Psychology internship program | veterans affairs

To be considered, students must demonstrate completion of at least three years of graduate course work and a combined minimum of 400 hours of formal Practicum Training in assessment and

intervention. Applicants must be certified as ready for internship by their Director of Training. The internship program emphasizes Interprofessional Team-Based Care. The internship is

structured on a major/minor rotation system.  Each intern completes two major rotations 2 days per week, lasting the full year of internship.  This ensures intensive, in depth experiences.

Each minor rotation is 4-8 hours per week for 4 months, providing the interns the opportunity to complete 3 different minor rotations throughout the course of the internship year.  Major

rotations include the Mental Health Clinic (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program), Primary Care-Mental Health Integration, and Consult Liaison Psychology and Pain Resource Team. 

Minor rotations include Health Behavior, Community Living Center/Palliative Care, and Compensation & Pension. The Psychology Internship Program encourages applications from all qualified

candidates.  THE INTERNSHIP HAS ACHIEVED FULL MEMBERSHIP STATUS WITH APPIC.  WE PARTICIPATE IN THE APPIC MATCH FACILITATED BY NATIONAL MATCHING SERVICES, INC. AS AN APPIC MEMBER.  The

internship is APA-accredited.  Questions related to the program’s accreditation status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation

American Psychological Association 750 1st Street, NE Washington, DC 20002 / Email: [email protected] https://accreditation.apa.org/ ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PROGRAMS * U.S.

citizenship. VA is unable to consider applications from anyone who is not currently a U.S. citizen. Verification of citizenship is required following selection. All interns and fellows must

complete a Certification of Citizenship in the United States prior to beginning VA training. * A male applicant born after 12/31/1959 must have registered for the draft by age 26 to be

eligible for any US government employment, including selection as a paid VA trainee. Male applicants must sign a pre-appointment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration

before they can be processed into a training program. Exceptions can be granted only by the US Office of Personnel Management; exceptions are very rarely granted. * Interns and Fellows are

subject to fingerprinting and background checks. Match result and selection decisions are contingent on passing these screens. * VA conducts drug screening exams on randomly selected

personnel as well as new employees. Interns and Fellows are not required to be tested prior to beginning work, but once on staff they are subject to random selection for testing as are other

employees. * VA training occurs in a health care setting. Some of the patients served by VA are elderly or infirm, and could succumb to common illnesses like influenza. It is important to

be able to document that your vaccinations are up to date and that you have been screened for active tuberculosis prior to starting your training at VA or other hospitals.  Securing a

statement from university student health center, your regular health provider, or an urgent care clinic can expedite your appointment. Additionally, maintaining a current flu and COVID

vaccination during the training year (or taking additional preventative measures to limit patient exposure to the flu and COVID) will be required. This should be discussed with the program

training director if matched with the program and well before your start date to facilitate onboarding. ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR INTERNSHIP Internship applicants also must meet

these criteria to be considered for any VA Psychology Internship Program: * Doctoral student in good standing at an American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological

Association (CPA) accredited graduate program in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined psychology or Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accredited program in Clinical

Science. Persons with a doctorate in another area of psychology who meet the APA or CPA criteria for respecialization training in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined Psychology are also

eligible. * Approved for internship status by graduate program training director. ELIGIBILITY FOR VA EMPLOYMENT To be eligible for employment as a VA Psychologist, a person must be a U.S.

citizen and must have completed an APA, or CPA accredited graduate program in Clinical, Counseling, or Combined psychology or PCSAS accredited Clinical Science program AND must have

completed an APA or CPA accredited internship in Psychology, with the emphasis area of the degree consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. The only exception

is for those who complete a new VA internship that is not yet accredited.