VA Prac to prep for VA Internship

[bcliff]

My interests are in adult neuropsych with a specific emphasis on older adult neuropsych/geropsych. There's an excellent VA in my town with a GRECC that frequently extends offers for neuropsych practicum placements to students in my program (this is a site I will definitely be applying to for internship), but there is also a reputable neuro-rehab PM&R non-VA prac that is typically able to pay students competitively on top of our university funding.

Does doing prac with the VA buy me anything when it comes time to apply to internship in two years? I'm leaning toward the paid neuro-rehab site and am planning to do a year of inpatient and a year of outpatient there, but if time at the VA/GRECC would be a markedly better decision for me professionally, then I may forego the smaller-sooner and wait out the larger-later. I see myself ideally completing internship and post doc within the VA system but not necessarily staying there post-licensure.


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[bmedclinic]

. I see myself ideally completing internship and post doc within the VA system but not necessarily staying there post-licensure.

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Do the VA. In my subjective estimation, having prior VA experience gives you between a marginal and a huge leg up compared to others.

 

[Justanothergrad]

Doing the VA gives you an idea of what it's like to work there. That's good to know for the future as you consider your career beyond internship. Doing the other offers substantial benefit as well. Where do you want to be in the long run, are you sure, can you do one each year? There are likely to be some substantial differences in population between the two.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Neither would hurt you, obviously. Having previously trained in a VA will generally provide a boost to your application at VA internship/postdoc sites, but how much of a boost can vary considerably. And I've never seen an application tossed or ranked very low solely because the individual hadn't yet trained at a VA. Although if there is a big/well-known VA nearby and you don't train there at some point, it might raise some concerns.

Ultimately, would either site better round out your training and/or align with your future career goals?

 

[bcliff]

I have previous tech experience, and i worry that the VA prac will be heavy on testing admin/report writing, which is an experience I'm not in dire need of. The PM&R prac will be more focused on rehab/C&L/brief intervention in addition to brief testing admin/report writing, which seems more in line with my interests.. Plus there's extra $$. I worry tho that choosing to not work at a well known VA may come off as a glaring oversight to application committees.

I might look into research opportunities through the GRECC that will let me get my foot in the door without formally committing to a prac placement there.


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[cara susanna]

I got interviews and landed a VA internship without any prior experience, but I'm not sure to what extent it hurt me throughout the entire process.

 

[Kadhir]

I see myself ideally completing internship and post doc within the VA system but not necessarily staying there post-licensure.

The PM&R prac will be more focused on rehab/C&L/brief intervention in addition to brief testing admin/report writing, which seems more in line with my interests..

Hm, so what is the draw of the VA? It sounds like that's not what you want, short- or long-term. Just asking for a bit of clarification. I would echo @AcronymAllergy 's question. Also, if you want to do rehab as a neuropsychologist, make sure the neuro training is primary, and solid, at the PM&R site. Many places have great rehab, but the neuro training may leave something to be desired. Perhaps this isn't a concern with the particular site you're considering.

I interviewed at several VAs and AMCs without any VA experience. Admittedly, I was a little lost at my first interview (I remember thinking, "Wth is a CBOC?"), but I caught on quickly. I recall sites emphasizing that it doesn't matter whether or not you have trained at VAs- they were just looking for good generalists, and good neuro folks on top of that. So it really is mostly about your goals and what you need at this point in your training.

 

[bcliff]

Hm, so what is the draw of the VA? It sounds like that's not what you want, short- or long-term. Just asking for a bit of clarification. I would echo @AcronymAllergy 's question. Also, if you want to do rehab as a neuropsychologist, make sure the neuro training is primary, and solid, at the PM&R site. Many places have great rehab, but the neuro training may leave something to be desired. Perhaps this isn't a concern with the particular site you're considering.

I interviewed at several VAs and AMCs without any VA experience. Admittedly, I was a little lost at my first interview (I remember thinking, "Wth is a CBOC?"), but I caught on quickly. I recall sites emphasizing that it doesn't matter whether or not you have trained at VAs- they were just looking for good generalists, and good neuro folks on top of that. So it really is mostly about your goals and what you need at this point in your training.

