Application and Intern Selection Process

Internship Year 2024-2025 Application Process

Application deadline is 11:59am Eastern Time on November 3, 2023

The Psychology Internship Training Program at Montefiore Medical Center is a participating member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). As such, we abide by all APPIC Match Policies. Applicants for our internship must complete the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) Application for Psychology Internships Online ("AAPI Online").

The complete AAPI Online must include:

• A cover letter indicating which specialization you are applying to (note: you may only apply to one): adult, child and adolescent, combined, or neuropsychology and why you believe you are a good match for that specialization.
• A current curriculum vitae
• Three letters of recommendation, using the APPIC Standardized Reference Form (SRF)
• Official graduate school transcript(s)

***Neuropsychology Specialization only: two complete neuropsychological assessment reports (deidentified)***

We do NOT:

• Require any supplementary materials (other than the two reports for candidates interested in the Neuropsychology Specialization, so please do not send any additional letters, testing reports, case summaries, etc.)
• Have any minimum requirements in terms of intervention or assessment hours!
  • All candidates meeting the eligibility requirements described in the APPIC Intern Applicant Policy are welcome to apply!

Intern Selection Process

• Interns must:
  • Be enrolled in doctoral programs in Health Service Psychology and/or Professional Psychology, in the areas of (a) clinical, (b) counseling, (c) school, (d) other developed practice areas, or (e) combinations of two or three of the above areas, consistent with the standards of an Eligible Accrediting Organization (one that accredits doctoral programs in Health Service Psychology and/or Professional Psychology and is either recognized by an Approved Government Agency or the Canadian Psychological Association). An Approved Government Agency is a United States governmental department, agency, or body that (a) formally reviews and/or recognizes doctoral psychology accrediting organizations or (b) has explicitly recognized a doctoral psychology accrediting organization in its hiring qualifications; and (c) has been approved by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Approved Government Agencies currently include the United States Department of Education and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Respecialization programs in Professional Psychology for which internship is an essential and required component of the doctoral training are also eligible.
  • Have completed adequate and appropriate supervised practicum training, which must include face-to-face delivery of professional psychological services
  • Have interests, aptitudes, and prior academic and practicum experiences that are appropriate for our internship's goals and objectives

Application Review Process

Applications are reviewed by a team of at least 2-3 training faculty from each specialization of the psychology internship training program.

• The faculty members consider factors such as:
  • Clinical training and qualifications: practica, externships, other relevant clinical experiences
  • Academic training and qualifications: GPA, scholarly activity, evaluation by the Training Director
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Research interests, scholarly production, and
  • Cover letter, personal statement and training goals (i.e., match for our site)

Note: We do not have any minimum practica and academic requirements other than those specified in the APPIC Match Policies. 

After all the applications have been reviewed, a meeting is held by the training faculty to discuss each applicant’s application and to determine which of the applicants will be invited for an interview.

Over the past five years, our site has averaged 408 applications for our 9 positions (we have received the most applications of any site participating in the match in 7 of the last 10 years). Unfortunately, we are only able to invite a limited number of candidates (typically 18 for the child and adolescent, combined, and neuropsychology tracks, and 24 for the adult track) to be interviewed and, as a result, we inevitably must decline to interview some very well-qualified applicants. Applicants who are not selected for interviews will be notified via email on or before 11:59PM Eastern Time on December 8, 2023, as is specified in the APPIC Directory.

Applicants remaining under consideration will be notified via email and offered an opportunity to select one of several interview days, which will be as follows: Adult Specialization - Jan 5, 9, 17, and 19; Child and Adolescent Specialization - Jan 3, 8, and 16; Combined Specialization - Jan 2, 10, and 12; and Neuropsychology Specialization - Jan 4 and 11. *** Please note that we have a limited number of slots available for each interview day and these are filled on first-come, first-served basis.

*** Special note for January 2024 interviews *** This year we will once again not be offering any in-person interviews and will instead be conducting all of our interviews via video conferencing platforms (e.g., Zoom, or Teams) in order to maintain a safe, equitable and inclusive selection process.

