Stephanie Towns, PsyD, ABPP

The classic training model in clinical psychology has been largely stagnant for decades with many established programs relying on previously established curriculum design proven to meet rigorous accreditation standards. This may lead to a misconception that these well-established paths are the sole mechanism for accredited psychology training. For those seeking information about innovation or alternative models of training in psychology, there is limited published literature. As psychology integrates with healthcare and psychologists are increasingly integrated into medical care settings, advances in medical education becomes increasingly relevant to psychology education. While there is a paucity of scientific literature on innovation in psychology education, there are many publications focusing on improvement and innovation in medical education. For example, while there has been much discussion of the issue of diversity among psychology trainees there have been little systemic changes proposed to increase diversity in the field. In the field of medical education, the concept of holistic recruitment has been implemented across the country with great success in improving the diversity of medical trainees while maintaining high standards of excellence1–3. The presenters have recently developed training programs (predoctoral and postdoctoral) influenced by this literature focused on educational innovations drawn from medical training models. Presenters will cover topics germane to doctoral level training, internship and postdoctoral fellowship training including curriculum design considerations that allow for integration of themes across coursework, clinical supervision competency evaluation and strategies to support recruitment and retention of diverse students.

It is generally acknowledged that neuropsychology must increase the diversity of our trainee population. In order to reach this goal we must evaluate our recruitment processes and consider how they may be biased. One model of recruitment that has been adopted by many of our medical colleagues is that of holistic review/recruitment. Defined as “mission-aligned admissions or selection processes that take into consideration applicants’ experiences, attributes, and academic metrics as well as the value an applicant would contribute to learning, practice, and teaching,” holistic review offers a model which includes valuing the lived experiences of the whole applicant and placing less emphasis on traditionally promoted metrics like test scores and leadership roles. Multiple medical specialties have implemented holistic review and demonstrated improvement with regard to the diversity of their clinical trainee classes. We will present a summary of holistic recruitment, data supporting outcomes, and practical steps for its application.

Panel discussion of rejection in professional life as invited talk for the student series of AACN