New Quality Standards for Internship Training: Implications for Doctoral Programs, Students, the Internship Match, and Beyond

Key leadership groups have affirmed a new standard requiring that doctoral training in health service psychology must take place in accredited programs and internships. A more liberal standard for internship placement is currently held by many accredited doctoral programs and virtually all psychology licensing boards. As of 2010, clinical and counseling programs report that only 57% of applicants found accredited internships, mostly through the match held by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). An additional 35% placed to unaccredited positions, many obtained outside the match, so that almost all (92%) received internships acceptable to their programs. Most discussions of the internship imbalance are framed within the APPIC match, overlooking the role of these external unaccredited positions. Thus, under the new standards, match rates would fall from 92% to 57%, creating a monumental imbalance. However, rigorous enforcement of the new standard would resolve this imbalance, as programs adjust their enrollments to the availability of accredited internships, given that unaccredited positions would no longer be an alternative. Efforts are underway to mitigate the effects of this change by increasing the number of accredited internships, but will fall short of the 1,800 positions needed for full replacement. Large clinical programs with low match rates to accredited internships would likely absorb most of the required cuts in enrollment. Implementation of the new standard would be a challenge. The APA Commission on Accreditation (CoA) is best positioned to enforce it, but presently cannot make the standard a cardinal requirement for program accreditation. APPIC could also contribute significantly to implementation.