Place: VA Sierra Nevada in Reno, NV
APA Accreditation: Accredited
Training Director & Lead / Director: John Wyma, Ph.D.
Chief Psychologist:
Positions: 4
Stipend: 26,735
Primary Agency Type: Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Descriptor: The mental health staff members at the Ioannis A. Lougaris Medical Center are committed to the training of professional psychologists consistent with a scholar-practitioner training model. Within a supportive and collegial atmosphere, we seek to facilitate development of a reflective approach to practice that integrates empirical knowledge and delivery of clinical services. Interns are viewed as making the transition from the student role to the professional colleague role over the course of the training year, honing the clinical skills ultimately required for independent practice. Opportunities are offered for continued training in areas of practice that interns may already be familiar with, as well as introduction to unfamiliar treatment orientations and clinical challenges.
At the start of the training year, interns undergo several days of orientation to our department as well as 3 days of orientation to the medical center. They visit potential rotation sites and potential supervisors to compose a training experience that best fits their interests and needs. The Training Director and Training Co-Director are advocates for interns and other Psychology trainees at the facility. The Director and Co-Director meet regularly with interns to respond to their concerns.
Interns receive informal feedback from supervisors throughout the year in addition to formal evaluations at mid-rotation and at the end of each rotation. Evaluations emphasize the intern's strengths and identify areas in need of improvement. In turn, interns evaluate their supervisors and the supervision experience. Evaluations are mutually shared and discussed between intern and supervisor in an atmosphere that fosters personal and professional development. Written summaries of these evaluations are furnished to the intern and graduate institution at mid-year and at the end of the training year. It is expected that interns will differ in the extent to which they require training in the expected competencies. It is further expected that there may be instances where an intern's behaviors, attitudes, or other characteristics impact the learning process, relationships with others, and/or patient care. These issues are typically addressed in supervision, but if skill deficits are noted in any of these areas, a formal remediation plan may be established to address the deficits. If skill deficits cannot be remediated, provisional completion of the internship and/or termination from the internship will be considered.
Website: https://www.va.gov/sierra-nevada-health-care/work-with-us/internships-and-fellowships/psychology-internship-program/
(This page was updated November 3, 2022).