Interview Day

Our interview day consists of an orientation/overview given by the Director and Associate Director of Psychology Training, followed by several individual interviews (at times conducted by paired faculty members), and concluding with a virtual lunch/Q&A with one or more of our current interns. Typically, intern candidates in the adult, child and adolescent, and combined specialization are asked to block between 8:00am and 2:00pm on their calendars. Intern candidates in the neuropsychology specialization typically have a morning orientation and a virtual lunch/Q&A with one or more of our current interns, with interviews either in a morning or afternoon session.

Please note that all candidates will be asked for permission to be photographed (via a group screen shot) during the interview day. These photographs are taken strictly to aid interviewers in recalling memories of the interviews during our ranking meeting (see below) and are deleted after the ranking meeting.

Applicants are evaluated independently by each interviewer on factors such as psychological knowledge, ability to communicate clinical concepts, and compatibility/match for training at our site.

Ranking Meeting

After all the interviews have been completed, a ranking meeting is held for all the faculty members who conducted interviews. At this meeting, a decision is made concerning whether an applicant should remain under consideration or be eliminated from consideration. Any applicants no longer under consideration will be notified via email of this decision.

Applicants remaining under consideration will be rank ordered based on a consensus of the interviewers. Interviewers consider both the application materials and the interview day performance when determining where to rank each candidate. Applicants will be ranked on separate lists for the Adult specialization (Match #144312), the Child/Adolescent specialization (Match #144313), the Combined specialization (Match #144314), and the Neuropsychology specialization (Match # 144311).

Note: Applicants must also use these match numbers to identify the specialization when ranking our program. 

The Psychology Internship Training Program participates in the APPIC Internship Matching Program. As such, the program submits the rankings electronically to National Matching Services, Inc. by the prescribed deadline, which will be 11:59PM Eastern Time on February 2, 2024 for Phase I of the Match.

Additional Policies Governing Intern Selection

This psychology internship training program 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.

The Psychology Internship Training Program at Montefiore Medical Center is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in all of its activities, including decisions. We make all employment decisions based on the ability and qualifications of the individual applicant to perform the job and, as such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, alienage, citizenship status, or any other legally protected category. In fact, applicants from members of under-represented groups including minorities are especially encouraged to apply.

Post-Match Policies

Note: APPIC has asked that any site having specific application requirements that must be met after the Match is completed (e.g., background checks, drug testing, etc.) to be more specific in describing these requirements in our public information in advance, so that candidates can understand our requirements and choose not to apply to our site if they don't meet them. Most importantly, it minimizes the chance of our program being matched to a candidate who is ineligible for hire.

Background Checks

In terms of background checks, for nearly 40 years, New York Correction Law Article 23-A (better known as “Article 23-A”) has prohibited New Yorkers from being denied a job simply because of their arrest or criminal records. Starting on October 27, 2015, a new city law called the Fair Chance Act (“FCA”) required most employers in New York City to wait until after a conditional offer of employment before asking about or considering a job candidate’s criminal record. At that point, employers may only revoke a job offer consistent with Article 23-A. 

In other words, the Fair Chance Act makes it illegal for most employers in New York City to ask about the criminal record of job applicants before making a job offer. This means that applications and interview questions cannot include inquiries into an applicant's criminal record. This allows the applicant to be judged strictly on his or her qualifications. In addition, under Article 23-A, New Yorkers cannot be denied work simply because of a criminal record. An applicant may only be denied a position if there is a direct relationship between the applicant’s criminal record and the prospective job or if it can be demonstrated that employing the applicant would create an unreasonable risk to the employer’s property or to the safety of specific individuals or the general public.

Employers must consider nine factors in making this determination. If we determine that a direct relationship exists, we must also evaluate the factors to determine whether the risk is decreased. If there is no direct relationship, all of the factors may be considered in determining whether an unreasonable risk exists. The factors are:

1. That New York public policy encourages the licensure and employment of people with criminal records.
2. The specific duties and responsibilities of the prospective job.
3. The bearing, if any, of the person’s criminal record on her or his fitness or ability to perform one or more of the job’s duties or responsibilities.
4. The time that has elapsed since the occurrence of the events that led to the applicant’s criminal conviction, not the arrest or conviction itself.
5. The age of the applicant when the events that led to her or his conviction occurred.
6. The seriousness of the applicant’s conviction record, judged by the applicant’s conduct. Note that the Commission does not consider convictions for possession or sale of a controlled substance to be particularly serious.
7. Any information produced by the applicant, or produced on the applicant’s behalf, regarding her or his rehabilitation or good conduct. Because we are required to consider this information, we must affirmatively request it from applicants.
8. The legitimate interest of the employer in protecting property and the safety and welfare of specific individuals or the general public.
9. If an applicant has a certificate of relief from disabilities or a certificate of good conduct, we must presume he or she is rehabilitated.

