Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Department of Behavioral Health Consultation and Education

“ As applicants to the internship are also applying to become active duty naval officers if matched to our program through the APPIC match, they must meet all age, security background check, and medical requirements for commissioning as naval officers prior to being placed on the internship’s APPIC match list. Applicants do not need to be in the military to apply, and despite the extensive officer commissioning background process during the application, there is no subsequent military service obligation unless an applicant matches with the internship through the APPIC match. ”

“ At the mid-point and end of the internship year, each intern will submit a written evaluation of the training program to the Program Director. This report discusses both specific aspects of each rotation, as well as an overall assessment of the training program’s success in preparing the intern for future work in psychology. Additionally, at the end of each rotation, interns are required to submit an evaluation highlighting strengths of the rotation and supervision, along with suggestions for improving the rotation. ”

“ Our internship and the Navy welcome and encourage applications from men and women of diverse backgrounds. We select psychology interns on a competitive basis without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex or national origin (Article 1164, Navy Regulations) . In accordance with United States law regarding military officers, applicants must be United States citizens and cannot hold dual citizenship. (Applicants who hold dual citizenship must be willing to relinquish non-U.S. citizenship prior to commissioning as a military officer) . ”

“ There are a number of ways in which the general professional skills imparted through the internship can be operationally described. The Navy Clinical Psychology Internship Program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has adopted the profession-wide competencies outlined in APA’s Standards of Accreditation (2015) to include competencies related to: research; ethical and legal standards; individual and cultural diversity, professional values, attitudes, and behaviors; communication and interpersonal skills; assessment; intervention; supervision ”

“ Each intern will receive at minimum four hours of scheduled supervision per week, at least two of which must be individual supervision. In addition to addressing clinical issues, case load, and professional growth, supervision is also a time for the primary supervisor to review intern progress toward program-specific and profession-wide competencies. At mid-rotation the intern and primary supervisor will have a formal session to review progress toward mastering clinical competencies and identify areas to be focused on during the second half of the rotation. ”

“ We have learned from former interns that graduates of Navy internships typically report to a professional assignment that demands a higher level of independent responsibility and professionalism than his/her peers in civilian practice. Our faculty has identified, and continues to develop, learning experiences aimed at imparting the skills necessary for effective professional performance at the next Navy assignment. ”

“ As mentioned previously, the program’s training aims are to provide the trainee with experiences and skills needed to function competently as a broadly-trained clinical psychologist, and to equip the intern with additional knowledge and skills needed to practice competently within the Navy. We identify and evaluate a set of profession-wide and program-specific competencies to ensure we are meeting our broad training aims. ”

“ Throughout the eight weeks, interns will spend one day a week focusing on gaining an understanding of basic elements in cognitive evaluation, having an opportunity to evaluate inpatients with a variety of neurological complaints. By the end of the rotation, interns will be able to accurately diagnose traumatic brain injuries, perform basic cognitive screening evaluations, decide when a referral to a neurologist or neuropsychologist is indicated, and understand how to critically read neuropsychological reports. ”

“ In the event that an intern has a grievance with a faculty member or another supervisor, the intern should initially attempt to resolve the issue with the faculty member or supervisor concerned. If the intern cannot resolve the grievance with the individual involved, the matter is brought to the attention of the Program Director. ”

“ Each competency is rated on a 5 point scale: “R” (Remedial Work Required) , “E” (Entry Level) , “I” (Intermediate Level) , “P” (Proficient) , and “A” (Advanced) . In order to pass a rotation, an intern must achieve a rating of “I” or higher on all competencies. If an intern has any competency rated “R” (Remedial Work Required) or “E” (Entry Level) for an extended period of time, a remediation plan will be implemented to assist the intern in acquiring the identified competency. In some cases, this may involve repeating the rotation. All rotations must be passed to complete the internship. ”

“ Additionally, the intern will co-facilitate a therapy group and participate in at least one couple's therapy case during the rotation. Interns will learn how to assess and manage risk for self-directed and other-directed aggression, as well as learn how and when to refer patients to more intensive or controlled treatment environments. Interns will gain experience communicating with military commands regarding Service member's performance and fitness for duty. ”

“ All internship graduates are expected to achieve state licensure within 18 months of internship graduation. Ultimately, we encourage our graduates to earn Board Certification from the American Boards of Professional Psychology. To reward this process of professional development, the Navy pays all Board Examination fees, and pays an annual salary bonus to its Board Certified Psychologists. ”

“ Applicants have the option of applying to one or both sites. Applications are reviewed by a single Navy Selection Board. Matches are dependent on the rankings of applicants made by the Selection Board and by the rankings of the Navy sites made by the applicants. It is important for the applicant to acquire sufficient information about both sites so that informed rankings can be made. Any resulting APPIC Match with a Navy internship will be with one specific hiring site. ”

“ Interns receive information about the different assignments and duties Navy psychologists can perform outside of the traditional mental health setting. Topics address military-specific competencies to include discussions about military culture, military-specific psychological evaluations, and exposure to Navy and Marine Corps mental health policies and instructions. ”

“ Each intern is assigned multiple cases to be seen across rotations. Interns will be assigned a faculty supervisor who is responsible for supervising the evaluation, treatment, and documentation for trans-rotational cases. Supervision for trans-rotational cases will be scheduled, although unscheduled supervision for urgent or emergent issues is always available. As stated above, high-risk patients are to be discussed with supervisors and documented PRIOR TO departure of the patient from the clinic or service. ”

“ Following the internship, graduates are assigned to Navy medical centers or medium sized hospitals where they continue to practice under supervision until they attain licensure in one of the fifty states or the District of Columbia. ”

“ Applicants with minimal experience with adults, or with adult experience in narrowly focused specialty areas such as neuropsychological assessment, would be at a significant disadvantage in our review and APPIC ranking of applicants. Applicants with minimal experience with psychological assessment of adults would also be at a disadvantage. ”

“ The training goals of this rotation include; familiarizing the Navy interns with the most frequently used psychological assessment measures in Navy and other military settings, developing an understanding of the administration and interpretation of these measures, as well as gaining experience working in a consultation role within a medical system. Interns attend weekly individual and group supervision, as well as a didactic seminar. ”

“ In addition, all written and/or oral comprehensive examinations and approval of the dissertation proposal by the applicant’s full dissertation committee must be completed prior to the APPIC Match list submission deadline. ”

“ These opportunities include experience with a variety of general mental health evaluations, military-specific evaluations, and experience in providing psychotherapy. Military evaluations include: Command Directed Mental Health Evaluations, Deployment Screenings, plus evaluations for: Drill Sergeant, Fitness for Duty, Sniper, Recruiter, Security, and Temporary Disability and Retirement. ”