I crammed for the EPPP during my 2nd year of post-doc (last 5-6mon) and it was stressful. I had to juggle clinic responsibilities, research time, EPPP studying, and interviewing for faculty positions all in a handful of months. It was rough.