For more information, see: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/fair-chance-law.page 

Pre-Employment Drug Testing Policy

Montefiore Medical Center is committed to ensuring a safe, healthy, productive and efficient work environment for its Associates, patients and visitors. Accordingly, the Medical Center has established a pre-employment drug-testing program for job applicants and other individuals seeking to work, train or volunteer at the Medical Center.

This policy is applicable to all applicants for temporary or regular employment, and all other individuals seeking to work, train, or volunteer at Montefiore, including interns, residents, independent contractors who will work on site and individuals referred through employment agencies (hereinafter referred to collectively as “applicants”). Applicants must undergo and pass a drug test before they actually commence employment, work, training or volunteer activity at Montefiore. The pre-employment drug testing policy does not apply to persons under 18 years of age.

Procedure:

Montefiore’s pre-employment drug testing procedure complies with applicable federal, state and local law. All applicants (as defined above) must undergo a pre-employment drug test and must receive a negative test result as a condition of employment, work, training or volunteer activity. The pre-employment drug test is administered after the applicant receives from Montefiore a conditional offer of employment, work, training or volunteer opportunity. New hire processing will not be initiated until the drug testing has been completed with satisfactory results.

At the time Montefiore extends to the applicant a conditional offer of employment, work, training or volunteer opportunity, the applicant will promptly be provided with the documents he/she will need to comply with the pre-employment drug testing procedure.

These documents include:

• A Forensic Drug Testing Custody and Control Form
• A list of drug testing collection sites approved by the certified laboratory from which applicant will select the most convenient site.
• An acknowledgement and consent form which the applicant must return to the Recruitment Department at the time he/she receives a copy of this policy.

An applicant is required to provide a urine specimen at an approved collection site within forty-eight (48) hours of receiving from Montefiore Medical Center an offer of employment, work, training, or volunteer opportunity. If the day after the applicant receives such an offer is not a business day in which a collection site is open, the applicant will be allowed seventy-two (72) hours to provide the urine specimen.

Negative Test Results

The HR Recruiter will be informed by the certified laboratory of negative test results within two (2) days from the collection date.

Positive Test Results

When an applicant tests positive for drugs, the certified laboratory will automatically retest the original specimen before concluding that the test result is positive. The Medical Officer (“MRO”) will then contact the applicant directly to review positive test results. If the MRO determines that there is no valid reason for the positive tests results, the applicant will be ineligible to work, train, or volunteer at Montefiore.

Negative Dilute Results

When a test result comes back as a ‘negative dilute’, the applicant will be given an opportunity to retest once within a 24-hour timeframe. If the second test result comes back as a ‘negative dilute’ again, the applicant will be ineligible to work, train, or volunteer at Montefiore.

Refusal to Submit a Drug Test

Although an applicant has the right to refuse to submit to a pre-employment drug test, Montefiore will not consider the applicant who so refuses. Moreover, Montefiore will consider the following conduct by an applicant as a refusal to submit to a drug test:

• Refusing or failing to appear to a substance abuse test within a specified time, as determined by Montefiore Medical Center, after being directed to do so;
• Failing to remain at the testing site until the testing process is complete;
• Falling to provide a urine specimen for collection; failure to provide a sufficient amount of urine when directed, without an adequate medical explanation;
• Failing or declining to take a second drug test that Montefiore Medical Center or collector has directed to be taken;
• Failing to undergo a medical examination or evaluation, as directed by the MRO as part of the verification process, or as directed by Montefiore Medical Center as part of the “shy bladder” procedures;
• Adulterating or substituting a urine sample, or attempting to adulterate or substitute a urine sample; or
• Failing to cooperate with any part of the testing process such as delaying the collection, testing or verification process or otherwise engaging in conduct that obstructs or manipulates, or attempts to obstruct or manipulate, the testing process.

This policy is not a contract of employment. If an applicant fails to comply with this policy, the applicant will be ineligible for employment.

Any questions regarding the meaning or application of this Pre-Employment Drug Testing Policy should be directed to the Director of Psychology Training.