Each year, clinical and medical students around the country wait anxiously to find out where they will complete their internships.
For all three University of Toledo clinical psychology doctoral students who applied to be matched this year, the wait is over: Everyone in the PhD program was accepted into the internship of her choice.
“This year we are excited to report a 100 percent match rate. Not only is this great for our students because they need an internship to graduate, but it is a great indicator of the overall quality of our program,” Dr. Laura Seligman, director of clinical training, said. “This year nationally 25 percent of students were not matched. Our match rate shows that our faculty has done a great job to prepare our students, and students look for that when we recruit.”
The matching program for the psychology students is similar to the match process for medical and pharmacy students. The process takes place in phases; first, applicants apply directly to the internship programs where they are interested. Each applicant then interviews with the program.
After the completion of interviews, each applicant submits a rank order list of his or her desired programs to National Matching Services, which places applicants into positions based on the preferences of applicants and sites.
UT students matched at top programs around the country, and these internships should help them in launching successful careers, according to Seligman.
“I am excited I will complete my internship at the Albany Consortium,” said Sandra Horn, a psychology doctoral student. “I applied all over the country, and I am excited to go to Albany to explore what it is like to work in various settings. I can continue to develop my skills in the integration of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral therapy, as well as provide personality and cognitive assessments — an area I hope to specialize in.”
Horn will begin her internship at the Albany Medical Center in New York in September.
“The University of Toledo has been a great place to study, and I feel I have had good support here,” she said. “I was part of the psychological assessment lab and have really enjoyed working with the team on campus so it is a little bittersweet to leave, but I’m excited to take on new challenges.”
The other UT psychology students finishing their doctorates are Tanya Ozbey, who will continue her studies at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Kim Burkhart, who will intern at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
