What do APA internship rates indicate about a program?

[desertflower]

---

Members don't see this ad.

If this question has been answered elsewhere, I apologize and feel free to point me in the right direction!

I've applied to a range of Clinical PsyD programs and have heard a lot about the APA internship match rates. I am curious as to what (or if) these percentages indicate about the programs as a whole. For instance, does a school with a high percentage of students getting an APA internship indicate the quality of their students? Or is it more indicative of the the connections the university has with the psychology community, or the reputation of the school?

The schools I am considering have a wide range of stats for their students and internships. One school I was really impressed with during my interview has a slightly lower rate of matching their students into APA interships than I'm comfortable with (well, just under the 75% I have seen advised around here).

So basically, how well do these percentages reflect the quality of education and training I could expect to recieve? Would you advise bypassing a school that seems to be a good fit because of their lower match rate?

Thank you in advance for your input!

 

[O Gurl]

Here's a good place to start: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=745625

But briefly, match rates are very important indicators of how well programs prepare their trainees. However, the numbers can be a bit deceiving. You generally want to look at trends over 5-10 years, because all programs will have an off year or two. Also, most programs only put out a few applicants/cohort, so if only on or two of them doesn't match, it can really impact the percentages. Finally, you want to know what kind of sites trainees are matched to and should look for places with solid APA-accredited placements.

 

[desertflower]

Thank you very much, that was quite helpful!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Here's a good place to start: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=745625

But briefly, match rates are very important indicators of how well programs prepare their trainees. However, the numbers can be a bit deceiving. You generally want to look at trends over 5-10 years, because all programs will have an off year or two. Also, most programs only put out a few applicants/cohort, so if only on or two of them doesn't match, it can really impact the percentages. Finally, you want to know what kind of sites trainees are matched to and should look for places with solid APA-accredited placements.

All great suggestions.

I just want to highlight the importance of teasing out APPIC v. APA-acred site match %'s. Some programs claim very high "match" numbers, but they blend together APA, APPIC, and regional acred (typically CAPIC). The type of site is also important, as there can be huge differences in quality between settings and acred. levels.