Survey Of Training Directors Research Articles

Correction: Interprofessional Education in Psychology Doctoral Programs, Internships, and Postdoctoral Training: A Survey of Training Directors

Correction: Interprofessional Education in Psychology Doctoral Programs, Internships, and Postdoctoral Training: A Survey of Training Directors

Interprofessional Education in Psychology Doctoral Programs, Internships, and Postdoctoral Training: A Survey of Training Directors.

Interprofessional Education (IPE) is intended to prepare health professionals for teambased care. Little is known about IPE offerings for psychology trainees. The article reports on a survey of training directors (263) from graduate school, internship, and fellowship programs about IPE in a 39-item survey. Most programs have IPE activities across 17 types (e.g., classroom didactics, IP team care, Grand Rounds, simulations, etc.), though 34% reported no or poorly coordinated IPE. Barriers included limited funding/protected time and conflicting student schedules. Resources needed for implementing IPE included incorporating IPE into clinical settings, curricular materials, and evaluation tools. Only 15% felt institutional leadership considered IPE a high priority. Training directors need leadership engagement and support, protected time, and administrative support as well as faculty development for event design and facilitation skills. This study is an exploratory first step, more granular investigation of quality and quantity of IPE from training directors' perspectives is needed.

The scientist–practitioner model in counseling psychology programs: a survey of training directors

The scientist–practitioner model dominates as the premier training model for graduate training in applied psychology. Despite its widespread use, almost no research has focused critically on the model’s operationalized definition or its implementation and evaluation in training programs. This study provides an overview of how training directors in counseling psychology currently define, implement, and evaluate the scientist–practitioner model within their respective programs. A multi-methods online survey was distributed to 50 counseling psychology training directors. Qualitative responses from 32 respondents were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Non-thematic observations on response form/style were also summarized. Key findings suggest that counseling psychology training directors define the model in at least three broad ways. Some definitions are inconsistent with each other. Furthermore, basic program requirements are often used as the basis for both implementing and evaluating graduate programs’ use of the training model. Lastly, many training directors rely on previous responses or published program descriptions in their answers. Implications include the ethics regarding the lack of clarity and consistency of the model’s current use, advancement of the model beyond an abstraction to concrete operationalization, and concern about other applied specialties in psychology potentially having similar problems with the model.

Preparation for practicum in professional psychology: A survey of training directors.

Preparation for practicum in professional psychology: A survey of training directors.

ACGME Milestone Development in General Psychiatry: Patient Care and Medical Knowledge

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Next Accreditation System (NAS) has mandated that all medical specialties develop educational Milestones that document observable steps in residents’ professional development from entry into the program to graduation and beyond [1]. TheMilestones were organized in a 5-level model beginning with Milestones when starting into the specialty, progressing to a graduation target, and endingwithMilestones that were “aspirational” goals. The developmental framework was derived from the Dreyfus model of expertise [2], though the 5-level model in the Milestones represents the progression from beginning resident to independent specialist rather than novice to expert as in the Dreyfus model. The Milestone Project is an explicitly stated set of expectations that links the ideals of the general competencies in each specialty to the realities of measurement. The development of agreed upon Milestones should generate coherent assessment tools that are more valid than those that exist for the six core general competencies [3]. Several specialties have now published Milestones and began implementation July 2013 [4]. The Psychiatry Milestones have recently been completed in a process that was similar to the initial specialties of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Surgery. This process included formation of aWorking Group to develop the specificMilestones for each of the six competency areas. There were also several important differences from the work of the initial three Milestone groups in the structure of the process and the expectation to limit the number of sub-competencies to no more than 35. Feedback from various stakeholders was elicited throughout the process that included ongoing review with an Advisory Group, a formal pilot process with a limited number of training programs, a survey of training directors, and medical student educators and other groups submitting comments. This article will review the specific development of the patient care (PC) and medical knowledge (MK) subcompetencies and the corresponding Milestones.

Deficiencies in Suicide Training in Primary Care Specialties: A Survey of Training Directors

A high percentage of suicide victims have seen a primary care physician in the months before committing suicide. Thus, primary care physicians may play an important role in suicide prevention. The authors mailed a survey to directors of training programs in family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics, and 50.5% responded. Data obtained were analyzed with WebStat. Training directors reported deficiencies in training in suicide and depression. Notably, less than half of the internal medicine and pediatrics training directors who replied reported that teaching about suicide was adequate. The majority of them indicated a need for standardized curricular materials on suicide and depression. Experts could provide standardized curricula to primary care residencies in the recognition and management of suicide and depression. More robust training about these vital mental health concerns in primary care could reduce morbidity and mortality.

Psychological Assessment on Internship: A Survey of Training Directors and Their Expectations for Students

We used a survey of internship training directors to examine the nature of assessment use and assessment skills training at 382 internship settings in professional psychology across the United States and Canada. For the purposes of this study, we created a questionnaire that inquired about the types of assessment instruments used at each internship setting, the amount and type of training offered at internship sites, and the type of assessment experience desired of interns before beginning their rotations. The results revealed several differences across type of internship facility surveyed as well as several trends in the current use of assessment in applied settings. The findings further demonstrate the important role of projective assessment in the training of graduate students and lead to the conclusion that major discrepancies may exist between what is being taught in graduate school and what students are expected to know on entering their internship positions.

