I am a graduate student in clinical psychology, who is finishing up the last semester. Through my time in grad school, I developed an interest in health policy. So, I really want to establish a career in health policy research, not so much in doing therapy and doing pure psych research. I did not do any policy research during school, but I have worked in a Congressman's office and became very familiar with legislation and different policy areas. However, I do have a lot of experience in quantitative research. I have a couple of publications, wrote a grant, designed research studies, presented at conferences, etc.
I want to know what qualifications do people look for in hiring people who don't have direct health policy research experience. I do not want to go back to school to get another degree. I am very concerned that people will not hire because they will see my degree is in psychology and not a MPH/DrPH. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
It is good to hear that I am not the lone clinical psychologist interested in health policy.
😀
It is not impossible to transition into health policy given your experience and training. However, it is my impression that the transition will likely be more challenging without a public health related degree and/or training. I was in your position about two years ago. At this time I am completing my postdoctoral psychology fellowship, with a goal to acquire licensure this coming summer. This fall I am pursuing the health policy track at UCLA's MPH program.
Your clinical and research experience will be invaluable but insufficient for a longer-term career in health policy. As a doctoral candidate, you will be a competitive applicant for numerous public health programs, including those that require an advanced degree (e.g., Harvard). Your knowledge, skills, and experience in quantitative research, legislation, and the like will be assets
as an applicant; however, in my opinion - indeed, only an opinion - these are insufficient for the complex field of health policy
as a career.
Health policy training involves indepth training in political science, microeconomic theory/decision analysis, systems organizations/payment systems, financial planning/economic analysis, statistical demography, healthcare quality, and healthcare improvement - and these are just the foundational courses. As I very well know, these are not covered in clinical psychology training. Moreover, health policy can get into health disparities/inequities, policies specific to the needs of women and children, policies specific to the needs of sexual minorities, and, in your particular case, policies specific to mental health.
I would advise giving more consideration into a public health related degree. With your doctorate you can apply to one-year programs that are designed specifically for individuals with advanced degrees and significant training prior to matriculation. Many competitive programs will require a doctoral-level degree, in fact - with Harvard the notable example. Many others will offer an accelerated/executive track. These are likely to be one-year programs, as well.
If you are specifically interested in mental health policy, these are the programs that are "cutting edge" and offer excellent training: UCLA, Columbia, Hopkins, and Michigan. More broadly, these are the states that have mental health reform in mind: California, Michigan, Massachusetts, and, to a lesser extent, Vermont and North Carolina. In particular, California's Mental Health Services Act is a model for mental health reform at the federal level. (You can see why I chose UCLA.
😀) If you are interested in health policy more broadly, then many of the top-notched MPH programs offer excellent health policy training.
Good luck!
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