I think the draw of the VA for me is that it’s a quality training site, and I’ve heard from multiple advisors and supervisors that its an ideal place to do internship and post-doc because of the emphasis on education and quality rather than sheer productivity and quantity. Also, I haven’t done any work with the VA before, so even though I don’t necessarily see myself pursuing a VA career (I see myself more as a non-VA AMC type), I may change my mind in the future, and I want to avoid closing any doors prematurely.

 

[GoPokes]

At the very least, getting some experience at the VA now will save you the headache of learning CPRS later.

 

[WisNeuro]

I never really found CPRS all that hard to use. I thought it was more intuitive than Epic.

 

[CheetahGirl]

I think the draw of the VA for me is that it’s a quality training site, and I’ve heard from multiple advisors and supervisors that its an ideal place to do internship and post-doc because of the emphasis on education and quality rather than sheer productivity and quantity. Also, I haven’t done any work with the VA before, so even though I don’t necessarily see myself pursuing a VA career (I see myself more as a non-VA AMC type), I may change my mind in the future, and I want to avoid closing any doors prematurely.

Hmmmm. Based on your above response, I say go for the other opportunity, then. It def helps to have prior VA experience (they want to know you'll be good at what you do within the context of the environment and population), but IMO if the big pull isn't to get in and increase exposure (to help stay within the VA system), then branch out and get as much comprehensive experience to inform your non-VA AMC goal.

I've heard from many Veterans, themselves, that they certainly do not want to be your 'trial and error' population, and they pick up on professionals who lack empathy and simply view them as specimens (def not saying that you would, just sharing insight).

 

[CheetahGirl]

CPRS is like riding a bike...sometimes a mountain bike on an Xterra trail, but a bike nonetheless.

 

[WisNeuro]

I've heard from many Veterans, themselves, that they certainly do not want to be your 'trial and error' population, and they pick up on professionals who lack empathy and simply view them as specimens (def not saying that you would, just sharing insight).

I wouldn't let this sway any decisions. They level of bitching doesn't really change much from trainee to full staff. That small percentage of high utilizers will always have something to complain about. It's inherent in any secondary gain system.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

You mention doing two years at the rehab site; would it be possible to instead do one year there (e.g., 6 months each in- and outpatient), and one year at the VA?

 

[CheetahGirl]

I wouldn't let this sway any decisions. They level of bitching doesn't really change much from trainee to full staff. That small percentage of high utilizers will always have something to complain about. It's inherent in any secondary gain system.

True.

 

[bcliff]

You mention doing two years at the rehab site; would it be possible to instead do one year there (e.g., 6 months each in- and outpatient), and one year at the VA?

I definitely could -- Our prac commitments range from 9 to 12 months, and most students do not stay at the same site. I think I would have to commit to a year of inpatient or a year of outpatient tho, but even that might be negotiable. My main concern is getting used to a much higher income than what I currently earn, through my university alone, and then transitioning back to my base stipend for my internship-application year.


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[bcliff]

Hmmmm. Based on your above response, I say go for the other opportunity, then. It def helps to have prior VA experience (they want to know you'll be good at what you do within the context of the environment and population), but IMO if the big pull isn't to get in and increase exposure (to help stay within the VA system), then branch out and get as much comprehensive experience to inform your non-VA AMC goal.

I've heard from many Veterans, themselves, that they certainly do not want to be your 'trial and error' population, and they pick up on professionals who lack empathy and simply view them as specimens (def not saying that you would, just sharing insight).

Good to know -- like I said, I'm pretty ambivalent about the VA right now and definitely want to keep my options open. I would also describe myself as pretty set on wanting to pursue a VA internship/postdoc.

The consensus seems to be that VA experience helps but isn't a necessary requirement but also that omitting a heavy hitter VA might look like a strange oversight to some application committees.

I think what might be the best option is to take the non-VA PM&R prac and also look for ways to get involved in GRECC research and then re-evaluate next year. Volunteering in a lab might still be a good way to secure VA letter writers for internship applications.


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[PsyDr]

IME: in training there are a few settings where you need experience in training to get into that setting later on. Hospitals and VAs are the two that come to mind. Settings is the important term there.