VUMC Internship in Professional Psychology

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) is a cooperative effort between the divisions of the VUMC Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, including Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and other locations within the Medical Center where psychologists are placed. VUMC-IPP is a member of the Internship and Postdoctoral Programs in Professional Psychology (AAPIC). We were previously part of the Vanderbilt – Veterans Affairs Internship in Professional Psychology Consortium, and as such had been continuously approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1971. In August 2017, the Vanderbilt – Veterans Affairs Internship in Professional Psychology Consortium began a disbanding process and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) was established as an independent internship training program in July of 2018. In compliance with the Commission on Accreditation (CoA), the VUMC-IPP participated in the accreditation self-study and site visit and was granted full accreditation as an independent site 2019. Given the long-standing history as an accredited consortium, the 2019 accreditation maintained the initial accreditation start date in 1971.

The VUMC-IPP offers training in three specific Primary Placements (or Major Emphasis Areas):

  1. Adult Health Psychology
  2. Child and Adolescent Psychology
  3. Psychosis
  4. Autism and Lifespan Development
  5. Forensic Psychology

The internship is structured to provide an in-depth, immersive experience at one Primary Placement (or Major Area of Study) which should be congruent with the intern’s primary interest area (i.e., adult, child, psychosis).  Depending on the track, there also  also opportunities to train in an elective rotation, which allows for the pursuit of special interests or the strengthening of areas of weakness in the intern’s past training experience. The structure of the internship is described in detail below.  

The training program is conceptually grounded in the scientist-practitioner model of the profession. The VUMC-IPP  recognizes that the primary focus of the internship year is on the acquisition of clinical experience in a well-supervised environment conducive to learning and professional development.  Training in clinical techniques is presented in relation to the framework of science that underpins clinical practice. The internship is located in an academic/medical center setting which offers the opportunity for involvement in research and interns are strongly encouraged to avail themselves of these opportunities. 

The administrative structure and governance of the training program are outlined below and described in detail in the Internship’s By-laws, which are available in the “Downloads” section.

  • Overview

    The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) is a member of the Internship and Postdoctoral Programs in Professional Psychology (AAPIC) and has been part of the Vanderbilt – Veterans Affairs Internship in Professional Psychology which has been continuously approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1971. Currently, we are an independent site and the VUMC-IPP is fully Accredited with the APA until 2029.

    Training Period

    July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026

    Positions Available

    We expect to have 5 full-time positions available for the 2025-2026 training year.

    Autism and Lifespan Development: 1 (NMS # 245411)
    General Adult Psychology: 1 (NMS #: 245412)
    Child & Adolescent Psychology: 1 (NMS #: 245414)
    Adult- Psychosis Emphasis Track: 1 (NMS #: 245420)
    Forensic Psychology: 1 (NMS # 245413)

    Stipends

    $31,200

    Eligibility

    Applicants must be enrolled in an American Psychological Association (APA) or Canadian Psychological Approved (CPA) accredited graduate program and have completed at least three years of graduate academic work.  Applicants must have a minimum of 550 Total Intervention and Assessment Hours as defined by the AAPI.  Requirements are described in detail here.

    How to Apply

    Instructions on how to apply are detailed here.  The Internship follows the policies and procedures of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), including participation in the Match.  All application materials are submitted via the APPIC online application system (www.appic.org). This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking-related information from any intern applicant. Applicants may apply for one or multiple tracks within the Internship.

    Application Deadline

    11/01/2024 11:59 PM EST

    Interviews

    Following initial evaluation of applications, a group of applicants will be invited to interview. Interviews for this year will likely be virtual. For applicants that applied to multiple tracks, and are selected to interview for more than one track, interviews will be coordinated over 3 days..

    Applicants selected for interview will be notified by December 12th, 2024.

    Interview Dates

    Wednesday December 4, 2024

    Wednesday December 11, 2024

    Friday December 13, 2024

     

  • All interns are admitted to the internship within one of the five Primary Placements (or Major Areas of Study), described in the “Primary Placements” section. It is, therefore, very important to review carefully the descriptions of each placement to decide which is the best fit for your training interests.

