 |
Shane J. Lopez, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Kansas |
(This article first appeared in the Winter 2000 Edition of the APAGS
Newsletter.)
My fondest memory of my clinical internship is that of
the time spent with my fellow interns on the last day of our 2000-hour joyride.
There we were...on the lawn of the psychology service building...teeing up golf
balls...and driving them into the lake across the street. Thankfully, our
clinical acumen had grown more sound than our golf swings. We were new
professionals. I encourage you to relish that feeling of accomplishment and
celebrate some ritual to mark your professional rite of passage.
My internship peers and I had ample reason to celebrate.
We were done with graduate training (including dissertation) and we had secured
jobs or great leads. How did we end our internship on such a positive
note...principled behavior? Though we were not necessarily cognizant of all the
methods to our professional development madness, we did follow principles for
finding employment, being successful, and becoming more adaptive as
professionals. In order to assist you in your transition from an intern to that
of a professional, the following strategies are recommended.
Plante (1998): Ten Principles for Finding Employment
1. Finish the credentialing process.
2. Prepare an appropriate CV and avoid common CV errors.
3. Cast a wide net.
4. Expand one's view of what one can do.
5. Network, network, network.
6. Contact local hospitals, clinics, group private
practices, schools, government, agencies, and so forth.
7. Piece together different jobs.
8. Accept reality.
9. Remain open-minded.
10. It's not all doom and gloom.
Plante (1996): Ten Principles for Success
1. Don't keep your head in the sand.
2. Degree and competence don't guarantee success.
3. Keep on top of new developments in the field.
4. Always have consultation available.
5. Always ask the question, "Who is the patient and
what is in his or her best interest?"
6. Question, question, question.
7. Be careful with current trends and hot topics.
8. Remember, you didn't go into psychology for the
money.
9. Professional psychology is more than testing and
psychotherapy.
10. Remember, you're a psychologist: You can still be
proud of it.
Prosser & Lopez (1999): Ten Principles for
Professional Adaptiveness
1. Become cognizant of the resocialization of
psychology.
2. Make essential paradigm shifts.
3. Subscribe to a philosophy.
4. Learn how to manage managed care.
5. Learn the "business of healthcare."
6. Diversify your approach to practice.
7. Become a behavioral scientist.
8. Be willing to break tradition.
9. Be vocal about the benefits of psychology.
10. View yourself as flexible, responsive, and adaptive.
There is life after internship and graduate school. And
it is swell. Though the employment market is somewhat tight, new professionals
who are principled and strategic will find their way...and their place in the
world of psychology. Good luck.
References
Plante, T. G. (1996). Ten principles of success for
psychology trainees embarking on their careers. Professional Psychology:
Research and Practice, 27, 304-307.
Plante, T. G. (1998). How to find a first job in
professional psychology: Ten principles for finding employment for psychology
interns and postdoctoral fellows. Professional Psychology: Research and
Practice, 29, 508-511.
Prosser, E. C., & Lopez, S. J. (1999, August).
Principles of professional adaptiveness. Poster presented at the Annual
Convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, Massachusetts.
