FAQs for Resident Applicants

How can I apply to an APPCN program?

Contact the directors of the programs you are interested in, and ask how to apply.

Does APPCN have a standard application form or a standard application packet?

No. However, most programs request a curriculum vitae, 3 letters of recommendation, and a graduate transcript. Some programs allow the curriculum vitae and letters to be submitted by email. A few programs may also ask that you submit samples of your work (e.g., evaluative reports).

Is there an application fee?

No, there is no fee to apply to specific programs. However, there is a fee to participate in the Match.

Do I need to have some clinical experience in neuropsychology in order to apply?

Generally, yes. The Houston Conference Guidelines, to which APPCN programs aspire, indicate that some education and training in clinical neuropsychology should occur prior to the residency, in the doctoral program and internship. However, there is no requirement for a specific number of hours or units of neuropsychology training. Still, the Houston Conference Guidelines were intended to be aspirational in nature, and not all programs may have fully implemented them. Thus, you may wish to check with the program you interested in. It is likely, however, that an application to an APPCN program from someone with experience in neuropsychology will be viewed more positively than one from a person without experience.

Do I need to have an internship in order to apply?

Yes.

Is it necessary to be from an APA- or CPA-approved program in clinical psychology and have an APA- or CPA-approved internship in clinical psychology?

APPCN programs require that applicants have completed an APA- or CPA-approved graduate program. Some require the graduate program to be in clinical psychology, and some welcome applicants from other kinds of programs as well (e.g., school psychology). An APA- or CPA-approved internship is preferred by many programs but not required. In some cases, exceptions are made. If you do not have these qualifications, you should talk to the directors of the programs you are interested in. Also, you can get some information about specific program requirements and preferences from the APPCN website www.appcn.org.

Do I need to have a neuropsychology internship in order to apply? What about an internship that meets INS-Division 40 or Houston Conference guidelines for internship training in neuropsychology?

APPCN does not require a formal neuropsychology internship, but some APPCN programs do prefer applicants who have this type of internship. To find out, you need to ask the directors of the programs you are interested in.

Can I apply if my doctoral degree is in a non-professional field of psychology, such as experimental psychology or developmental psychology?

APPCN requires that applicants have a doctoral degree in a health service delivery area or else have completed a "respecialization" program.

Do I need to complete requirements for the doctoral degree in order to apply?

You can apply if you will complete your degree requirements before the start date of training. However, the closer you are to completing these requirements, the more competitive your application will be. For most applicants, the major unmet degree requirement is the dissertation. Programs may ask applicants specific questions about the status of their dissertations (e.g., if data are collected).

Is it necessary for the doctoral degree to be awarded before the start date of postdoctoral training?

No. This is because some universities only award degrees once per year.


Do I need to have completed all degree requirements before the start date of postdoctoral training?

>APPCN strongly encourages trainees to complete all their degree requirements before starting postdoctoral training. Otherwise postdoctoral training would be adversely affected by time spent completing doctoral requirements. Some programs may not offer the same stipend to non-degreed residents as those with their doctoral degree. State licensing boards generally will not credit time in a residency program toward requirements for postdoctoral supervised training until the degree is conferred. Thus, for a number of reasons it is desirable to have your degree before beginning your residency.

Do APPCN programs have a uniform start date?

There is no uniform date, but the start dates of most APPCN programs are from July to September. The exceptions are mostly when programs have positions that need to be filled at other times of the year.

Do APPCN programs have a uniform application deadline?

No. You should look on the APPCN website or contact the program directors for their deadline. However, there is a deadline for all applicants and all programs to submit their rankings to National Matching Services. Therefore, no programs can accept applications after the deadline for submitting rankings. Applicants should apply early enough to avoid having their applications reviewed in a rush.

Do I need to interview at the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) meeting?

Interviewing at the INS meeting is convenient but not required. APPCN programs offer interviews at the annual INS meeting, which is usually held during February or March. This meeting was chosen because it is just before the Match. By traveling to the INS meeting, applicants can interview with multiple programs at minimal expense and time.
The Waikoloa, Hawaii INS conference will be February 5-9, 2008.

Do I need to interview on-site at each program I apply to?

There is no APPCN requirement for on-site interviews. However, some programs invite their top candidates to come for interviews. Some programs only interview at INS. Again, you need to ask each program director what is their policy.


Regarding the Match:

How do I get an application for the Match?

The APPCN index page has a link to the NMS (National Matching Services) web site or you can link directly to http://www.natmatch.com/appcnmat. Click on "Applicant Registration" on the NMS web site.

What percentage of present APPCN members will definitely participate in the Match?

All the APPCN member programs that have positions available that begin in 2008 will participate in the Match.

Will other sites that are not members be eligible to participate?

Yes, programs that are not members of APPCN may participate in our Match, provided they meet certain minimal qualifications and agree to abide by the APPCN Match Policies. However, participation in the Match does not imply that a non-member program complies with the training guidelines and standards for membership set by APPCN. There are some non-APPCN programs that are probably of similar quality to APPCN programs. But unless they apply for membership and allow peer review of their programs, their compliance with APPCN standards cannot be determined. There are almost 50 programs in APPCN now so it is fair to say that the vast majority of the high quality, organized residency programs in clinical neuropsychology are in APPCN.