    Depending on the VUMC-IPP training track, there may or may not be opportunities to participate in an elective training placement.

    When offered, elective placements are designed to complement the training opportunities available at the primary placement, broadening the overall training experience, and providing experiences that are congruent with the intern’s needs/objectives for professional development.

    Training Directors will work in conjunction with the intern, completing an initial needs assessment, reviewing the intern’s overall training background in relation to the intern’s and the internship’s training objectives. Once these interests have been identified, the Training Director and Intern will explore programs within the Department of Psychiatry to see if an elective placement is viable and work through the practical arrangements for a placement.

    Didactics

    All interns attend regularly scheduled case conferences and didactic seminars that are organized as part of the internship experience. These mandatory training activities occupy approximately one-half day each week, currently on Friday mornings. In addition to the presentation of clinically or professionally relevant content, a major objective of these collaborative training activities is to provide a structure within which members of the intern class may interact and learn from one another. There is also an abundance of conferences, colloquia, workshops, and research opportunities open to interns in the collaborative settings, in the larger university community, and the Nashville area. Participation in some of these activities can be arranged through negotiation with your primary supervisor, and will serve to enrich the internship year and provide a setting for valuable interaction with other professionals.

    Research

    All interns are required to participate in Research Symposium Day which takes place in late June near the end of the training year. The overall goal of this requirement is grounded in the Internship’s scientist-practitioner model of training, and provides an alternative avenue to analyze, synthesize and present the science that underpins clinical practice. With that in mind, the expectation is that each intern will present a topic of scholarly and scientific research in an interest area of their choosing. This requirement can be met in several ways. Interns can choose to complete a unique research or quality improvement project in collaboration with a faculty member on-site during the training year. Presentations are integrated into the Psychiatry Academic Day held in June.

  • Stipend

    The stipend for the 2024-2025 internship year is $31,200.

    Health Insurance

    Interns in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) are categorized as Partially Benefits Eligible.   Partially benefits-eligible employees and their dependent children are eligible for VUMC health plan coverage.  However, spouses are not eligible for healthcare coverage under this category.  If you would like a detailed list of benefits please request the current year benefits overview brochure.

    Vacation and Sick Time

    All interns are allowed a minimum of two weeks (i.e. 10 working days) annual leave (vacation), two weeks of sick leave (i.e. 10 working days), and seven professional days (to be used for professional meetings and workshops, dissertation related activities, job interviews, etc.). Arrangements for leave should be negotiated in advance with the relevant training sites except in cases of emergency. Extended periods of absence due to serious illness, illness of a family member, etc., will need to be made up by extending the period of the internship in order to complete training requirements.

    Parking

    Vanderbilt University Medical Center offers several parking options for all employees.

    Additional Resources

    All interns have access to Vanderbilt University library resources, as well as the library and computer resources available at their training sites.

  • The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) is a cooperative effort between the divisions of the VUMC Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, including Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and other locations within the Medical Center where psychologists are placed. VUMC-IPP is a member of the Internship and Postdoctoral Programs in Professional Psychology (AAPIC). We were previously part of the Vanderbilt – Veterans Affairs Internship in Professional Psychology Consortium, and as such had been continuously approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1971. In August 2017, the Vanderbilt – Veterans Affairs Internship in Professional Psychology Consortium began a disbanding process and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP) was established as an independent internship training program in July of 2018. In compliance with the Commission on Accreditation (CoA), the VUMC-IPP participated in the accreditation self-study and site visit and was granted full accreditation as an independent site 2019. Given the long-standing history as an accredited consortium, the 2019 accreditation maintained the initial accreditation start date in 1971. 

    Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation

    American Psychological Association

    750 First Street, NE

    Washington, DC 20002-4242

    (202) 336-5979

    apaacred@apa.org

     www.apa.org/ed/accreditation