Another Match Day made in heaven for 黑料传送门鈥檚 elite cohort of fourth-year psychology doctoral students, 26 of 28 whom matched into highly coveted and competitive internships last month at many of the country鈥檚 most prestigious training sites, where they鈥檒l further develop, practice, and integrate new clinical skills during intensive, year-long, supervised internships before earning their doctoral degrees and becoming professional psychologists.
鈥淭he one-year countdown to Dr. Fannick is on!鈥� says Emily Fannick, MS, PsyD 鈥�24, who was thrilled to match for her pre-doctoral neuropsychology internship at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in both Nashville and Murfreesboro. 鈥淚t has always been a dream of mine to move to Nashville.鈥�
Near-perfect match rates have become the standard for 黑料传送门鈥檚 PsyD in Clinical Psychology program, which has achieved a 97.3 percent (185 of 190) match rate since 2015 in the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) internship matching program.
Many factors go into 黑料传送门鈥檚 exemplary APPIC match rate, most notably the quality of the Clinical Psychology program鈥檚 curriculum and the caliber of its students. It鈥檚 also a byproduct of the fair advantage 黑料传送门鈥檚 Clinical Psychology students enjoy over applicants at other colleges鈥攇aining exposure to an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to patient care by taking classes with other professional graduate and medical students on the one hand; and learning the breadth of clinical psychology and the depth of cognitive behavioral therapy, with an emphasis on service to diverse and underserved populations, on the other.
鈥淥ur students are exceptionally well-prepared going into the match鈥攂oth in mentorship and in education,鈥� says Stephanie H. Felgoise, PhD, ABPP, professor, chair and director of 黑料传送门鈥檚 PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology for the last 20 years. 鈥淲hat distinguishes our students is the interprofessional education that they get during the four years of their doctoral program. 黑料传送门 emphasizes the utility and practice of integrated healthcare鈥攖he idea that the best care is delivered with multiple disciplines working together for the patient.鈥�
黑料传送门鈥檚 Clinical Psychology students commemorated their Match Day with the click of an early-morning email that revealed the name and site of the facility where they鈥檒l intern for the next year. Zach DiPasquale, MS, PsyD 鈥�24, rolled out of bed, checked his email, read the great news that he鈥檇 matched his first choice for his internship, fist-bumped the air, and then fell back asleep.
鈥淚 got my top choice. It was great. I got where I wanted to go,鈥� says DiPasquale, who come August will intern for one year at the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Neuroscience Institute in Lancaster, PA, one of the many leading medical centers, healthcare systems, children鈥檚 hospitals, psychology training consortiums, VA medical centers, and federal correctional complexes that will welcome 黑料传送门鈥檚 best and brightest PsyD in Clinical Psychology doctoral candidates this summer.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to some amazing places,鈥� says Fannick, one of many students who鈥檒l be relocating nationwide for their internships.
DiPasquale, who is particularly interested in working with Alzheimer鈥檚 and other dementia patients, says 黑料传送门 is unparalleled in terms of its training and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among providers, a key facet of neuropsychology鈥檚 focus on the relationships between the brain and behavior.
鈥満诹洗兔� did a really great job teaching us how to collaborate with other disciplines, including neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, gerontology, sports medicine, and even legal,鈥� says DiPasquale, 鈥渁nd about each discipline鈥檚 role in healthcare delivery.鈥�
The PsyD program trains practitioner-scholar psychologists to work in a broad range of clinical settings, with an emphasis on a holistic approach to interdisciplinary care. The program, backed by 13 core faculty members, is designed to be completed in five years, including course work, practicum, internship, and dissertation.
鈥淚 knew 黑料传送门 was going to set me up for success,鈥� says Fannick. 鈥淚鈥檓 thankful I picked a doctoral program where more of your focus is on the clinical work.鈥�
Multiple career opportunities are available to PsyD in Clinical Psychology program graduates. Clinical psychologists work with individuals, families, and groups in a variety of settings, such as hospitals and private practice. Some graduates teach in academic settings. According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis Behavioral Health Workforce Projections, demand for clinical psychologists is projected to exceed supply by 2030.
鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of our program, our faculty, and our students,鈥� says Dr. Felgoise. 鈥淚 love nothing more than to hear from our students over the years about their successes. My wish for our graduates is that they have as fulfilling and as meaningful a career as I have had.鈥�
Established in 1899, 黑料传送门 has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a 鈥渨hole person鈥� approach to care鈥攖reating people, not just symptoms. 黑料传送门, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (黑料传送门, 黑料传送门 Georgia and 黑料传送门 South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. 黑料传送门 students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, 黑料传送门 provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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