Award
This annual award, established in 2017, is given by the Committee on Early Career Psychologists to support the work of State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations (SPTAs) in addressing access to psychological services and health care shortages by advocating (in their jurisdiction) for the counting of pre-internship hours for licensure.
Deadline: December 14, 2017
Sponsor: APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists
Description
The APA Committee on Early Career Psychologists (CECP) is funding up to two $1,000 cash awards. The awards will be given to support SPTAs working to reduce health care shortages by advocating for the recognition of pre-internship hours by boards of psychology, and the resulting increase in licensed psychologists available to provide services in underserved areas. Such advocacy includes support for APA’s Model Licensure Act, particularly section D2 which advises that hours required for licensure may be counted at the pre-internship level, to include practicums and externships. (Seventeen states currently have provisions; all but one of these 17 modified their licensure laws between 2008 and 2017).
CECP is offering this support because the counting of pre-internship hours helps to bring more licensed psychologists to the health care arena. Licensed psychologists serve on most Medicare panels and participate fully in providing patient services in various settings. Thus, licensed psychologists address hundreds of pockets of health care shortages around the country, meeting the complex heath demands of communities in need, such as rural areas or the public sector. CECP recently launched a toolkit to help states move in this direction and has allocated funding for new SPTA awards.
State recognition of pre-internship hours by states with health care provider shortages also incentivizes recent graduates to practice in the area (whether staying after internship or moving into the state), bringing needed services to states with shortages. It affirms readiness to practice by trainees who have hundreds of hours of quality training and supervision by the time they graduate, reflecting significant changes in education and training models over the past several decades.
A qualified SPTA must demonstrate statewide health care need and propose a plan to address that need. The “how to apply” section contains further instruction.
In addition to recognition with a monetary award of $1,000 that must be used to support the activities outlined in the proposed plan, the winning SPTA will be presented with a plaque at APA’s annual Practice Leadership Conference.
Eligibility
To be considered for this award, a SPTA must not operate in a jurisdiction that already counts pre-internship hours for licensure. SPTAs of all sizes are encouraged to apply.
How to apply
The application must be submitted by one or more officers, leaders, or staff members of the SPTA. The application is due in its entirety on Thursday, December 14, 2018 at 11:59pm EST. Late entries will not be accepted.
Materials:
1) Cover page, no longer than three double-spaced pages, that accomplishes the following goals:
- Demonstrate the existence of health care shortages and areas of high unmet health care need within your jurisdiction. (Some tips to get you started are here.)
- Demonstrate that more psychologists as licensed professionals would be a helpful solution to these shortages.
- Provide an assessment of your SPTA’s readiness to pursue the counting of pre-internship hours and any additional reasons why this change may be important to the SPTA. Include in this assessment a brief discussion of the current state of engagement of graduate students and ECPs in your SPTA.
- Provide an idea of other key stakeholders at the state level and their perceived readiness for change.
- Provide name, title, and email/telephone contact information for the award’s author(s) and project leader(s), which may be the same individual(s).
2) A plan to promote this legislative and/or regulatory change, no longer than two double-spaced pages. Include in this plan:
- Expected time periods for each major item in the plan.
- Analysis of possible barriers and steps to help overcome them.
- Discussion of ways that graduate students and early career psychologists will be central parts of the plan.
3) A budget justification for proposed use of the award with brief explanations, no longer than one page in any desired format. The SPTA may decide the best way to use its funds. Please discuss any additional funding and resources that will be matched or otherwise met by the SPTA or other parties in helping the SPTA reach this goal, if applicable.
Submit these materials in one combined Word or PDF document by email to Eddy Ameen, PhD, Director of the APA Office on Early Career Psychologists ateameen@apa.org. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt, which may be simply an out-of-office reply.
If you have questions about the application, please contact both Dr. Ameen and Eric Russ, PhD (eruss00@gmail.com; SPTA representative on CECP). Consultation before submitting your application is certainly welcome, although neither a required nor points-bearing activity for reviewers to consider.
CECP will review all applications and select the recipient before the end of the calendar year. Applications will be evaluated based upon how well the SPTA clearly articulates the items requested above; the SPTA’s readiness and ability to engage in this project; the impact that the award will have on the SPTA in making this change; and the thoughtful engagement of students and ECPs in the project.