About 79 percent of psychology students participating in the 2008 Match found an internship this year--an improvement over last year's mark of 75 percent, according to the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
A total of 2,749 applicants matched for the 2008-09 internship year, says APPIC Match and Clearinghouse Coordinator Greg Keilin, PhD, leaving 743 participating applicants unmatched. Last year, 842 applicants were unmatched.
Despite the improvement, the number of unmatched applicants was the second highest since the computerized Match and Clearinghouse process started in 1999, says Keilin.
The imbalance between internship supply and demand continues to be a serious problem, says Keilin, noting that while the number of internship positions grew by 174 from last year, there were 61 more applicants.
"Even though we're seeing signs of improvement, there's still a tremendous amount of disappointment out there," Keilin says.
APA's Center for Psychology Workforce Analysis and Research is gathering data to develop a detailed picture of the psychology work force to help the profession advocate for greater funding for psychology education and training money that could create more internships down the road.
-C. Munsey