Sexuality Training for Psychiatry Residents: A National Survey of Training Directors

The current status of training in human sexuality is relevant to all health care professionals. The purpose of the current study was to determine the extent of sexuality training offered in psychiatric residency programs. The training directors of psychiatry residencies were surveyed with regard to the number of expert faculty in sexuality training as well as resident exposure to seven related curricular areas. Of the 69 respondents, the majority reported expert faculty in sexual dysfunctions, sex therapy, therapy with gay/lesbian patients, and HIV/AIDS. For each sexuality topic, approximately 80% of programs reported curricula offerings through either didactics or clinical rotations. For didactics, most topics were presented in the context of a broader course. With the exception of HIV/AIDS, it was rare for programs to offer a clinical rotation involving sexuality issues. In conclusion, the majority of training programs in psychiatry provide curriculum offerings in sexuality training, primarily through didactic education. Results are discussed with regard to comparison to training in professional psychology and the need for assessment of sexuality training in health care professions generally.

Sexuality training for professional psychologists: A national survey of training directors of doctoral programs and predoctoral internships.

Addressing sexuality issues is an inherent part of being a professional psychologist. A survey of training directors revealed that, although about one half of the doctoral programs covered at least some sexuality topics within courses, 19% to 21% of programs did not offer any training with regard to sexual dysfunction, therapy with gay clients, and HTV-AIDS. Sexuality training was even less likely in predoctoral internships. Sexuality training was unrelated to size of the program but was a function of the number of faculty with relevant expertise. Psychologists with adequate knowledge and comfort regarding sexuality will be better able to serve clients and avoid ethical pitfalls. Suggestions for infusing sexuality training into the already-crowded curricula are offered.

Selection criteria for American Psychological Association-accredited internship programs: A survey of training directors.

Selection criteria for American Psychological Association-accredited internship programs: A survey of training directors.

Selection criteria for American Psychological Association-accredited internship programs: A survey of training directors.

A representative sample of 115 training directors of American Psychological Association-accredited internship programs was surveyed. In a two-part survey, they ranked the criteria used in selecting interns for the 1994-1995 training year and elucidated characteristics of the selection process. Clinical experience, the interview, and letters of recommendation were identified as the top three selection criteria, whereas lack of assessment experience was rated as the most common deficit in applicant training. Interviews with prospective interns were conducted by 96% of the respondents and were valued as the means of determining the applicant's poise, personality, and likelihood of meshing with a given site. Results of this study provide prospective interns with common selection criteria used by. internship programs, including significant components of the interviewing process. The question Are too many students chasing too few internships? (deGroot, 1994, p. 62) has resonated throughout the discipline of psychology and has brought the issue of internship placement in clinical and counseling psychology to the forefront. In order to adequately prepare for the selection process,

Psychiatry Residency Selection Criteria for American and Foreign Medical Graduates

A survey of training directors in psychiatry was conducted to explore criterion areas in foreign medical graduate selection by comparing the perceived importance of 11 selection criteria between American medical graduates (AMGs) and foreign medical graduates (FMGs). Our study found that training directors use much the same criteria for evaluating FMGs as AMGs. For both groups, great emphasis was placed on personality factors, psychological mindedness, ability to communicate, and performance in the interview. Referrals by faculty received equal importance for both groups. The examination scores were seen as more important for FMGs and the transcripts and the reference letters marginally more important for AMGs. This is interpreted as a reflection of a lack of reliable sources of information about medical education received from abroad and a greater familiarity with, and confidence in, the evaluative methods used in American medical schools. Familiarity with American subcultures was seen as a more important criterion for evaluating FMGs than AMGs. The implications of these findings are discussed, and some suggestions are made regarding selection of FMGs.

Educational objectives in psychiatric residency training: a survey of training directors and residents.

The authors surveyed 200 physicians completing their psychiatric residencies on the importance and achievement of 124 core training objectives. One hundred thirty (65%) of the residents and all 23 of the training directors of the programs selected responded. As a group, residents viewed a substantial number of the objectives as less important, and less well accomplished, than did their training directors. The discordantly rated objectives fell in several basic areas of psychiatric competence, such as the management of schizophrenia and drug side effects. Certain objectives were rated at a lower level of accomplishment by residents from smaller programs. Possible factors accounting for these differences are briefly considered.

Personality evaluation of doctoral applicants: a survey of clinical psychology training directors.

The growing dissatisfaction with traditional criteria used to select doctoral applicants has led clinical faculties to consider alternative selection criteria, including the use of a formal personality evaluation. A survey of training directors of APA-approved clinical psychology programs was conducted to assess their opinions with regard to this proposal. The results showed that 75.3% of the respondents opposed the use of a personality evaluation. Opposition was based primarily on the applicant's right to privacy and the inadequacies of assessment alternatives.

The educational objectives of a psychiatric residency program.

The authors present a statement of the specific educational objectives of their psychiatric residency program. This statement is designed to help residents keep in focus the central tasks of their training and to provide the faculty with an organizing matrix for curriculum development. Through such specific delineation of their objectives, residency programs can also contribute to a clarification of the specialty.