Frequently Asked Questions
About the UW Internship Program

KEY PERSONNEL TO CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

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.