Frequently Asked Questions
About the UW Internship Program
KEY PERSONNEL TO CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
|
Joan M. Romano, Ph.D.
(psyintrn@u.washington.edu) | |
| Gretchen
Gudmundsen, Ph.D. (gretchen.gudmundsen@seattlechildrens.org) Position: General Child Psychology Track Coordinator Information: General Child rotations. |
Myron
Goldberg, Ph.D., ABPP-CN (goldbm@u.washington.edu) Position: Behavioral Medicine/Neuropsychology Track Coordinator Information: Behavioral Medicine/Neuropsychology rotations. |
Question 1
Is attendance
at the January Open House mandatory? How does it factor into the selection process?
Answer 1
Attendance is
not mandatory at the Open House. Attending the Open House affords applicants
still under consideration after December 15 unique opportunities to learn more
about the internship program, speak with training supervisors, interact with
current residents, visit training sites, and explore the Seattle community.
Individual appointments with faculty are available at the Open House but are
not required. All interactions with the faculty and the Internship, by e-mail,
phone or in person are part of the selection process. Each year, applicants
who did not attend the Open House are matched with our program.
Our internship has had an Open House every year for applicants who are still
under consideration, after an initial screening. We do not require attendance
at Open House or that applicants travel to Seattle for interviews to Match with
us. However, we would like the opportunity to meet with applicants individually
while they are attending the Open House, or if unable to attend Open House we
would like the opportunity to talk to applicants, who are still under consideration,
by phone or Skype prior to submitting ranking lists. These additional individual
contacts provide applicants with more information about the program in terms
of their individual interests and needs, and allow us to get to know applicants
better to evaluate the "goodness of fit" with our program in terms
of applicant training interests, background and goals. We encourage applicants
to take advantage of the individual meetings with faculty members during the
afternoon of Open House, or to set up phone calls if attendance at our Open
House is not possible. We believe these individual meetings provide both the
applicants and our program faculty with information that is helpful in determining
whether our internship is a good choice for an applicant's training needs. Just
as applicants take all available information into account in ranking programs,
all contacts with applicants (including individual meetings) during Open House
or in other contexts provides information that we as a program may use in determining
rankings of applicants.
Question 2
Why
are psychology interns called "residents"?
Answer 2
The UW Psychology Internship Program changed the official title from "Psychology
Interns" to "Psychology Residents" on 03/01/99. Within medical
settings, the title of "Intern" traditionally refers to a junior trainee
who recently received his/her M.D. and is beginning their specialized training,
whereas the title of "Resident" traditionally refers to a more advanced
trainee. Given that the majority of the rotations take place in medical settings,
the title change was instituted to reflect the level of training and experience
the psychology residents bring to the various rotation sites.
Question 3
What benefits are available for Residents?
Answer 3
The 12-month stipend for the internship is $25,000 plus non-retirement benefits
(medical, and dental, insurance). Insurance plans include coverage for residents,
spouses, same-sex domestic partners, and dependents. Each year at orientation
a benefit representative presents an overview of benefit plans and answers questions.
Additional benefits include eleven days of paid vacation, five days of paid
professional leave (e.g., attending conferences, dissertation meetings job meetings),
and one sick day per month of completed service. Residents also are eligible
for a variety of other benefits, such as borrowing privileges in our library
system, use of athletic facilities, and discounted transportation passes. For
more information on insurance plan options and other benefits go to http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/roles/ee/index.html
Question 4
Is time offered for research activities?
Answer 4
The UW Internship Program has a long-standing commitment to the academic
and research development of the residents. Applicants accepted into the program
have sound, productive research backgrounds. Psychology residents may apply
to participate in a year long seminar on research skills and grantsmanship training.
Participation in this activity includes the provision of 6 hours per week of
release time from clinical rotations to participate in a seminar devoted to
teaching skills needed for developing and writing grants, and to pursue development
of a grant proposal or research project under the mentorship of an internship
faculty member. Participation in the program is most appropriate for those residents
who have either completed or are in the latter stages of their dissertation
research, are interested in research areas that can be mentored by faculty members
of the internship or the department and are looking towards career choices in
which grant writing skills will be needed. Residents are not required to
participate in the seminar program. Psychology residents not participating in
the grantsmanship seminar program may apply for one half-day (4 hours) of release
time, per week for research (including dissertation research) with an internship
training faculty supervisor. The UW Internship Program is embedded within an
extremely productive research community with exceptional resources. Please refer
to the faculty page for further information about research collaboration and/or
check the University of Washington web site for research interests.
Question 5
Am I able to do rotations in other training tracks?
Answer 5
The UW Internship Program strives to provide scientist-practitioner training
experiences across a variety of contexts (inpatient, outpatient, community)
with diverse populations. Some exposure to rotations and experiences outside
of your training track may be possible, but we can't promise it.
Question 6
Approximately how many hours of supervision are available each week?
Answer 6
At least four hours per week of supervision by training faculty are provided.
At least two of these hours are devoted to individual supervision, while the
remaining hours may be subsumed in other forums, such as group supervision.
Ongoing, informal supervision also is provided as needed.
Question 7
Are post-doctoral opportunities available at UW?
Answer 7
Yes, a number of UW-affiliated post-doctoral training opportunities are
available each year. A diverse range of post-doctoral training fellowships are
available throughout the UW system, and each position will vary in regards to
the proportion of time devoted to research and clinical activities. The fellowship
opportunities vary from year-to-year. Acceptance into the internship does not
guarantee placement in a local postdoctoral fellowship or faculty position.