What implications do the existing APPCN Match guidelines have for applicants who do not receive placement by the end of March in the APPCN Match? Does it not limit an applicant's options to apply to non-APPCN residency programs that are not participating in the Match as a safety net to ensure employment for the upcoming year?

You can apply to all the non-participating programs that you wish. They are not bound by any rules of the Match and neither are you in your dealings with them. It is possible that non-participating programs may pressure applicants to commit before the Match date. In such cases, the applicant has to decide whether to hold out for a participating program or opt out of the Match.

Do you have any recommendations on an appropriate manner to graciously negotiate the delay of such commitments?

There may not be a gracious way to delay commitments. Our suggestion would be to simply state assertively to any non-participating program that asks you to commit before the Match date that you are participating in the APPCN Match and would prefer not to accept another position until the Match results are out. You could even suggest that the program participate in the Match, if it is eligible to do so. If they persist, then you will have to make the kind of decision we discussed previously (i.e., do you take a sure thing or hold out for the possibility of getting into a participating program). Of course, the pressuring program is in the same position. They have to decide whether it is better to hold out for you or to accept a more eager, but potentially less qualified, applicant.

If a student were to accept such an offer from a non-APPCN program:
(a) How quickly will the computer system respond if the student notifies the National Matching Services?

If applicants want to withdraw from the Match (perhaps because they have accepted a position elsewhere), they can do so up to the deadline for submitting Rank Order Lists, which this year would be February 29, 2008. Once processing of the Match begins, withdrawals are no longer accepted. Match Results Release Date is March 10, 2008.

(b) How many applicants are likely -- in reality -- to notify the Match service of prior commitment to non-participating programs and might attempt to play both systems?

This is a hard question to answer. In previous years, the majority of registered applicants submitted a rank listing. The remaining applicants either withdrew formally from the Match or did not submit any rank listings. Very few applicants who withdrew or did not submit rank listings were ranked by any APPCN programs, and to the best of our knowledge no applicants reneged on positions to which they were matched. Hence, we do not believe that applicants attempted to "game" the two systems unfairly. Moreover, the Match is open to non-member programs. The more programs that participate in the Match, the less able applicants are to play both systems. The likelihood of such "gaming" depends in part on how many non-Match positions exist that make offers to applicants who would prefer positions offered in the Match. Remember that to participate in the Match, each applicant must sign an Agreement that states, among other things, that the applicant agrees:

1. Not to make any commitments to or contracts with any participating program prior to the release of the Match results. If I choose to accept a position at a residency program that is not participating in the Match, or decide not to participate in the Match for any other reason, then I will NOT submit a Rank Order List containing any choice(s) of programs for the Match, but will submit a withdrawal from the Match.

2. To accept appointment to the program with which I am matched. I understand that I cannot avoid accepting appointment to the program with which I have been matched without a written release from the program concerned; also, that another program participating in the Match cannot offer me a position unless I have this release.

3. APPCN is responsible for enforcing this Agreement, and violations of the terms of this Agreement will be reported to the APPCN Board of Directors. So in addition to numbers of positions, the question becomes - how many applicants will choose to violate an agreement that they have signed?


(c) If the match service is not notified, how does that affect the remaining participants?

That depends on the specifics of the circumstances and the relative desirability of the positions. There are a few scenarios where an applicant commits to a non-APPCN program and then also participates in the Match:

1) Applicant is not matched: no effect on any participants

2) Applicant is matched and reneges on the commitment to the non-participating program: The non-participating program will have a spot to fill, which they will offer to other applicants. If they offer the spot to an applicant who did not match (whether or not they participated in the Match), then there is no effect. If they offer the spot to an applicant who is matched, then it depends on which position the applicant prefers. If the applicant prefers the matched position, there is no effect. If the applicant prefers the non-participating position, then it depends on what action the applicant takes: if the applicant honors the Match commitment, then there is no effect; if the applicant reneges on the Match commitment, then see #3 below.

3) Applicant is matched and reneges on the Match commitment: This would make a previously filled position now available again in the participating program.

In conceptual terms, an applicant reneging on a Match commitment has potentially harmed another applicant in the Match who may have preferred the vacated position and been desirable to the program, but has now matched elsewhere. The program has also potentially been harmed because other applicants it may have wanted to fill the position may now be matched elsewhere. The Match result is "final." Applicants and programs must accept the Match result, and the results are not adjusted because of "violations."

In practical terms, the effect on participants depends on what the participating program does. The program is bound by Match rules not to offer the position to another matched applicant, unless the applicant receives a written release from his matched program. If the program offers the position to an applicant who was not matched, then there is no effect.

If the program entices a matched applicant to seek a release from another matched position, this could in theory start an undesirable chain reaction of "match violations" (in spirit if not in fact). APPCN should try to make sure this doesn't happen. National Matching Services informs us that in other matches they administer in which some positions are offered outside the Match, this has come up from time to time, but is usually not a serious problem.

Again, the effect that reneging on a Match commitment would have on Match participants is really not different than if there was no matching program. With or without a Match, an applicant who has previously accepted one position may renege on that commitment to accept another position. In fact, experience in other professions has shown that this happens far less frequently with a matching program than without one.

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updated 09-23-06